Seminaries don't make pastors, churches do.Here are the articles in this issue:
You'll hear someone at 9Marks say that if you hang around us long enough. In this issue of the eJournal, we try to put some flesh on this basic idea.
Mark Dever considers why the local church is uniquely equipped and commissioned to the work of raising up future pastors. Then he offers some practical advice for every pastor and church for doing this work, whether or not they have the resources for an internship program. Both seminary presidents and pastors offer their sentiments in a couple of 9Marks forums. And one of John MacArthur's associate pastors, Nathan Busenitz, tells the story of how Grace Community Church decided to plant a seminary within the church.
Next, we asked three different churches how they formally mentor future pastors. We hope this might give our pastor readers a few ideas they can adopt, as God provides the opportunity. And our goal is the same for the last section, where we feature a number of church-affiliated programs. Maybe a church will start its own program; maybe it will sponsor a student through one of the programs listed here.
This issue does not contain the longer, more theological articles that we often include (we will in the future!), but here's the very simple point we hope you catch: God primarily calls and equips men for the pastorate as pastors faithfully shepherd and disciple their own congregations. If you don't read anything else, catch this point in the first three paragraphs of Dever's second interview below.
Raising Up the Next Generation of Pastors
Raising Up Pastors Is the Church's Work (Jonathan Leeman interviews Mark Dever, part 1)
How Do Pastors Raise Up Pastors? (Jonathan Leeman interviews Mark Dever, part 2)
A Seminary President's Forum (Why is your seminary needed? What's an exciting example you have seen being done in a local church that would encourage pastors to think of raising up the next generation?)A Pastor's Forum (Do local churches have the responsibility to help raise up the next generation of pastors, and if so, why?)
- Daniel L. Akin (Southeastern)
- Bryan Chapell (Covenant)
- Dennis P. Hollinger (Gordon Conwell)
- Paige Patterson (Southwestern)
- Rickey Armstrong (Glendale Baptist Church, Miami, FL)
- Stephen E. Farish (Crossroads Church, Grayslake, IL)
- David Helm (Holy Trinity Church, Chicago, IL)
- Juan Sanchez (High Pointe Baptist Church, Austin, TX)
- Sandy Willson (Second Presbyterian Church, Memphis, TN)
The Church as Classroom: The History of Master's Seminary (Nathan Busenitz)
How Three Churches Mentor Pastors
"I Learned the Hard Way" (Phil Newton)
"Why Are We Joyfully Committed?" (Tom Steller)
"Look, It's the Church's Job" (Al Jackson)
Church-Affiliated Training Programs
