Meditation – The Making of a Minister
by T.L. Wilkinson
Preamble: In our last blog post our focus was directed towards the shortage of ministers in the churches which was already an issue back in 1976 and how Sessions looked for creative short term solutions to a long term problem. Ultimately, as has been said many times, the answer is to train more ministers. Unfortunately, ministers don’t come out of the woodwork. As a denomination we need to be far more proactive in recruiting suitable men able and willing to answer God’s call to serve in this capacity. Interestingly Prof. T. Wilkinson from RTC had submitted this article to T&S eight years earlier giving an outline of what to look for in potential candidates. It is incumbent on each and every one of us to constantly be on the lookout.
“Send us the materials and we’ll do the job.”
Riding along in a tram one day I saw a notice in a Richmond shop window which said, “we do the impossible straight away… miracles take a little longer”!!
But we in the Reformed Theological College deeply regret that although we try to take to heart the admonition of Paul to “covet earnestly the best gifts” yet so far the gift of miracles hasn’t been granted us. The Faculty deeply deplores the fact that it can’t turn out ministers by the simple process of seizing each and every fellow who applies for training regardless of qualifications, putting him in the bag like a conjuror, and then (after four years) pulling him out, and Hey Presto! there you have a full-blown minister ready to take over your congregation. Indeed, miracles take a little longer!
So if you want us to turn out ministers, then we must ask you to send us the materials, for we don’t have the miraculous power of creating themout of different stuff. However we are not the only ones who make this basic request. Try taking a good building brick along to the jeweller’s and get him to make a set of diamonds out of it, and see what you get back. Maybe he can cut the brick, polish it and even engrave it, but no young lady will ever go into the raptures of delight that the glitter of diamonds is known to produce. You simply have to send him the right materials if you want the right results. Send us the right men and we’ll produce the right ministers too.
It stands to reason that there are many men who are of excellent ability in their own particular calling, but who would make poor ministers. The man who would be an outstanding success as a farmer, politician, lawyer or businessman, might well be a signal failure as a minister. But even in quite definite religious fields it is possible to be a real scholar in theological matters but hopeless as a minister. After all it would be a bit embarrassing for someone to say of a man, “as a minister he would make a good politician!”
How then can we recognise the right material? This is the question that every Session should be asking and trying to answer, for the Session must take a real interest in this matter of encouraging suitable young men to train for the ministry. It should not be left solely and entirely to the person concerned, but should be the province of the wise counsel of the leaders in the Church. It is quite easy in some cases where there is a young man of whom everybody says, “he ought to be a minister.” But in other cases the matter is not so crystal clear and obvious. So we will consider a few of the qualities to look for even though they are not exhaustive, which are found in the following areas:
1. Intellect. A would-be minister must have some ability to study and master difficult subjects, since the proper exposition of the Word of God demands much solid and unremitting labour, There is simply no place for ignorance and error in the high task of preaching and teaching the Word of God. But of course it is not difficult to measure a man’s intellectual abilities and this can fairly easily be ascertained by his examination results.
2. Service. It should be evident that a young man has some gifts, from the way he serves in the local Church, Unless he shows much promise here, he is unlikely to show fulfilment later on in the ministry. Let the Session ask such questions as: What fields is he now serving in? Does he show enthusiasm in them? Does he persist in anything he starts, or does he readily give up? Is he reliable in anything he undertakes, or does he let people down? In what spirit does he serve – in helpfulness and courtesy and genuine humility? Or is he ego-centric, arrogant and rude? What are his motives in serving– does he do things only for the glory he gets out of it, or does he do both small and great things unselfishly and for Christ’s sake?
3. Personal relationships. Much attention is given these days to a man’s ability to get on with other people. It is of the highest importance in world politics as well as in important business transactions. But in the Church it is not unknown for congregations to be split and even destroyed by the failure in this realm of personal relations. Paul has some remarks on this subject that every Session should study carefully (1 Tim. 3.1-8etc). A minister who is not only faithful but well-received by his people, can be of immense blessing to the Church.
4. Influence. Since no person in the congregation has the chance to exert such an influence as a minister, it is most desirable that any ministerial candidate should show evidence of his power to influence others for good. Let the Session inquire: Does he have an influence for good, or does it tend to be unhelpful or even detrimental? Has he been useful in leading others to Christ? Has he been instrumental in building up other young people? What kind of report does he have from others in the congregation? What is his reputation among outsiders those at his school, place of work, or in society in general?
When these areas are carefully explored, a Session should be in a position to give a fairly competent Judgment on the likelihood of young man becoming a good minister. If the man is not the right material, the Session should be quite open and tell him honestly what it thinks. If he is the right material he should be encouraged and every effort made to assist him to prepare himself for the arduous but blessed work of the ministry, “Send us the materials and we’ll do the job”.
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T.L. Wilkinson (former minister of RCBH)
Trowel and Sword, October 1968
Courtesy of T&S Revisited: https://tsrevisited.com/2023/12/04/the- making-of-a-minister/