New 9Marks eJournal about the church and it’s role in raising up and training pastors
Editor’s Note
Seminaries don’t make pastors, churches do.
You’ll hear someone at 9Marks say that if you hang around us long enough. In this issue of the eJournal, we try to put some flesh on this basic idea.
Mark Dever considers why the local church is uniquely equipped and commissioned to the work of raising up future pastors. Then he offers some practical advice for every pastor and church for doing this work, whether or not they have the resources for an internship program. Both seminary presidents and pastors offer their sentiments in a couple of 9Marks forums. And one of John MacArthur’s associate pastors, Nathan Busenitz, tells the story of how Grace Community Church decided to plant a seminary within the church.
Next, we asked three different churches how they formally mentor future pastors. We hope this might give our pastor readers a few ideas they can adopt, as God provides the opportunity. And our goal is the same for the last section, where we feature a number of church-affiliated programs. Maybe a church will start its own program; maybe it will sponsor a student through one of the programs listed here.
This issue does not contain the longer, more theological articles that we often include (we will in the future!), but here’s the very simple point we hope you catch: God primarily calls and equips men for the pastorate as pastors faithfully shepherd and disciple their own congregations. If you don’t read anything else, catch this point in the first three paragraphs of Dever’s second interview below.
Great eJournal. This is a topic that I’ve been thinking about almost constantly, as I respond to God’s call on my life to pastor in Ann Arbor in the midst of looking for a new church home that places a priority on training up men to be pastors.
Here are all the articles
RAISING UP THE NEXT GENERATION OF PASTORS
- Raising Up Pastors Is the Church’s Work (Part 1 of an interview with Mark Dever)
Seminaries are neither necessary nor necessarily advisable for future pastors. They are useful for some, so long as churches don’t surrender the commission that Christ gave to them. - How Do Pastors Raise Up Pastors? (Part 2 of an interview with Mark Dever)
Not every church can afford an internship program or pastor’s college. So where does a pastor begin? It turns out he begins with what’s most important. - A Seminary President’s Forum (Answers from Daniel L. Akin, Bryan Chapell, Dennis P. Hollinger and Paige Patterson)
We asked a roundtable of seminary presidents why their seminary is needed, as well as what encouraging work they’re seeing in local churches. - A Pastor’s Forum (Answers from Rickey Armstrong, Stephen E. Farish, David Helm, Juan Sanchez and Sandy Willson)
We asked a roundtable of pastors whether churches have the responsibility of raising up the next generation of pastors and, if so, why? - The Church as Classroom: The History of Master’s Seminary by Nathan Busenitz
Here’s the story of how one local church pursued the mission of equipping future leaders.
HOW THREE CHURCHES MENTOR PASTORS
- “I Learned the Hard Way”
Mentoring at South Woods Baptist by Phil A. Newton - “Why Are We Joyfully Committed?”
Mentoring at Bethlehem Baptist by Tom Steller - “Look, It’s the Church’s Job”
Mentoring at Lakeview Baptist by Al Jackson
