Prisoner To Pastor: A Seminary Journey

When I was released from prison I was faced with an interesting dilemma regarding my future in ministry and whether or not I should attend seminary. The reason why this was a dilemma to me was because I don’t believe that seminary is needed to call anyone in to a pastoral role or needed in the spiritual growth of a pastor. However, I do believe that people give a greater respect and sense of credibility to individuals that complete degrees in higher education. Since, this is part of my belief system regarding our current society I decided to attend seminary. Not for the hope of fine tuning my spiritual growth, but for the diploma that marks my commitment to my belief in Jesus Christ. Besides, would you hire an ex-con with 4 years of pastoral experience or an ex-con with 4 years of pastoral experience who has a Masters of Divinity degree? I would hire the second person.