Here are a few reasons why young men interested in pastoral ministry should look into something like Greyfriars Hall. …
1. Pastoral ministry is a task given to the church, which means pastors should shoulder the load of training future pastors. Thus, our pastoral staff carve out time in their weekly schedule to teach the men enrolled in Greyfriars Hall.
2. We only accept 3-4 men per year. It is a 3 yr program which keeps the group of men at a very manageable size for us to maintain accountability. This keeps the distance between instructor & student very personal.
3. We’re grateful to have a partnership with @NewSaintAndrews to provide high quality courses in Hebrew & Greek. This allows for academic rigor, but done in the context of local Christian community.
4. The church bears the financial burden of the training, which allows the men to receive teaching without saddling themselves & their family with decades of debt (while trying to make ends meet on a ministry salary).
5. Our aim is to raise up pastors, not get a graduation quota. This allows us to walk alongside a man for a season & hopefully confirm his inward call or else counsel him “This ain’t for you, bucko.”
6. The men enrolled in Greyfriars Hall work through a big fat stack of big fat books which covers the waterfront of theological, pastoral, & worldview issues.
7. The men also write a good handful of position papers. They then present these for feedback to our session of elders, who grill them, roast them, & even give them words of encouragement. This allows the men to sharpen their rhetorical skills.
8. We also have the men lead Bible studies, do campus ministry, provide pulpit supply as occasion arises. This allows them to get practical ministry “reps” in, while receiving “instant feedback” & course corrections as necessary.
9. In short, if you or a young man in your life is looking for a Masters level pastoral training program, kick the tires on Greyfriars Hall.
Originally tweeted by Ben Zornes (@benzornes) on March 4, 2022.
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