Doxos

Can we afford seminary?

Y‘ALL (Clergy or not) take a look at this post from TribalChurch. Although she writes in a Presbyterian community, I think it’s a valid question for us using the traditional model of the three-fold ministerial hierarchy of Deacon, Presbyter, Bishop (in the Indy, Eastern, Roman, Anglican or Lutheran etc communities).

How do we stop seeing the ordained as a job (profession) hired by the community and start seeing the ministry as one of the gifts functioning within the community?

This is a very crucial question for us at this time: seminary costs too damn much and the ministry, really, doesn’t pay enough to justify the cost.

Often a huge portion of people seem to get out of seminary looking for a job in their profession du jure (opting later to be lawyer or doctor or bookstore clerk) rather than from any evident calling or a desire to carry the tradition of the faith forward. They are treating the ministry as an avocation rather than a vocation. It’s simply what they are doing now rather than who they are. It’s a job rather than an adventure within a community.

In Leaving Church, Barbara Brown Taylor describes a scene where members of “her” congregation are tossing each other into the swimming pool. She wants to be like “everyone else” and get tossed into the pool as well. But it is evident (at least at the beginning of the scene) that a combination of her “position” and the community’s perception of her (and possibly her own perception of herself within that community) are keeping her clothes dry. Having been Eastern Orthodox, I can easily recognise the “spooky” aspect of people who think that only because they wear a black dress I should automatically have some sort of reverence for them (even when they have been a dickhead, or a blog troll or whatever). But I’ve seen that in ECUSA, in Methodism, in Indy-Cath and Roman traditions as well. In this regard, I’m glad I was taught well by Fr Victor – may his memory be a blessing! It is not the priest, but Christ acting through the priest that we honour. But as with all of the laity, when the priest begins to act like Christ she, too, is worthy of our honour.

How do we stop seeing the position of liturgical leadership and preaching as a job some people have (lucky blokes) – often limited to only the seminary trained, or seminary trained men, or seminary trained heterosexual men, or seminary trained celibate heterosexual men – and start seeing liturgical leadership and preaching as part of what the Church does as a whole body?

7 Responses to “Can we afford seminary?”

James of Chicago
April 11th, 2009 at 5:10 pm

This topic has been very much on my mind as well, Huw, seeing that I also would like to be a priest because I see it as a deep part of who I am. I say get rid of the traditional Master of Divinity degree, which costs too much money for both seminarians and the church and instead have a work-study-mentorship program conducted by your parish priest with the blessing, oversight and support of the Bishop.

How I envision it is having a candidate for the priesthood work closely with a parish priest doing ministry, learning first hand what’s involved with being a priest and having the Diocese (in cunjunction with the parish priest) set up a curriculum and have night classes at various centers throughout the Diocese, as well as making use of the internet (but not entirely).

A good example of a work-study type program like this is at Nashotah House in Wisconsin. It costs about $2700 a semester and requires a 1-week residency at the seminary each semester. This way someone who’s looking to become a priest doesn’t have to quit their job and go into debt in order to go to seminary.

Huw
April 11th, 2009 at 5:16 pm

James – you’ve described a goodly version of what I have in mind. My only addition to your plan would involve making sure the Apprentice gets passed around the diocese like a joint at a party: because one can get the idea that “only my parish is right” and so one is training to become a priest for one parish only.

BTW: I would imagine clergy trained this way to get by on 25 – 30K a year to start. I’ve offered my services (not in jest, I’ll be honest) at 26K – b/c that’s what I need to pay my bills and my rent.

Or, else, I’d imagine them keeping their “day jobs”.

James of Chicago
April 12th, 2009 at 1:41 pm

I like your idea of apprentice being passed around like a joint – it’s easy to get caught up on the idea that my parish is right – especially in a place like TEC where parishes can be so distinct from each other.

Huw
April 12th, 2009 at 1:46 pm

It’s more than “mine is right” actually… I’ve had clergy tell me they’ve A) “never” seen any parish violate the rubrics of the BCP; or B) “never” heard any kind of heretical preaching from a pulpit. I think that’s a bit of funny, actually, but passing ‘em around the diocese (or, maybe, sending them away to a far place for 6 months) would fix that.

Drew Downs
April 23rd, 2009 at 1:34 pm

This is actually an area of conversation that the seminaries and dioceses are beginning to have in TEC (or, more accurately, it is the last conversation at the bottom of the barrel that they’re avoiding). It is interesting that the economic conditions are sending us toward actually *practicing* the theology that we *profess* [priesthood of all believers/ministry of the baptized].

I do like this line of thinking, but there are interesting ways in which the local community can “authenticate” and institutionalize the training in the creation of local seminaries, run and operated by the diocese. Here in the Diocese of Eastern Michigan, for instance, we already have parish priests acting as examining chaplains.

To take this line further, perhaps the preparation should be done locally and the place of further seminary education could be made on the part of these local examiners or instructors. I’d gladly go and get an DMin (or PhD if I have to) if it meant both the local community AND the diocese benefits.

Huw
April 24th, 2009 at 7:07 am

I think your “local seminary” can fit well with my idea of internship. Essentially they are the same thing. I’m not sure how it functions, but the Diocese of California has the school for deacons and it seems to be a “local seminary”. The Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese has the St Stephen’s Programme, essentially a remote reading list and some essay questions, coupled with a two-week in-house intensive every year. The “Education for Ministry” programme seems to be sort of the same thing. And several of the independent Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican bodies have their own seminaries.

The problem is that all of these study routes make apologies in one way or another for not being “real” seminaries. They don’t train folks for the priesthood or they struggle for some kind of scholastic validation.

The priest’s level of theological training should be up to him or her and the needs of the ministry in which the priest functions. The average parish priest doesn’t need an advanced degree to say mass and hear confessions: she needs the ability to facilitate discussions and learn – along with the congregation. Sometimes I think I want to go to school – but the finances scare me. I never only “sometimes” think I want to be a priest.