I didn’t stay for my M.Div. in seminary, I left after getting a Certificate in Theological Studies. The price tag on that certificate that I will never use was very high (2 years of lost income and momentum in a career, plus tuition and expenses), but I have no buyer’s remorse. It was one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself.

And, um, you can start a church and be a pastor whenever you want, without any credentials, as long as you are willing to be non-affiliated, or affiliated with a denomination that doesn’t require an M.Div.

I like education and enjoyed my schooling. I think that my M.Div. does make me a better minister. I gained skills through the degree program that I might not have gained elsewhere. As importantly, I had time to study and reflect in seminary that I haven’t had since. I regularly draw upon that study and reflection in my ongoing ministerial work.

There are other ways I have learned about the ministry too. I learned a lot from my union work and I continue to learn a lot by studying and engaging with my senior colleagues and peers.

Perhaps the notion that there should be multiple tracks to the ministry isn’t a bad one. If the issue is demonstrating competency and fluency in the tradition then institutions like the fellowship committee aren’t bad ideas.

Before I close this rather rambling response I should note that in the Ohio Meadville District of UUA we still have something called the Commissioned Lay Leader program. The program trains people for leadership roles within a congregational context. Many CLLs serve small historically Universalist congregations. Others serve as sort of assistant ministers with specific portfolios in larger congregations. My congregation has one and she is a major asset to the community. Like me she is called by the congregation and has a letter of agreement. She is not salaried but does receive some fees for services.

It’s not just the M.Div … see here and here for a take on how inefficient, and cruelly unfair, our system of credentialing can be. Credentialed does not equal qualified, and too often the requirements to earn the credential are only distantly related to the skills required to do the job.

http://econlog.econlib.org/archives/2007/03/page_one_of_my.html

http://www.cato-unbound.org/2008/10/14/charles-murray/what-justifies-the-stigma-of-not-getting-a-ba/

Of course you can always start your own church.

I wonder if the credentialing model used for religious educators could be adapted for ministerial professional development.

Of course, this would suggest that we would have differing “levels” of “minister” with differing levels of education — e.g. no degree ministers, undergraduate degree ministers, and graduate degree ministers.

But this would allow someone to see if a ministerial calling is a good fit without thousands of dollars in student loan debt.

The Ohio Universalist Convention had 2 credentials: ordained minister, and licensed to preach. MANY of their pre-WW2 ministers were school teachers with a license to preach in specific congregations. That model certainly makes affordable the bi-vocational ministry which small congregations need. Are we over-professionalizing the vocation of minister?