The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1942-06-13

When folks find out that I am
preparing for the ministry they
usually begin asking questions.
These questions range from light
chatter about chicken and the sis
tiers" to a serious questioning about
the necessity of going to school to
learn to preach.
These questions reveal that the
public is vastly interested in the
future OF the ministry. The public
wants to know such things as what
do theologs study? How do we pro-
pose to attack the host OF prob
lens facing us? Does it really pay
to be a minister? And many more
interesting queries.
II one should try to answer all
of these queries he would have to
develop a technique akin to that
Of Mark Twain's general who be-
came so excited over a battle that
he rode off in six directions at
once. II one could indeed answer
all these questions, space and COM
mon sense would dictate otherwise.
However l shall attempt to answer
the question centering around min
isterial training.
There was a time, not so long
ago, when popular opinion had it
that it was not necessary or even
desirable to study preaching, The
wise ones were saying: Whom God
calls He qualities, .
Times Changing
The time is swiftly passing when
people feel that religion is opposed
to knowledge. All the facts Of the
universe seem t. say that, above
all, the being which fashioned it
was intelligent. II God is intelli-
gent he certainly could have no
fight with knowledge. So we are
extremely concerned about the fact
that so few would-be ministers see
the need for thorough training.
At Cannon this year only ten
persons graduated and two of these
were women receiving a Bachelor
Of Religious Education Degree. The
men, divided denominationally
were: six Methodist. one A. NJ. E
and one Baptist.
The Baptist Alliance OF Georgia
estimated that there are about 5,00t
churches in that state. counting thu
"store-fronts." 1t found that onl,
10 OF the ministers had theological
training. The Methodists are not TOT
much better off. for there are onl!
two members of the Atlanta Confer
ence holding seminary degrees, al
though Cannon has been in At
lanta 81 years. The Negro Juris
diction Of the Methodist church los
10 preachers by death last year
and also lost some of their mer
who entered the army as chap
lains And only six finished 10 fill
their places, two OF whom are plan
ming to go on TO school another
year. In all the denomination.
there is a cry for trained men, bu
they just aren't to be had.
Ministry Misunderstood
This alarming shortage is per
haps due to the fact that people
do not encourage boys to take UT
ministry as a life work as they
once did. Then too. there are some
ideas that cause young people to
feel that the minister is an object
OF charity and that when he enters
the ministry he is in a mild sense
becoming a hermit As a minister
he is supposed to bid farewell to
all normal pursuits OF life.
But II Can Be Fascinating
But properly understood, there Is
not more fascinating work than
the Christian ministry. 1t is the
happy privilege OF being helpful to
people in all the areas OF life. More
and more in the hustle, hustle, and
strain of our hectic modern life
we need some one TO turn to for
advice, counsel, encouragement and
consolation. Modern theological
training seeks to prepare the young
minister for this type of work
There is an emphasis upon practi-
cal Christian living with a hope
Of preparing one to minister to the