I did not set out to go to seminary school. As a matter of fact, anyone who knows me would realize that divinity school was farthest from my mind when I was going off to college. Although my parents were fairly religious, I certainly was not. I considered myself a liberal and a free thinker, and downright atheistic most the time. I had pictured seminary schools as pretty stuffy places – places where overzealous believers went to become even more dogmatic.
Nevertheless, I was interested in pursuing at least a bit of religious education. I wanted to take a comparative religions class, you see, and boy did it really opened my eyes! I suddenly saw what seminary school is all about. Being called to minister is not a matter of how dogmatic your beliefs are. You can be as liberal or as conservative as you want, and still believe that your place is ministering in front of the church. A seminary school is about developing skills for that job. Like any other occupation, being a preacher, priest, or minister requires a certain amount of training. Only with that training can you be qualified to lead a congregation.
I was fortunate to go to a college that had a seminary school that was part of it. That way, I could take liberal arts classes and take religious education at the same time. I've always believed in a well-rounded education, and I still believe in it to this day. Although there are seminary schools where the main emphasis is on religion and there is not a lot of other coursework offered, it didn't seem like the way to go for me. To me, the best way to get a religious education was as part of a more broad-based, liberal schooling in all of the values and knowledge that can make you a good citizen.
Now I have finished seminary school and have a congregation of my own, and I have no regrets. The seminary school education was really helpful to me in a lot of ways. Preaching the gospel, like many other careers, is a way to get involved in making a positive difference in people's lives. Seminary schools are the first step on the way to go there, but it is a long and involved process. In the end, however, I think it will really be worth it for me. I can't think of anything else I'd rather do.
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