learning

Before I begin, I need to say that I’ve never been a fan of any schooling system I’ve ever been a part of.

- In high school, I was a 90s student but on academic probation for missing too many classes.

- I scraped by university, passionless for my engineering degree, and was probably in the bottom five of my graduating class.

- I wasn’t at the very bottom of the barrel because after my third year I had decided to go to seminary, and realized they didn’t just let you in by grace. I had to work my butt off in my final year just to raise my overall mark to a C+

So here’s the bottom line now that I’m done seminary

- 27 classes – not all of my choosing
- over a thousand hours in class
- at least two thousand hours spent reading and writing papers
- 440 hours of supervised ministry experience for the internship requirements
- $30,000 on tuition and books
- I left a corporate job I loved – Where I worked from home most of the time, had opportunities to travel, and interacted with people every single day.
- I made 60-70k+ a year depending on bonuses/commission – it’s been two years now so that’s $140,000… gone. I don’t even want to think about what might have been over the course of a lifetime.

So was it worth it?

Is each lecture really worth $80 to (for the most part) passively listen to? Is it worth the drive and the time away from family? Is it worth the stress and uncertainty placed upon loved ones?

Could over a hundred thousand dollars be given elsewhere, that could have produced far greater kingdom impact? Could I have used all that time to better engage the world rather than other seminarians?

There was a lot of assigned reading, but I probably read more and learned more from personal readings than class readings. Could I have learned and grown to where I am today, without seminary?

I guess the other question is, would I have?

I really don’t know if I would have done something nobler with my time or money. If you’re at a stage where you’re deeply engaging God, the Scriptures, His people, His mission, and His calling in your life, my goodness, don’t go to seminary.

At least I wouldn’t. Not with where I am today.

Note that I am indebted and incredibly thankful that I had the opportunity to be in a seminary. Who on earth has the luxury to sit around and contemplate the things of God?

I still feel like a noobie follower of Jesus, but I got an idea of where I’m going and where to go for help and what I need to get there. But seminary, at least in its traditional sense, is definitely not a requirement on the journey going forward.

Seminary’s will always have their place. Go if you feel God’s calling you in that direction (but realize it’s only a structure/form/place of learning, and typically God calls us to deeper things than that).

When I get some time I’ll probably compile a list of books, articles, experiences, resources that I think could just about replace the traditional seminary.

With all that being said, a price just cannot be placed upon time and space to grow, friendship, an environment that fosters learning, divine encounters, and wisdom from local prophets.

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This past Saturday a team of us from two churches organized a Global Awareness Banquet.

The banquet is a dramatization of the inequity that perpetuates poverty in the world. Guests are randomly assigned according to the realities that divide us today 15% rich, 30% middle class, and 55% poor on a global level.

The rich were served wine, appetizers, roasts, cake to classical music, while the poor had to line up for a chunk of yam. Some ended stealing from the rich, some of the rich spread the wealth, and some sat there feeling pity for themselves or for others.

We even dumped excess food into the garbage in front of the crowd, as people screamed no.

The discussion was lively, and the anger died down as people understood why we made them pay for a meal with no food.

If you can gather at least 40-50 people in your school, church, workplace, campus, I totally recommend trying to run an event like this.

Here’s a sample planning kit by Oxfam Canada.