Aspiring Pastors and the Pursuit of a Ph.D
By admin March 11, 2008
Last week I mentioned a new blog series of elder e-interviews. Here’s the introduction. This first interview is with Aaron Menikoff on “Aspiring Pastors and the Pursuit of a Ph.D”. (You will be able to find permanent links to these on our elders page.) So without further adieu…
Brad (BAT): Aaron, you are working on a PhD in American church history. What is your subject and thesis?
Aaron (AMEN): Thanks for asking, Brad. My subject is American Christianity mainly in the nineteenth century, particularly the Second Great Awakening. It was a time when churches and Christians were involved not only in revivals, but in a great benevolent movement that changed society. My thesis is that Baptists, North and South, during this time period were social reformers. Part of their social reform work was indirect. By praying and preaching they expected to change their communities and the country. Part of their social reform work was direct. Some Baptists petitioned Congress, fought temperance, formed welfare committees in their churches, etc. I wanted to get a sense of how conservative Christians thought and acted about society.
BAT: How do you think your research and writing will be helpful one day in your pastoral ministry?
AMEN: This is an important question. It is my earnest desire that in ways I may never be able to fully assess, the few extended years of study will help me feed the Lord’s sheep.
BAT: What was your greatest enjoyment about the Ph.D? Was it your little cozy office?
AMEN: Certainly not. While I’m thankful that I had space to work at the library (Bruce, our fellow elder, is the librarian that provided me this space) my greatest enjoyment has to be interacting with faculty at the seminary as well as writing the dissertation. As laborious as the process is, I appreciate the opportunity I have to devote so much time and attention to one subject. That is quite a privilege.
BAT: What was your greatest difficulty?
AMEN: Economists talk a lot about opportunity costs. In order to take advantage of one opportunity you may have to sacrifice something else. A PhD has certain opportunity costs associated with it. I went to a meeting the other day and heard a ThM student remark that he wasn’t going to pursue a PhD because he didn’t want to kill his wife. I appreciate that brother’s desire to protect his family. While I think that overall I have guarded my wife and kids, in order to get done in a reasonable time we have made certain sacrifices as a family. Furthermore, I have not done as much as I would like at church. It wasn’t like this the entire PhD, but the final stretch has been tough.
BAT: If you could summarize in a couple of sentences how it feels to be near completion, what would you say?
AMEN: I’ve been preparing for full-time pastoral ministry since 2000. I have tried hard not to put off pastoral ministry in the interim. Nonetheless, I feel like it is time to get to the business of devoting myself full-time to a local church. Sure, I feel relief to know that the end is very near. More than anything though, as a Christian who has come to seminary, I feel like a spring ready to bounce. I didn’t get these degrees to hang certificates on the wall; I pursued them with the expectation that they would be of some service to a church. I feel ready to put them to work. Please understand that I have been putting them to work at Third, but I’m ready to devote all of myself to the church in a way that is very difficult when one is trying to finish a degree.
BAT: In a recent interview between C. J. Mahaney and Mark Dever, Mark said that he learned more as an elder at Eden Baptist Church in England than doing his Ph.D at Cambridge University. You’ve served in leadership at Third Avenue for your entire time at SBTS. Would your experience be similar to Mark’s? Explain.
AMEN: Absolutely. I can’t put in words how much Third Avenue has meant to me or how the church has served, formed, and blessed me since Deana and I joined in 2000. There are Sunday mornings when I hear a member lead in confession of sin or I hear the congregation exalting in the God’s mercy through the cross of Christ, and I am simply overwhelmed. Then to see the way the Lord has added members to our body who encourage us to be salt and light in the community, to live out our faith—more than that, who are being salt and light in the community and who are living out their faith—this is more important to me than my academic training. I don’t say this to despise academic training but to prioritize involvement in the local church.
BAT: As you’ve already mentioned, you desire to be a full-time preaching pastor. You experienced God’s calling in the late ’90s when you were a member and later a pastoral assistant and elder at Capitol Hill Baptist Church. You came to Southern Seminary in 2000 for an M.Div. You finished it in 2002. Why did you decide to pursue a Ph.D instead of a pastorate?
AMEN: A few reasons. First, as I mentioned above I had a general and fairly unformed sense that the PhD would be helpful to me in my pastoral ministry. I knew that I did not want to teach academically, that my heart was in pastoral ministry. Thus a PhD from Southern, which also has a burden for the church, seemed quite reasonable [full disclosure: I applied to one university but was not accepted.] Second, Third Avenue was in a period of transition and it seemed wise to stay. If I learned anything from my time at Capitol Hill it was that Christians are too slow to allow the local church to become part of their decision making process. Deana and I wanted Third Avenue to be part of our process. It seemed right to spend a few more years here. We did have an opportunity to pursue a pastorate in Scotland. That would have been quite an experience. But the desire for the PhD, our church, and to be closer to family trumped it. Finally, I knew it was now or never for the PhD and I chose now.
BAT: I’m assuming there are others out there reading this and are in a similar situation you were 4yrs. ago. They desire to pastor and do a Ph.D. What should be their first assumption? In other words, should their first inclination be to do or not to do the Ph.D? Explain.
AMEN: I don’t think there is any generic answer to that question. Nonetheless, I generally caution men against a PhD if they want to go into pastoral ministry. The cost is so high, the toll on family intense, and I certainly don’t want my brothers to think the PhD is necessary for a vibrant pastoral ministry. Just look at Paul’s words in 1 Cor. 2. He came before the church in “weakness and in fear and much trembling.” He lacked “plausible words of wisdom.” But he was very bold because he knew that the faith of his listeners depended upon “the power of God.” For preachers, what does a PhD have to do with this? I just don’t feel I have a compelling enough answer to the question, “How will the PhD benefit your pastoral ministry” to encourage other brothers who want to be pastors to get one. Maybe someday I will and my answer my change. I recall a few years ago hearing Joshua Harris say he longed to be a better prayer warrior than a preacher. If our preaching is dependent upon the power of God and not human wisdom this is a prudent statement.
BAT: There alot of young M.Div students out there who upon their graduation don’t have a church that is pursuing them or a position immediately available. From your observation, do you think there is a problem with men in that situation defaulting to the Ph.D?
AMEN: Typically I don’t think the PhD is something one should “default” to because he can’t find something else. A PhD that is worth getting should be positively sought instead of passively found.
BAT: We have a number of men in our congregation preparing for pastoral ministry, many of whom desire to do a Ph.D. Based on your experience, what are a couple pieces of advice you would give them to help discern whether or not they should pursue the Ph.D?
AMEN: First, come to terms with your desire. Is it full-time pastoral ministry? Is it teaching in a secular school? Is it teaching in a seminary? The latter two require a PhD. The first one does not. Second, if you are married, talk to your spouse about the costs of the PhD. Is she aware of these costs. Is she supportive? Third, talk to others you trust, including elders in the church, about your calling. See if others see the same potential you see. Fourth, develop a relationship with a professor at the seminary. Someone from whom you have had more than one class, who has read one or two of your papers, and is able to critically assess your fitness for continued study. Give him the freedom to speak candidly with you about your potential, and if he is simply unable to assess your potential given his limited exposure to your work, ask him what he would need to see in order to make a determination. Fifth, pray for guidance from the Lord. Be diligent to seek His wisdom in this matter.
Brad, thanks for putting this interview together. Where would this blog be without you?!
BAT: I don’t know. Maybe better off. Thanks, brother! (If you are reading this and have any questions about something that’s been said then please email me at bradthayer1@gmail.com)