Explore Calling: FAQs for Seminary Students

Frankly, a large debt will be hard to manage – if not impossible. Clergy have historically received small salaries, especially in light of their advanced education. Unfortunately, this is ruled by tradition, culture and church economics. Investigate all the possible funding sources listed above. Additionally, you will help yourself by thinking carefully about your budget and expectations while you are in seminary. Don’t buy a new car – keep fixing up your old one, and if you have to replace it, buy a used one. Buy used books when available, and wear out your wardrobe before replacing it. Eating out and “cooking for one” are expensive, so put together a group of friends to share cooking responsibilities and expenses – it will save you money and the community you build will be a great support during seminary. If you can, get summer or part-time jobs and try to save everything you earn to pay off the big debt due 6 months after you finish graduate school. Think carefully about your purchases and commit to living on as small a budget as possible during seminary.

Under no circumstances get yourself into debt higher than $50,000. If you do, you’ll carry this burden until your unborn children are teenagers.

You’ve been given the gift in seminary of taking the time to learn. It’s a tough call to give up some of that time. However, the right associate pastorate can provide a gold mine of information, experience, and mentoring. Think of it as in internship – which it really is. After seminary, you’ll be serving in your own appointment (for elders that will most likely be your own church) and may never get another opportunity for on-the-job training like this. Remember, you have your entire future career to work out your own ministry style and serve as the sole or lead pastor. Consider what’s best for you at this stage and how taking this kind of position will help you prepare for life after seminary. And…see number 5 above.

Ask your church pastor, deacon or campus minister to give you the contact information for your district superintendent. This person needs to know your intentions. If you are ready to begin a formal process of exploring candidacy for ordained ministry, you need to write a letter to the DS and she/he will work with the district committee on ordained ministry to assign to you a candidacy mentor. That person should have all the official info you’ll need and can help you begin the process of becoming ordained. Your candidacy mentor will help you enter the discernment and candidacy process. Your district superintendent is also available to talk to you informally about your call and about the possibilities for serving in and beyond your annual conference. Click here to see if your annual conference board of ministry has a web page with more detailed information.

You will need to check with your annual conference board of ordained ministry, your district superintendent, and your district committee on ordained ministry to be clear about the specific ordination requirements for your annual conference. There is variation from one annual conference to another. Check out the Ministry Page at GBHEM.org for a general overview of the steps into ordained ministry.

It’s not only important; it’s a required part of our process! Having the right candidacy mentor will save you years of uncertainty, and rev up your learning curve. It will also help you build a good foundation for your future ministry. Nearly every effective clergyperson has had a strong and trustworthy candidacy mentor. In addition, in many annual conferences you will be assigned to a peer group that can give you support along the way. You need others in your situation to share with and look up to. In addition to the candidacy mentor assigned to help guide you through the candidacy process, you should also find individuals who can share their experience and insights with you so you will have a variety of perspectives to consider.

NO! Did you hear this? NOOO!!! Okay, so what if you are falling in love? Quit the position at that church, get another job, then date that person. There is no way to stress what a minefield this is. If things go well, you might be okay. But if they don’t, you will alienate the member, that person’s family, their friends, and you risk any hope for effective ministry at that church. It’s a snowball that just keeps rolling. In either case, your relationship will provide way too much fuel for gossip, as well as reasons for church members to think they have a right to examine and critique your personal life. In addition, there’s the matter of ethics. As a person of “power” (or authority) in the church, the relationship is always lopsided, with the power in your court. It is a truly awkward way to start a relationship. Think teacher-student. Pastor-congregant is even worse.

One way is to plan ahead. What will your boundaries be between church and home? How will you make personal decisions when you have to decide between the two? The church needs to realize that they are hiring you, not your family. Your family shouldn’t feel they must conform to a particular role. If your spouse or family enjoys church activities, that will be great. If they don’t, it’s perfectly okay for them to find different ways to participate. They need to find spiritual fulfillment too. If expectations seem to get out of hand, rely on other resources to support you – your family, friends outside the congregation, colleagues, or even a good counselor. Regardless of where you serve, setting boundaries between work and personal life will be crucial to your long-term fulfillment and support in ministry.