My two final classes in seminary are “Psalms and Wisdom Literature” (which is reputed to be one of the most devotional classes in the required schedule) and “Theology and Practice of Prayer”, taught by Jerram Barrs (one of this generation's most Godly men). Those of you who are familiar with the difficulties that delayed my graduation will see the providence of God is this

The floor examination has a clear purpose: to test your readiness for ministry.Notice: I didn't say, “test your knowledge” or “test your theological acuity.” This is a test of how ready you are for the day-to-day, hour-by-hour work of ministry.A little background-- when a Candidate for Gospel Ministry pursues ordination in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), he will be

Most of the men I know who have remained in ministry for a number of years have done so through the friendships they made in seminary.In whatever way that it has materialized, these men (and often their families alongside them) have maintained friendships with a few very close friends from their seminary years. Those friendships have been a central factor in keeping them in ministry, stable, and focused

A little over a year ago, I transferred into the Missouri Presbytery. At the same presbytery meeting (they meet once per quarter), the Clerk of Presbytery gave a brief report on the recent decisions a couple in his church made. It seems that this couple, having raised their children to adulthood, were compelled by God and by a love for people to sell everything-- house, cars, furniture, etc.-- and

I've talked to a fair number of seminary graduates who finish in December, and they all tell the same story: December graduation is tough.Now, placement is not easy for any seminary grad, but I think finishing in December is a lot tougher than in May for most graduates. To introduce my reasons, I'll recap some of what my research in this area has shown:40% of those who started the candidacy process

It is peculiar, just a little bit, how much transition happens (or doesn't happen) based on the season.I regularly (read: daily) check the vacant pulpit listings for my denomination, and I noticed an odd affirmation of this seasonal dependence recently. Over the past month, only four new listings have been added to the main listing, yet the “last updated” date changed at least twice a

I don't know any seminarians who have lost weight or gotten in better shape during seminary.Don't get me wrong-- I do know a good handful of guys that find time to exercise. Even I have found streaks of a few weeks where I've been on the treadmill regularly. But my pitfall is, I would guess, the same as many of my fellow seminarians': some point in the semester (exam time, a major paper due, a break

A friend challenged me about my views on networking, “Can you pursue placement through networking, as you suggest, with true integrity?” Good question-- and it brings up a significant issue that a candidate-pastor must address: does a placement effort done with pure motives mean that networking is not an option?Anyone who has heard of “networking” will understand this critique.

I recently heard an interview with business leadership maven Stephen Covey, whose mega-seller The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People has changed the way many think about leadership and productivity. While there is much about the book that I would recommend, an aspect of the interview that is not directly addressed in the book caught my attention.Covey was asked why he chose the word “effective”

How long will you live in your new town, serving your new church, before you seek out and befriend other pastors in the area? Will you even refer to it as your “new church” by then?My guess is that most pastors put this at the bottom of their priorities. After all, one group that every pastor can be certain will never join their church are other pastors in the area! And there are already