The Preacher as Lifelong Learner...Continued from page 1

Freddy Cardoza, Assistant Professor of Christian Education and Associate Director of Professional Doctoral Studies at Midwestern, says, “The value of continuing ed is that ministry is constantly changing. In the last five years, knowledge has doubled around our world. People that have a degree a few years back have an education that is dated -- they’re behind the curve. Twenty years ago, PCs weren’t in the classroom. Education has changed. The world has changed. As a result, the ministry professional needs to be constantly involved in lifelong learning, whether formal or informal.”

D.Min.? Reading and studying? Seminars? Which is the best way to go?

Haddon Robinson, Harold John Ockenga Professor of Preaching at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Massachusetts, believes the Doctor of Ministry is the premiere way to go. “One kind of program that comes after graduation, the D.Min. program,” he says, “is the best education that seminaries do because it’s adult education. For instance, here at Gordon-Conwell, we have a cohort in preaching. People in that group come in with at least three years experience in ministry. They know the questions they need to ask, unlike at a Master’s level.

“I find that teaching the D.Min. is far more life-related and ministry-related,” Robinson indicates. “It deals with theory somewhat, but also with things people face in ministry. A person who is out for awhile needs to be refreshed, needs to be stimulated. When you preach every week, you don’t get much exposure to other ministries. Here you get that. I think it’s one of the most important things a pastor can do.”

Don Sunukjian, Professor of Preaching and Chairman of the Department of Christian Ministry and Leadership at Talbot School of Theology in California, has worked both in the pastorate and teaching. He says, “The D.Min. is absolutely the best thing for a pastor to do. It gets you back in the groove of reading things you should be reading. It gets you with other guys and you sharpen each other. I think it’s the best degree for an active pastor.”

Most of these men recommend not going after a D.Min. until you’ve been in the ministry for three to five or even seven years. This way you come back to formal schooling with the experience to maximize your use of the program.

What questions should you ask as you consider a D.Min.? Robinson recommends the following:

1. “To do it well, you’ll have to devote one day a week to do the program and do the reading. Are you able and willing to give that kind of time to it?

2. You have to look at the way the D.Min. is done. Cafeteria style is one course here, another course there. You take a little bit of this – meat, vegetable, dessert. I don’t think it’s the best way. I recommend cohort-style. Here, you pick a track and stick with it. Do you want to do some area in depth? Are you looking for a ‘worm’s-eye view’ or a ‘bird’s eye view?’ You get some real depth in the cohort. It’s tougher, I think, if you sign up for the cafeteria-style, because you’re pretty much on your own. In the cohort, you get a lot of support within the group. You’re much more likely to finish it because you stick with one group all the way through. You really get to know the people in your cohort and become lifelong friends.