Yesterday, in an unfortunate decision, the US Supreme Court ruled to deny scholarships for religious studies. [story here] The court's 7-2 ruling held that the state of Washington was within its rights to deny a taxpayer-funded scholarship to a college student who was studying to be a minister even when money is available to students studying anything else. The ruling has important implications for Christian Colleges...
First off, let me say that I'm not against Christian Colleges. I have both a graduate and undergraduate degree from one. I think they can be great places of learning. However, the supreme court decision today touches on a subject that has long concerned me.
Many times, Christian Colleges will offer degrees in things like, "Youth Ministry", "Christian Ministries" or "Biblical Studies". For undergraduates, these degrees are, in my opinion, almost worthless. They prepare a young man or woman to work full-time in the church. The catch? They typically aren't ready to work full-time for a church.
Let's face it, there aren't exactly tons of jobs available for a 21 yr old with a degree in "Christian Ministries". If for any reason, the young person decides to seek a job that is outside of the church they'll be qualified for, maybe, working as a cashier at Wal-Mart.
Often times, Christian colleges take the idealism of young Christians who want to serve Christ and sell them on a "fantastic" degree program in one of the above mentioned areas. They fail to tell them the difficulty they might have paying off their student loans or supporting a family while working full-time in the church.
Obviously, none of the 12 disciples went to a Christian college. The Apostle Paul was a tent-maker for a while after he became a Christian. (No, I don't believe he put up a sign saying Christian Tents for Sale.) I believe that the best way to prepare for Christian ministry (other than growing as a Christian) is to first spend some time working in the secular world.
Although I disagree with the Supreme Court decision, I hope it will encourage Christian Colleges to stop offering degrees with limited career opportunities. Instead, they should encourage their students to Major in an area such as Education that has a secular application and perhaps they could minor in an area that includes "Youth Ministry" - or simply require them to take such courses as part of a general education requirement.
Not only would such a thing encourage the development of more marketeable skills but it would also send these idealistic young Christians to where they are needed the most -- around non-Christians.
Okay, so now you're saying, "What about Pastors?"
Yes, I think we need to have people who are specially trained to be Pastors. The knowledge and various skills that are part of being a Pastor of a Church require specialized study in a reputable seminary. I think the ideal way to prepare for being a Pastor is to get an undergraduate degree so they can work in a secular field - then if they feel called to full-time Christian service, they can always get into a graduate program.
You might also be wondering about certain ministries that cater to youth - parachurch organizations. In some cases like that I suppose that a person graduating with a BS in Youth Ministry might be uniquely qualified. However, I still think they should get a little experience in a secular field first. As unfortunate as this court ruling is, I hope it helps Christian colleges to take a more realistic look at the degrees they are offering.
(Disclaimer: No I don't have any degrees in "Biblical Studies" or anything like that. My undergraduate degree was almost as worthless though - it was in Psychology.)
Posted by jdmays at February 27, 2004 01:07 AM | TrackBackI agree, it concerns me too. I have a undergraduate degree and MBA from Christian Colleges...however, mine have been put to good use. I got mine while serving AD in the AF using Tuition Assistance and GI Bill. I remeber thinking then, while some voucher talk was going on, it wouldn't be much of a stretch for liberals to argue that no gov't money should go to Christian Colleges. In effect removing my ability to choose which school to go to. It could happen, even though my degrees were in business and not related to Ministry.
M. Mays
Posted by: _m2 at February 27, 2004 12:16 PMI remember when I was 18 and I thought I knew it all. I think some Christian colleges market these degrees, despite being aware of their limited potential, because they know they can prey on the idealism of young idealistic Christians.
-Jim.
A lot depends upon the denomination. If they want youth pastors with an M.Div, then a B.A. in ministry is merely a pre-ministry program. If they let you be a youth pastor with a B.A. then those programs are worthwhile.
I haven't seen any stats from Warner Southern where I've been the last two years, but it seems like they've been placing their grads in church jobs.
Posted by: Mark Byron at February 28, 2004 01:25 PMYou're right about the denomination. Some of them will hire youth pastors with just a BA. I guess there's really three parts to what I was saying:
1. The best preparation for full-time christian service isn't a specific college degree. The best preparation is experience being a Christian in a secular arena - then coming back to full-time ministry.
2. The college degrees in things like Biblical Studies discourage young people from doing what I said in #1 and it is often hard to find paying jobs in the ministry. The degrees don't really qualify you to do anything in the secular world, therefore, they aren't a very good deal for the students.
3. As a result, Christian colleges should prepare young people by giving them good biblical and practical knowledge, but they should do it in the context of a degree that is accepted and valuable in the secular world.
That's not to say that these students aren't employable at all but that employment is severely limited by virtue of their degree.
-Jim.
I both agree and disagree with various statements made regarding "Christian Degrees." I have a Masters in Pastoral Ministry and a Ph.D. in Christian Theology. I pastor a church and am president of Grace Ministries Bible College.
On the surface, a "Christian Degree" simply means that a person has completed a school's requirement for said degree - nothing more. The degree does not guarantee that the graduate has applied what was learned for personal spiritual maturity.
Too many Christians believe that they are instantly qualified for full-time ministry just because they have a degree. I would much rather have a non-degreed Peter, Paul, James or John on my staff than someone who has a wall full of framed certificates but demonstrates very little conformity to the image of Christ.
The down side is that far too many churches demand degrees before hiring ministry staff. Thus, someone who is spiritually qualified but lacking in a degree may not be hired. I know of one church that was looking for a pastor; they demanded a minimum of a Masters, preferred a Doctorate, and wanted to know how many books each candidate had written!
What has complicated the issue is that we live in a "degree-oriented" society. The concept is that if a person has a degree, he or she is qualified to do a job. Sadly, this has carried over into the church.
John 7:1-16 clearly reveals that Jesus did not go to "college" neither did He have a "degree." Yet people were amazed at His ability to teach. Isn't it interesting that with so many churches having "degree requirements" before hiring someone that even Jesus wouldn't qualify for a job in those churches?
Posted by: Jim Martin at July 27, 2004 09:56 AM