What are some practical ways that churches can invest in training pastors?
Here are several ways that whole congregations can get involved in training pastors:
- Gladly sit under a variety of preachers, not just the senior pastor. The only way that men learn to preach is by doing it. If God has given men in your church a desire to preach, the church should learn to patiently bear with their less-polished presentations and less-engaging styles, so long as the content is biblically faithful. Churches should encourage such men as they see God using their preaching and developing their gifts.
- Gladly allow your pastor to invest in training men for ministry. If a pastor devotes significant time to training men for ministry, that means he’ll spend less time doing other things. Encourage your pastor in this.
- Consider starting an internship. Internships help lay solid theological and practical foundations for a man’s entire ministry. Church members should therefore look for ways to promote, fund, and facilitate such internship opportunities. This could be a program in which pastors take men through an intensive course of reading, writing, discussion, and observation about the church and pastoral ministry.
- Support seminary students who go out from your church. Seminary support helps maintain a relationship with men your church has trained and will help them make it through seminary, which can be a financially and personally challenging time.
