Continuing Education for Pastors is Crucial!

Continuing Education for Pastors

Continuing education for pastors is very important for a number of reasons. Ministry Magazine published an important article called “Why Continuing Education?” by John Osborn that underlined the need for continuing education for pastors in local churches. This article points out how not only do doctors need to have updated knowledge, but pastors do too.

John Osborn wrote,

It’s not only physicians who are caught up in the knowledge explosion. Ministers are too. The minister is constantly called upon to face new conditions and problems demanding fresh knowledge and increased skill. Often he faces an active, aggressive, highly educated laity. They sometimes challenge the preacher more than he challenges them. They want him to update himself. They want increased performance, better preaching, more efficient pastoral care, and greater capability in running church organization. In fact, I firmly believe that the minister is expected to do more things, and do them well, than is any other professional.

The fact is that pastors today face many challenges. These challenges are difficult if the local pastor is not informed about lacking areas.  One of the most popular classes at Christian Leaders Institute is the People Smart in Ministry Class. The People Smart in Ministry course discusses how to be intelligent when dealing with people in life and ministry. This class helps Christian leaders identify common principles for effective communication and how to improve their effectiveness. Hundreds of students have taken this class. This is an excellent example of continuing education for pastors on topics that may not be covered at the typical seminary. Barbara Kalvelage shared why she appreciated the People Smart in Ministry course,

This course was very helpful for me in preparing for possible pitfalls that I may encounter in my ministry. I was especially interested in Clergy-killers…I now understand what one family was able to do to a true man of God “for the good of the Church” and how they accomplished their mission to destroy him because he changed the music from organ to piano.  I hope that I will be able to recognize the danger signs.

Many pastors have not had the advantage of formal seminary training. In many churches and denominations, pastors must be ordained without formal training because the need for ministry in their local area is great. Local denominations often provide alternative ministry training but continuing education for pastors courses would be considered valuable for ongoing ministry effectiveness. Pastor Stan Raibley of The Church Moving Closer to People is one such pastor. He is a recent Certificate Graduate of Christian Leaders Institute. He wrote,

I was apprehensive in taking courses at my age, but I did it anyway. I’ve been pastoring for the past couple of years and though I’ve never had formal training, I was able to get enought credits through my denomination’s courses for ordination. I still felt lacking in proper training. Now that I’ve completed the first certificate, I can’t wait to continue learning. The layout and pace is exactly what I need. If you are serious about leadership, I encourage you to sign on with the Christian Leaders Institute. God bless.

The Ministry Magazine article pointed out that continuing education for pastors is optimal if that education is a systematic process, meaning that,

Education, then, to be not only continuous but strenuous, demands mental sweat. It is a systematic process. It has purpose and an objective. It is not light reading or a casual listening to tape-recorded materials. It is more than accumulated experience. It is the result of consecutive and organized study.

Christian Leaders Institute provides the systematic study in a growing curriculum of ministry education. Continuing education for pastors is free at Christian Leaders Institute. Christian Leaders Institute opens the door for opportunity. If you are a pastor and interested, just sign up and give this a try. If you are a leader in your church, share this opportunity with your pastor.