Big Bible Colleges

[DaveW]

Since it appears that some here are searching for reasons to accuse me, I will explain my view on Big Bible colleges.
I have started another thread so as not to pollute my Bible College thread.

First - I think every church should, when they are able, have extra study available for members. If they are able to make it as in depth as an Institute or College course, then great.

I also have no prOBlems with a correspondence style course supplied by someone else.

Secondly, this is MY OPINION, and as such I will not condemn a man who went to or sends one of his people to a big Bible College.
I also will not outright condemn those who run such colleges - they are trying to supply teaching that is not offered elsewhere.

But I see no sense in sending away a growing enthusiastic Christian.

Think about it - a young man gets saved in your church. The Lord convicts him in your church. The Lord teaches him in your church.
Through the ministry of your church he grows to where the Lord calls him to preach - so you send him across the country to learn how to preach?????

Doesn't make sense to me.

Much better to join with solid local preachers and together teach these enthusiastic Christians and whilst learning their growth, energy, and enthusiasm can be used to exhort and encourage the church where the Lord saved them.
(Note: reference to "your church" here means the church you attend).

I understand that it is not possible for all men nor in all churches.

But that is my view on big Bible Colleges.

It is certainly not about being my own authority as some have suggested - it is about giving opportunity for people to grow where the Lord planted them.

[No Nicolaitans]

I believe that's the biblical model.

[ASongOfDegrees]

Since it appears that some here are searching for reasons to accuse me, I will explain my view on Big Bible colleges.
I have started another thread so as not to pollute my Bible College thread.

First - I think every church should, when they are able, have extra study available for members. If they are able to make it as in depth as an Institute or College course, then great.

I also have no prOBlems with a correspondence style course supplied by someone else.

Secondly, this is MY OPINION, and as such I will not condemn a man who went to or sends one of his people to a big Bible College.
I also will not outright condemn those who run such colleges - they are trying to supply teaching that is not offered elsewhere.

But I see no sense in sending away a growing enthusiastic Christian.

Think about it - a young man gets saved in your church. The Lord convicts him in your church. The Lord teaches him in your church.
Through the ministry of your church he grows to where the Lord calls him to preach - so you send him across the country to learn how to preach?????

Doesn't make sense to me.

Much better to join with solid local preachers and together teach these enthusiastic Christians and whilst learning their growth, energy, and enthusiasm can be used to exhort and encourage the church where the Lord saved them.
(Note: reference to "your church" here means the church you attend).

I understand that it is not possible for all men nor in all churches.

But that is my view on big Bible Colleges.

It is certainly not about being my own authority as some have suggested - it is about giving opportunity for people to grow where the Lord planted them.

NOBody accused you of anything. Go ahead and start a bible college (better to call your model a "bible institute", IMO). The more the merrier if it is bible based.

[candlelight]

I believe in the local IFB church as far as a Bible Institute goes.  Even if the church is small, as is with my missionary friend's church, it is Biblical.  Many teenagers go off to Bible college and get confused.  A lot of big Bible colleges do not line up with the word of God.  

[John81]

Our pastor's son was in college doing pre-med studies (on the way to becoming a doctor) when the Lord called him to preach. He came back to our church (after our pastor and church board discussed this and agreed it was the Lord's leading) and began serving under the guidance or our pastor while also taking online courses through a Baptist university for a Master's degree.

 

Upon completion of the Master's degree, and serving under our pastor during that time, he went through the ordination process (which I was privileged to attend). He passed the ordination and after further consideration of the matter he became the associate pastor in our church.

[HappyChristian]

I agree with you, Dave, but then there is the other side of the coin.  My hubby is a living example of someone who was being "trained" one-on-one by his pastor when we met.  I'm not going to go into too much detail about things, but we left there the day before we got married due to some serious prOBlems (including attempted murder) on the part of the pastor.  Then we went to another church that had an institute.  My hubby took a class and enjoyed it - learned a bit, too.  The pastor there believed that all training should be by the church (now, to be fair, he did not always hold that belief - until real trouble came to the college where he sent his kids...).  Hence the institute.  But then serious prOBlems with him surfaced, too.

 

Both pastors had the idea that, because they were pastors, they were never to be questioned or corrected. They were authoritarian to the extreme. And there were doctrinal issues, serious ones, especially in the first church (it took my hubby some years of study and prayer to really lose all of the falsehoods from both churches).

 

That said, moving to a Bible college is not for everyone at all!  If the church they are in is scriptural and the teaching is biblical, it is great to stay and be trained there.  But if someone does go to a Bible college (I'm talking a single young person), it should be one that their pastor can recommend and that their parents can trust to be and remain biblical during their time there.

 

The school of the prophets in the OT would give the picture that it isn't sinful to send men to an area to be trained.  

[2bLikeJesus]

Galatians 1:16-18 (KJV)
¹⁶  To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:
¹⁷  Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.
¹⁸  Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days. 

 

Paul goes away to Arabia for 3 years to prepare for his ministry.  I guess I can see a biblical model of separating yourself from all your friends and family for the purpose of ministry preparation.

 

Bro. Garry

In His will.  By His power.  For His glory.

[John81]

The most important thing is for each person to follow the leading of the Lord, whether that be learning under a pastor or attending a school. It's all too common for one who is called of the Lord to a task to follow the advice, prompting or pushing of others rather than the leading of the Lord. Some of these eventually find their way back into God's will, but many end up derailed and never get back on the track.

[ThePilgrim]

Galatians 1:16-18 (KJV)
¹⁶  To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:
¹⁷  Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.
¹⁸  Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days. 

 

Paul goes away to Arabia for 3 years to prepare for his ministry.  I guess I can see a biblical model of separating yourself from all your friends and family for the purpose of ministry preparation.

 

Bro. Garry

In His will.  By His power.  For His glory.

Three years in the desert alone with God would be better than some colleges or seminaries.

 

God bless,

Larry

[Ukulelemike]

Its true-the college/institute issue is not a simple, black and white issue. There is good in all the ways you can go, be it training at the feet of your pastor, or attending a small institute or a large college. A  lot i=of your decisions should be bsaed, I suppose, on if the Lord has given you some idea as to where you will be going, so your training can be toward that end. I pastor in a very small, rural community, in a small country church. Thus, going to a very large college, like North valley Baptist, Jack Trieber's, (I think its Golden State College), or West Coast baptist, Larry Chappell's college, wouldn't have been a great idea, because they are men and churches that emphasize big-church, big-city thinking.

 

I used to attend Lighthoue Baptist in San Diego, a very large church, and spent a year in the institute there. but when I came to where I am now, I had to really modify the way I worked, because the enitre work is very different. yes, sin is sin, the gospel doesn't change, men are still saved the same way. But, for instance, I don't go evangelizing every week. Why? because I can cover the entire area in about 3 weeks, and if I just keep repeating over and over, folks will grow tired of seeing us and we'll tend toward running them off. Also, I am more involved in 'community' type things, because I can establish relationships that way, and it gives me more ways to and places to work. I sing and play the ukulele at a local monthly dinner, so I do some novelty stuff and I also do a lot of hymns. But these things would be hard in a large community.  

[EKSmith]

My former church in my home town our pastor and two local pastors taught classes for anyone called into the ministry, before you were allowed to attend the classes they met with you to assure your calling to the ministry ,once you were accept you were required to live the appropriate life of the leadership of a pastor or teacher and complete all assignments given. I wont go into detail about the classes but they were in direct line with the Word of God.

A few years ago a pastor friend gave me some literature on a class given at a local bible college that I might wont to attend so I thought I would check it out. I did some research on the college and found that it was teaching some of the theology of Joyce Meyers,I didn't take the class and later called the pastor and he was unaware of this,he told me someone had given him the literature and thinking it to be good he passed it on to me and was sorry he had recommended it to me.  

 

when looking into going to a bible college it is best to do research before you attend because they may be teaching the wrong thing.don't be afraid to ask questions it's very important.

[prophet1]

The most important thing is for each person to follow the leading of the Lord, whether that be learning under a pastor or attending a school. It's all too common for one who is called of the Lord to a task to follow the advice, prompting or pushing of others rather than the leading of the Lord. Some of these eventually find their way back into God's will, but many end up derailed and never get back on the track.

God is not going to sit by and let you bypass the good works that He fore ordained you to. You will not miss God's Will. You won't run from it. Ask Jonah.

Anishinaabe

[John81]

Actually, we see a clear example of the warning that if one fails to act in accord with God's will, God will raise up another, in the book of Esther.

 

Jonah was called as a prophet, and had answered the call. Jonah rebelled against God's specific command to go to Nineveh and God chastised him for that. Had Jonah continued in his rebellion and not repented, it's very likely that would have been the end of Jonah and God would have sent another.

 

God has good works for all of His people to do but it's OBvious we fail this. That's why when all our works are tried by fire, there will be some burned up, and in the case of some folks, all their works will be burned up, though they are saved.

[Ukulelemike]

My former church in my home town our pastor and two local pastors taught classes for anyone called into the ministry, before you were allowed to attend the classes they met with you to assure your calling to the ministry ,once you were accept you were required to live the appropriate life of the leadership of a pastor or teacher and complete all assignments given. I wont go into detail about the classes but they were in direct line with the Word of God.

A few years ago a pastor friend gave me some literature on a class given at a local bible college that I might wont to attend so I thought I would check it out. I did some research on the college and found that it was teaching some of the theology of Joyce Meyers,I didn't take the class and later called the pastor and he was unaware of this,he told me someone had given him the literature and thinking it to be good he passed it on to me and was sorry he had recommended it to me.  

 

when looking into going to a bible college it is best to do research before you attend because they may be teaching the wrong thing.don't be afraid to ask questions it's very important.

Yes, even good, godly men can fall to error when not checking carefully into that which they recommend to others.

 

I had that happen when a pastor recommended to a bunch of folks in an e-newsletter, a book. I don't recall the name of it, but he sent also a link to read the first few pages of the first chapter, as well as the introduction pages.  The first thing I read when I opened it was a quote from Lao Tsu, and that name set off a warning bell, so I asked my wife is she knew the name. My wife, by the way, spent many years in the New Age before she was saved. She told me he was the founder of Tao Buddhism. At that point, I closed it and emailed the pastor about it. He contacted me the next day, and apologized, telling me that he had not read the book, but had read a former book by the same author anbd it was sound, so he thought he could safely recommend this book, as well. He pulled the book and the recommendation and he learned a good lesson. And so did I-always check completely into what you recommend to others.

[prophet1]

Actually, we see a clear example of the warning that if one fails to act in accord with God's will, God will raise up another, in the book of Esther.

Jonah was called as a prophet, and had answered the call. Jonah rebelled against God's specific command to go to Nineveh and God chastised him for that. Had Jonah continued in his rebellion and not repented, it's very likely that would have been the end of Jonah and God would have sent another.

God has good works for all of His people to do but it's OBvious we fail this. That's why when all our works are tried by fire, there will be some burned up, and in the case of some folks, all their works will be burned up, though they are saved.

Jonah was gonna have a hard time continuing in rebellion, in a whale's belly.

Anishinaabe