Speaking of relational ministry, Seth Godin posted a marvelous blog Thursday: The Seduction of Grad School. I recommend it in its entirety. What does Seth’s article on Grad School have to do with relational ministry, you ask? Stay with me…

He starts here:

If you’re good at school, the challenge and offer of law school, med school or a famous business school means you get to do more of what you’re good at. You’re offered a high-status badge, a path to a well-paid job and several years of more school instead of the scary freedom of choice of what happens next. And so, literate and passionate young people talk about their dreams of helping people, running for office, fighting injustice or exploring their passions as entrepreneurs. And grad school is supposed to be the path.

The problem is that these graduate schools aren’t optimized for any of those things. – Seth Godin, June 29, 2023, emphasis mine

Sometimes, ardent followers of Jesus want to help people and make a real difference, and they’re counseled that seminary and becoming a pastor is the way to go. “The seduction of grad school.” But seminary is not “optimized for any of these things.” Dallas Seminary professor Dr. Howard Hendricks used to say, “We teach people answers to questions that no one is asking.”

Seth writes:

If you want to sit with someone and help them, a career as an occupational or physical therapist is certainly more hands-on and direct [than being a doctor]. If you want to make a difference by writing or arguing, three years of law school and a bar exam aren’t the most leveraged ways to do that. And entrepreneurs need to know a lot, but not what they teach in a typical MBA program.

He concludes:

…perhaps it makes sense to start on the work right this minute. Not with a full certification or permit, but simply creating the sort of change you seek to make, in small steps, right now.

I talked with a young man once who thought it would be nice to be on staff with The Navigators. I asked him, “What ministry are you doing now?” He replied, “I’m not doing any ministry now.” I responded, “If you’re not doing any ministry now, why would you be doing ministry after someone stuck a label on you?”

I had the same conversation with a lady last summer. In her 50s, she wanted to be ordained so she could do ministry. I found out she was already helping people (I can’t remember exactly what she was doing). I encouraged her to keep doing what she was doing instead of thinking she had to go to school and be ordained in order to “do ministry.”

Here was Paul’s ministry strategy as told to Timothy:

And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. (2 Timothy 2.2, NIV)

Paul -> Timothy -> reliable people (not necessarily talented or highly educated people) -> Others

You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed [ordained!] you that you should go and bear fruit… (John 15.16, NKJV)