Assignment Title: Ministers Have a Responsibility to Faith and Church
Course: CHMN 699 - Internship
Student: Kristine Sage
2022
Professor: Dr. Mary Smith
Liberty University
Ministers Have a Responsibility to Faith and Church
Of course, ministers ultimately are responsible to God and to their own conscience. But in
many denominations, both church and missionary ministry jobs are part of a larger hierarchy.
Ministers have a lot of latitude to preach and counsel in their own style and with their own
initiative. But they are still accountable to certain mortal authorities as well.
Those can include larger regional or national branches of their denomination. In some
cases, they may even be assigned to their position by those authorities rather than getting hired
in the traditional manner. They may receive guidance on matters of worship and doctrine as
well as the mundane bureaucratic issues that come up in any kind of human organization.
In other denominations, the primary people that ministers report to are members of their
congregation. A group of elders or just a committee of church-goers may be responsible for
providing oversight to the minister. And like any business executive, the minister has to be able
to track and communicate important matters of budget, policy, and management that come up
through the job.
The Skills and Qualifications for Ministry Jobs Come Through Both Inspiration and Formal
Education
Modern ministers have to have all the traditional skills in preaching, counseling, and biblical
hermeneutics that their predecessors have possessed for thousands of years. But they exist in
an era where parishioners are as likely to turn to their cell phones for Bible verses as to a
preacher, and who expect instant communication and the convenience of the internet for
everything from tithing to accessing sermon transcripts.
Even ministers working in the most out-of-the way places will find that technology has a
significant impact on their jobs. Communication back to sponsors and agencies are as likely to
bounce through a satellite somewhere as happen through mail. Much of the benefits that they
bring to the cultures where they work are probably in the form of advanced technology, from
antibiotics to high-tech water purification systems.
By Requiring a College Education, Ministry Jobs Cultivate Discipline and Knowledge
So, ministers today need to develop strong skills in both the spiritual and secular worlds.
That generally happens by pursuing and earning at least a bachelor’s degree, and more
commonly a master’s degree, in divinity, ministry, theology, or similar majors.
Most minister jobs will require such a degree, and for good reason: earning one will give
you important knowledge and skills in diverse areas such as:
History and social studies
Languages
Philosophy and hermeneutics
Bible study
Counseling and social work
Degrees also offer specialized tracks to boost your knowledge in areas that might be a
particular help in the type of ministry you wish to pursue. For example, you can find divinity
degrees offering concentrations in:
Youth ministry
Missionary work
Bible study
Pastoral studies
Your college experience studying Christian ministry or divinity will help shape your skills,
practice, and approach to a ministry job. With the knowledge and confidence a degree will give
you, you’ll find that ministry jobs are much easier to find in any denomination.
