Don't go to ministry school. Go to trade school.
Avoid investing in things that require debt with no chance of an ROI
If you were my kid I would tell you not to go to ministry school. I would say “If you do decide to go to ministry school, go for six months not three years.” If you were my kid I would say, “Don’t go to ministry school. Go to trade school.” Learning a trade is a noble and meaningful way to provide for yourself. Apprentice yourself to a journeyman electrician or plumber. Get your HVAC repair certification. Learn to frame houses. Go to mechanics school. Hell, I’m no fan of computers but maybe consider learning to code.
Don’t go to Bible college. That youth ministry degree will eventually be something you regret. Please don’t hear me being cynical. I love studying the Bible. I endorse the pursuit of being trained to do ministry. I think that some should pursue their vocation in biblical scholarship. But to most young people I would say first address the practical needs of your life. Give yourself the ability to earn an income by developing an actual skill.
If you were my kid I would tell you “Don’t go to college without seriously considering the return on investment of your chosen degree.” Take a hard look at the potential earning power of a Communications degree. Think hard about the debt load that you would take on. Working as a barista is a good and worthy thing to do but it is way more difficult when you’re trying to pay back all that money you gave your state university so that you could eke out a degree in Psychology.
Your financial well being is important. Sometimes in Evangelical church culture we tell young people that the most meaningful thing you can do with your life is to serve the Lord in ministry and I want you to know that that is not true. Being able to take care of yourself and your family through the work of your hands is a blessed pursuit. I concede that some people actually do have a vocational call to be in ministry. But I know many pastors and worship leaders with legitimate callings on their lives who must be bi-vocational because of the financial limitations of the ministries they’re serving. Get a skill. Go to work. Stay out of debt. Love the Lord. Love your wife or your husband. Maybe have some kids. Praise the Lord
.
When my parents gave me similar wisdom, I used to be the one to scoff at them and say that none of the practical stuff matters in eternity (but I did get the boring but useful accounting degree only as a “just in case” which ended up being wise!). Funny how hitting my thirties right when the pandemic started made me realize just how right they were/are. One of my biggest struggles with God was my confusion that all the doors he seemed to be opening were for a relatively ordinary life, and not going to that trendy ministry retreat school like I wanted to. I am grateful I don’t struggle with him in that way anymore because my greatest relationships and growth have come through this wild, precious, ordinary life. Contrary to what 20-27 year old me thought, it actually DOES matter to Jesus.
Thank you for writing this! 🥹
I’m taking a sabbatical from my engineering career to attend seminary with a scholarship (and my mortgage paid off). My pastor was careful in his encouragement and used the word “bi-vocational” during our conversations about this next step. The church (and the world) need wise and healthy leaders to go the distance, and I hear that message in this post.