An open letter to church leaders training men for pastoral ministry

Dear fellow labourer, in the work of the gospel.

I have been turning over the content of this letter for several weeks because I want to make sure I get the tone and wording as right as I possibly can, but this is a burden that has been weighing on my heart for some time and I need to share it with you.

I want to begin by saying that I thank God for you and for your passion for, and commitment to, equipping men for the pastoral ministry. I share that passion and have been involved in this ministry, in different ways, for most of my ministry over the last 40-plus years. Though brought up as the son and grandson of the Manse, I hugely benefitted from three years of training under the guidance of a remarkable Presbyterian minister while I was doing my theological training at college. That combination of classroom and hands-on training is, without doubt, the ideal. A few days ago I read a quote from Al Mohler in which he said: ‘I want to assist churches and to assist pastors in training pastors. But, after 14 years of service in this capacity, I am absolutely certain that the finest theological seminary on earth is absolutely incompetent at replicating the actual life of a gospel congregation. I want to train a generation of pastors who will train pastors, and I want to help them in that task.’ Thank you for doing that and investing in these younger men. I know some of you and I value your friendship and fellowship.