We Need More Pastors, Where Are They?

Don mentioned the apparent fact that the average age of pastors is increasing. Given that (see Mike Harding about his son-in-law going into ministry after becoming a surgeon) the Biblical term for pastor is also “elder”, should this trouble, or reassure, us?

Now granted, if the shift is older pastors working until they’re 80 (long past the onset of senior moments), unable to bear the rigors of visitation and such, that would be a problem. However, if what we see is guys joining the ministry in their thirties or forties after a bunch of life experience, but before the perils of age really start to set in, I think this is a good thing. All too often, guys coming out of Bible college at 22 or seminary at age 25 simply do not have the life experience needed to be good pastors.

I can only speak to the Council of Evangelical Christian-Baptist Churches (the underground/unregistered churches). The Brotherhood operates a series of seminars. As the CEC-BC has no men trained in the original languages, these are at best the equivalent to the old Bible Institutes.

[Jay]

SNIP

Anyone know how the church trained pastors in the former Soviet Union, or in places like China / North Korea? I think that’s where our future is headed.

SNIP

An average EC-B congregation has multiple preachers and any pastoral staff is bi-vocational. The best preachers are the equivalent of grads from the old Prairie Bible Institute or New Brunswick BI.

[Rob Fall] I can only speak to the Council of Evangelical Christian-Baptist Churches (the underground/unregistered churches). The Brotherhood operates a series of seminars. As the CEC-BC has no men trained in the original languages, these are at best the equivalent to the old Bible Institutes.

For those interested, you can find it here.

[Don Johnson]

For those interested, you can find it here.

Great article, Thomas.