15 Things Seminary Couldn't Teach Me

Some lessons can’t be learned in a classroom. A seminary education is immensely valuable, offering theological preparation, spiritual formation, and wise mentoring. But many new pastors are discouraged when the realities of their first call don’t line up with what they came to expect from assigned readings and classroom discussions. Bridging the gap between seminary training and real life in a local church, fifteen veteran pastors and ministry leaders offer advice and encouragement related to a host of real-world issues, such as leading congregations through seasons of suffering, handling conflict, accepting a call, leaving a church, and more.

Jeff Robinson Sr. (PhD, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is a senior editor for the Gospel Coalition and serves as the lead pastor for Christ Community Church of Louisville. He also serves as adjunct professor of church history at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the coauthor of To the Ends of the Earth: Calvin's Missional Vision and Legacy.

Collin Hansen (MDiv, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) serves as vice president of content and editor in chief for the Gospel Coalition. He hosts the Gospelbound podcast and coauthored Gospelbound: Living with Resolute Hope in an Anxious Age. He serves as an elder for Redeemer Community Church in Birmingham, Alabama, and also on the advisory board of Beeson Divinity School. You can follow him on Twitter at @collinhansen.

R. Albert Mohler Jr. (PhD, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) serves as the ninth president and the Joseph Emerson Brown Professor of Christian Theology of Southern Seminary. Considered a leader among American evangelicals by Time and Christianity Today magazines, Dr. Mohler hosts two programs: The Briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview, and Thinking in Public, a series of conversations with today’s leading thinkers. He also writes a popular blog and a regular commentary on moral, cultural, and theological issues.

Daniel L. Akin is the president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Matthew Z. Capps (MDiv, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary; D.Min. Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary) serves as the senior pastor at Fairview Baptist Church in Apex, North Carolina. Matt has written various articles for websites and blogs, such as the Gospel Coalition, the Gospel Project, and For the Church. Matt and his wife, Laura, have three children.

Jeff Higbie (MDiv, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is pastor of Faith Evangelical Church in Underwood, North Dakota. He is the chairman of the EFCA Northern Plains District Board of Ministerial Standing and serves as president of the Underwood Ministerial Association.

John Onwuchekwa (MA, Dallas Theological Seminary) serves as pastor of Cornerstone Church in Atlanta, Georgia.

Harry L. Reeder III earned an MDiv from Westminster Theological Seminary and a DMin from Reformed Theological Seminary. He is senior pastor of the 4,000-member Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham. He is also the author of From Embers to a Flame.

Juan R. Sanchez (PhD, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is the senior pastor of High Pointe Baptist Church in Austin, Texas, and the cofounder and president of Coalición. He is the author of The Leadership Formula: Develop the Next Generation of Leaders in the Church and a contributor to Faithful Endurance.

Scott Sauls is the senior pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee. He is the author of five books, including Jesus Outside the Lines and A Gentle Answer. Sauls and his wife, Patti, have two daughters.

Jay Thomas (MDiv, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary) serves as the lead pastor of Chapel Hill Bible Church in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He was previously the college pastor at College Church in Wheaton, Illinois. Jay and his wife, Rebecca, have four children.

Mark Vroegop (MDiv, Grand Rapids Theological Seminary) is the lead pastor of College Park Church in Indianapolis and the author of the ECPA 2020 Christian Book of the Year Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament and Weep with Me: How Lament Opens a Door for Racial Reconciliation. He’s married to Sarah, and they have four children and three daughters-in-law.