Student pastors

[Notthemama1984]

What are your views on student pastors? Our newest staff member was a student pastor of a Dutch Reformed church while in seminary. I know in the SBC student pastors are quite common, but i would imagine in Reformed circles it wouldn't be.

 

[N. Eshelman]

Is this someone who is filling a pulpit while finishing seminary?

 

[Notthemama1984]

The pastor of a church should be a pastor to children, students, and adults. This is also why ruling elders are necessary, to aid the pastor in such ministry. As for having a pastor to just the students, well it seems like an unnecessary division of office, and without warrant in the Scriptures.

I should clarify. I am not talking about a pastor to students, but rather a head pastor who is a student.

 

[Notthemama1984]

Is this someone who is filling a pulpit while finishing seminary?

yes

 

[Kevin]

Here it has a long history. Trains of "Princton Boys" arrived every summer to supply in the dozens of underserved congregations. Later these same trains brought young men from Philidelphia. These young men provided sound preaching and they kept rural churches open, providing a break for the lay preachers & chatechists (such as my g-grandfather) that needed to return to the farm or the fishing boat in the summer.

In the view of some church historians these men & their influence account for the long hold out of the maritime churches against the forces of liberalism in the Canadian PC.

 

[Scottish Lass]

Near Erskine (the ARP seminary), it's common for seniors (and even middlers) to "ride the circuit" and fill in at smaller churches that can't afford a full-time pastor. At least one church looking for a full-time minister called a student as the pastor, with a change in call to come at graduation. Providentially, it didn't work for several reasons, but it happened.

 

[N. Eshelman]

While I was a student at Puritan, there was one man who was a student and was pastoring a URC at the time. (His name was Greg Lubbers and he was a good student, as I remember. Here's his congregation.) I don't think that his title was pastor, but he had received a call and was waiting to finish seminary to complete his ordination process. Now I worked full time for 3 years as a student at Puritan (don't recommend it); and I think that it would be SO DIFFICULT for a man to shepherd a flock while being an MDiv student.

 

[Wayne]

Nathan:

A bit off-topic, but how rigorous (how demanding) is the program at PRTS? How would it compare with WTS, if you can make that comparison?

Kevin:

When I toured the archives at Westminster Seminary, I remember Grace Mullen making the comment that there is a book yet to be written on Machen's (and Murray's) assistance rendered to the conservative Canadian Presbyterians in the 1920s and 30s.

 

[Kevin]

Wayne, you should ask Jack Whytock about it sometime. As I understand it he has interviewed a widow that married one of the "Machen Boys" & lived here now.

It would be a worthwhile book. And given all of the various connections (Princton, Westminister, PCC, etc) there could be a fellowship or grants available to the author, if he had the proper credentials... (hint, hint)