Introducing The Pastors Seminary

Описание: 0:00 Individualism and Anonymity in Ministry
0:39 Introducing The Pastors Seminary
0:55 Why We Decided to Start a Seminary
2:12 Why Now? The Qualifications of the Staff
3:36 Do Pastors Really Need Seminary?
5:49 Inside the Master of Divinity Program
7:19 The Power of the Pulpit: Lessons from History
9:43 Does a Degree Qualify You to Shepherd?
12:06 The Problem with Online Education
14:52 Learning Pastoral Ministry from Pastors
17:50 The Meaning Behind the Name 18:22 How to Apply

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Why does the local church need to take the lead in training men for ministry? Is a standard online seminary degree a sufficient qualification to shepherd God's people? What is missing from the modern academic approach to theological education? Can a man truly be tested for a call to ministry in a classroom alone? This week on the Straight Truth Podcast, host Dr. Josh Philpot is joined by Dr. Richard Caldwell and special guest Jonathon Anderson to discuss a major new initiative at Founders Baptist Church. On the episode today, they introduce listeners to The Pastors Seminary, a church-based seminary designed to train men for future ministry within the context of a local body of believers. If you are a potential seminary student or are simply interested in how the local church should reclaim the task of training leaders, this episode provides a compelling vision for the future.

Dr. Caldwell explains that the primary driving force behind this decision is the desire to train the men God has already placed within their own congregation. The goal is to combine a program that is academically formidable with pastoral wisdom, character formation, and life-on-life discipleship. Dr. Philpot mentions that Dr. Caldwell has been at Founders Baptist Church for about 27 years. So why is the church doing this at this time, why now? Dr. Caldwell shares that it has been a long-time desire, but it’s at this current time that the Lord has uniquely equipped Founders Baptist with staff that has the necessary academic credentials, including men with PhDs like Dr. Philpot and Jon Anderson, alongside Dr. Caldwell’s 42 years of pastoral ministry experience and other seasoned pastors. This combination allows for a training environment that offers both deep theology and practical shepherding insight, elements that you can't really get by way of an isolated brick-and-mortar type training. Local church ministry where one is involved, serves, and is intimately known, is often missing at standard bible college, large seminaries, and with online seminaries, and this is really key to the model of The Pastor’s Seminary.
The group discusses the limitations of traditional and online seminary models. Dr. Caldwell points out two major cultural issues affecting seminary education today: individualism and anonymity. In many standard educational settings, a student can pass tests and gain intellectual knowledge without ever having their character evaluated or their internal call to ministry tested by others. An online seminary often exacerbates this by isolating the student from the very people they are meant to serve. In contrast, The Pastors Seminary ensures that a student is known, observed, and shepherded by qualified elders who can affirm their gifts.

Jon Anderson, who serves as the Academic Dean, outlines the Master of Divinity program. It is a robust 86-credit-hour degree with a heavy emphasis on Biblical languages (Greek and Hebrew) and expository preaching. However, unlike some programs that try to simulate ministry in a classroom, this MDiv trims the artificial practical elements and replaces them with actual service in the church. The belief is that you learn pastoral ministry from pastors, not just professors. Drawing on historical examples like John Wycliffe and John Calvin, the discussion highlights how great movements of God are often tied to faithful pulpits rather than disconnected academic institutions. Jon explains that there is a stewardship of the pulpit at Founders Baptist that is critical, and it is a major strength for The Pastors Seminary.

Dr. Caldwell helps to provide a clear understanding of why academic rigor must never be separated or divorced from the love of God’s people. He explains that what a student will get at The Pastors Seminary is that great, rare mixture of academic rigor, but never separated from, never divorced from love for the Lord's church and, the humility that recognizes that we're nothing but shepherds. We desire to help men navigate the questions of calling and giftedness, then add in the training elements necessary to maximize their giftedness for the glory of God and for the good of God's people.