As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“Only about 1.8 percent of Americans have a PhD….If you are considering joining this academic minority, keep reading. What follows is a short guide meant to help you think honestly about the decision. Perhaps I will talk you into it. Perhaps I will talk you out of it.” - Word by Word
“1. Clarity around theological convictions… 2. Deep partnerships with churches… 3. Flexible & mission-oriented training…” - Ed Stetzer
“The number of students enrolled in degree programs at theological schools in the United States continues to grow. The 2025-26 annual data tables produced by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) show a small uptick of about 1,400 in the overall student population — reported to be 70,179 across all masters and doctoral degree programs.“ - MinistryWatch
“Is it even worth spending time in theological education? There are a lot of people who say it only is going to ruin you. And this student has seen people that… have been at least partially ruined by their theological education. So should he bother?” - Ward on Words
Where are the pastors and missionaries for the next generation? Where are the leaders to be trained? The laborers have always been few (Luke 10:2). But why do they seem even fewer in the twenty-first century? Even more troubling, why are so many churches today no longer training leaders? Here are five possible reasons.
“In a mission to ‘multiply healthy churches by multiplying healthy leaders,’ Rock Point Church, Crawfordsville, Indiana, is training the next generation of church leaders through residencies and summer internships.” - GARBC
“Learning biblical Greek will require some drudgery but as they say no pain no gain.” - Ward on Words
“One of my greatest joys as a solo pastor is witnessing the dedication and passion of my church’s volunteer ministry teams. However, training and developing these volunteers can be challenging without a large pastoral staff.” - Brian Cederquist
“Disciple a Younger Preacher. When you help a younger preacher with his preaching, you will inevitably improve your own preaching. You will find yourself critiquing how he outlined his sermon or how he was soft in his conclusion and realize that you do the same thing!” - PastorCenter.org
“It is enough, in the most positive sense of that clause. The Lord gives good gifts to his people, and he gives them abundantly. So what’s next? Don’t know. I’ve done some thinking about it, but I haven’t finalized my priorities yet.” - Dan Olinger
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