Our guest blogger today is Wade Phillips, who blogs at “A Good Infection“. He’s a TV news anchor in MS and a husband/father/deacon/SS Teacher combo!
After several years of prayer and thought, I have decided to make the leap. If all goes as planned, I will begin seminary classes during the summer session at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Since I currently work full-time in a non-ministry position, I will be taking classes online, at least in the beginning. At some point, I’ll have to come from behind my computer and take classes with the rest of the world. But for now, this is what I can do.
I have sensed for several years a call into the some kind of vocational ministry work. I still don’t know exactly what that will look like, though I’ve been recently doing a fair amount of preaching, both at my own church, and as a guest preacher in other churches in my community. I also teach an adult Sunday School class, and on occasion, our church’s youth group. Teaching and preaching seem to be the center of my calling, in whatever form that may take in coming years. This calling has been affirmed by those who know me, including my own church, which officially affirmed that Sunday night, when they approved my seminary application. I’m certainly willing to do whatever God calls me to do in the coming years.
I don’t know what others’ experiences were like as they dealt with the possibility of a calling into ministry. Mine has been long and painstaking. I have sensed something for 3-4 years now, but as I look back on it, I believe God has been preparing me for this for much longer than this; maybe my entire life, certainly the last decade or so. It was only recently that my wife, a Southern Baptist preacher’s daughter herself, told me she was ready and prepared to do whatever God was calling me to do. I was confident that God would reveal himself to her just as he did to me, and had been waiting for that. It was the confirmation I needed to move forward.
I go into this with eyes, I think, pretty wide open to what the ministry is like. I have a father-in-law who has spent the last 3 decades as a pastor. My grandfather was one for 40 years. I am the chairman of the deacons at my church this year, and am heavily involved in both ministry and day to day business. I’ve seen the ugly side of both. My pastor is gracious to share both his difficulties and his joys with me. I have paid pretty close attention to SBC politics over the last several years, and have consumed copious amounts of ministry information through various blogs and books. I’m nearly 40 years old. I’ve worked in the media for almost half my life. I am no longer surprised by the depravity of man. But I’m sure surprises will come.
So here I am, at the very beginning of this journey. I know that many of you have been right here yourselves, so I hope you might be willing to share some advice for me as I get started. Please share advice about, but not limited to, the following questions:
1 – If you did seminary while working full time, with a family, how did you balance it?
2 – If you have taken classes online, are there some particular issues that go along with that which I ought to be thinking about?
3 – What might I be surprised by as I move forward? What potential pitfalls ought I be on the lookout for?
I’d love to have answers to these and any other questions you think might be pertinent as I move forward. Also, feel free to ask me any questions you might have. Thanks in advance. I covet your prayers.
Wade,
Did undergraduate, seminary and doctoral studies working full time, taking a full course load and we had 3 children. Our eldest son was 4 when we began this journey.
Balance is the wrong word. This implies that you take something from one par and add it to another. A better word is integration. Always strive to give excellence to your roles as image bearer, husband, father and student. Some days this means one role gets very little, another a great deal of your time and energy. Evaluate on a weekly basis – did I give each role the very best that I have?
It can be done. It will stretch you in ways you never dreamed. Make a covenant NOW that you will not give up. Work hard. PRAY much. Be transparent and inter-dependent.
In Grace,
Tom
This is really good advice Tom. Thanks.
Online: you are going to have a lot of times that you are really and truly on your own. There’s no one to see you look panicked in the hallways, no professor hearing the fear as you ask for something to be re-addressed, again.
There are some positives, in that you can fill it around your schedule most of the time.
You can pull my contact info from my name and drop me a line. I am doing the opposite order of what you are looking at: I was on campus once upon a time, and now I am an all-online student. So, I’ve made a few mistakes that I might be able to help you dodge.
There are more positives: if you take the time to build online interaction, you find yourself learning with and interacting with a wider group of people. Once you are on campus, the joy is that everyone is in the same boat—but that’s also the drawback. I get to learn alongside people serving in various contexts and in various cultural settings.
Anyway, like I said, drop me a line.
I graduated in May of 1981 and we had our first kid in June of 1982. I’m glad I did it that way. The idea of going through school with a bunch of kids – it just boggles my mind.
Thanks Doug. Will drop you a line. And thanks Dave. Very encouraging. I am going to go slowly on this for sure.
I did my first master’s as a young married man with no kids. We survived on very little money and lots of love.
I did my second master’s as a 40+ year-old married father of two preteen/teenage sons with a full time job that had to be worked in around my class schedule. This was way more difficult. Had online classes been available for me to complete that master’s work (this particular degree was a research/writing type degree, so on-campus attendance was required), I probably would have attained that second degree by now. I quit with about 5 hours to go because of my wife’s illness and the need to prioritize her care at the time. Now in my mid-50’s, I no longer have the desire to pursue it though I still love to learn and do the research.
I also did a DMin in my late 30’s. What should have taken three years I just had to do in two years. That was my crazy “I’m turning this into a competition because I’m the best” perfectionist side rearing it’s ugly head. That was just dumb.
Don’t think you have to do everything at once. If you can, try to get in some course work in what used to be called “J-terms.” These were classes of intensive lecture that occurred during the winter and summer months. If you can do a few of those, they’ll help you get some good, concentrated times of study. I find that helpful for my own learning style.
From personal experience–Your studies will require lots of adjustments to your personal schedule. You’ll have to make time for doing some of your studies at times when the family is asleep. There is so much going on in your family that you don’t want to miss out on because you were studying. Get up earlier. Go to bed later. Limit your personal activities in order to save time to study. Never make your wife or kids suffer because you have to study. Of course, there will be those times when a paper just has to get done, but using your time wisely will prevent too many times of “I can’t, I have to study.”
Use what you’re learning in your teaching and preaching. That isn’t cheating, it just makes sense. You’ll find some really good material in your classroom preparation. Use it!
Finally, be prepared to be used by God in unexpected ways. I’m a fairly well-educated guy, but I’ve found my calling so far to be in small, bi-vocational churches. You may find that there is a church out there that could use your gifts and calling. Those unexpected places need good preaching and teaching just as much as the county seat FBC. Don’t be afraid to be used in the unexpected place. I’m not saying that big is bad, but you can find some good experience in a small church as you develop your own style and grow as a minister. I once read, and I really wish I could remember who wrote this, “If you’re too big for a small church, you’re too small for a big church.” For some reason that stuck with me and has been helpful to me.
God bless you in your endeavors, Wade! I will take some time to pray for you right now.