The Future of Urban Ministry Training

"Let us beware of incurring the displeasure of the Lord of the harvest.”

My ministry is a product of the generosity of God’s people.

When I began seminary in 2012, I had no idea how I would pay for it. Having been a Christian for only two years, I lacked deep connections to Christian communities that might support me. When the church I attended and worked at part-time learned that I had become Reformed in my theological convictions, they told me to leave. When my boss at my full-time job discovered I could no longer work evening hours due to my seminary classes, she fired me.

Just a few weeks into my first semester of seminary, I had no job, no church, and no plan.

I can still remember sitting in the office of Dr. Scott Redd, the president of Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS) in Washington, D.C. when he told me that I had been granted a scholarship to fund my theological education. Thanks to generous donors who believed in supporting future leaders of the Church, a path was opened for me to advance in my call to ministry.

My ministry training was not easy, however. Without connections to any church or denomination, finding a pastoral internship or residency that would provide the practical experience I needed was quite difficult. It was even more challenging to find a residency that offered financial compensation for my labor. After five years of seminary training, I did not find a residency that provided both practical experience and compensation until six months before my graduation in 2017.

Having pastored full-time for eight years, I have encountered numerous ministry candidates facing similar challenges. These challenges become even more pronounced in urban contexts, where there is a significant lack of financial resources to advance the church’s mission.

I have asked several young men if they would consider full-time ministry in the future. The answer is almost always the same: there’s simply no money in it. They would have to go into significant debt for their theological education and then barely scrape by as a pastor. This is not the path many young men in urban contexts want to pursue, especially those who aim to break cycles of generational poverty and start creating some kind of wealth to pass on to their children.

There are additional challenges when I examine the mode and content of theological education. Due to the rising costs of seminary education and the declining number of candidates pursuing theological studies, many seminary programs are reducing the number of classes required for graduation. Simultaneously, many degree programs are transitioning to virtual models, which lowers costs and enables more people to apply to seminary programs.

These changes aim to make degree programs more accessible for potential students. However, in doing so, these same seminaries do not provide the quality of training required for urban ministry today. The ethical and moral complexity of the urban context is only increasing as these communities face the intersecting challenges of globalization, immigration, poverty, racism, and economic injustice. Future urban ministers require more education and training, not less.

I am thankful that schools like RTS have chosen to resist this trend and maintain the rigor of their programs. Even so, the content of degree programs at seminaries like RTS still does not provide adequate training for urban ministry–and I’m not sure it should. At 106 credits, their M.Div program is demanding enough. How would you incorporate courses that address the complex realities I mentioned above?

These challenges at the seminary level run even deeper, as many of these degree programs have primarily been designed to meet the demands of ministry among the middle and upper classes. Thus, they mainly address issues related to ministering in an increasingly secular world and the questions of non-Christians. However, they do not address the challenges facing non-persons in urban contexts, particularly the questions surrounding how to exist “in a world where the economic, social, educational, and political systems despise them and those they love.”

What is the way forward for urban ministry training? With the increasingly complex demands of the urban context, urban church leaders need more training and resources, not less. In my view, the solution lies in developing ministry systems that offer financial resources for urban leaders to pursue theological education while incorporating innovative methods for practical instruction that complement formal theological studies.

I will share one idea for such a system below. However, before I look forward, I want to reflect on a summons from the Princeton theologian Archibald Alexander, who urged the Presbyterian and Reformed tradition to raise up new generations of leaders from among the poor and marginalized to lead churches in our cities.

Looking Back: Archibald Alexander’s Summons to the Churches

Archibald Alexander (1771-1851) was elected to serve as the first professor of theology at Princeton Theological Seminary in 1812. Under his ministry, many future leaders of the church were converted and trained for ministry, including Charles Hodge (who converted under Alexander’s ministry) and Joshua McIlvaine (who would have been one of Alexander’s students at Princeton). As the first faculty member at Princeton, Alexander organized the theological curriculum for the school and thus played a significant role in shaping American Presbyterianism to this day.

In an address titled Thoughts on the Education of Pious and Indigent Candidates for the Ministry,^[1] Alexander summoned the churches to provide the necessary funds to cultivate a new generation of ministers from among the poor and marginalized in our cities.

Alexander was addressing a lack of trained ministers to lead churches in his time, a challenge that remains troubling in our own. In recent years, discussions of a “pulpit crisis” have surfaced, as the number of retiring pastors outpaces the candidates graduating from our seminaries.^[2]

A few years ago, I attended a large church-planting summit attended by major leaders throughout my denomination (PCA). Leaders from every region of the country shared how they had the resources, people, and opportunities to plant dozens of churches. Yet the refrain was always the same: there aren’t enough candidates who want to lead them.

Alexander presented a question to his audience: if we are not receiving ministry candidates from those who can afford theological education independently, “is it not the duty of the church” to cultivate ministry candidates from the “poor and indigent” who cannot finance their education? He summarized: “The question to be decided is extremely plain and simple–shall the church do without a sufficient supply of ministers, or endeavor to obtain such a supply by educating those who are unable to gain an education by their own means?”^[3]

The same question might be put before us today. If we want to see more faithful pastors sent and churches planted to reach urban communities, then isn’t it time for our churches to allocate significant financial resources to make that happen?

Alexander addressed many potential objections to his proposal that are too numerous to summarize here. However, a few of the objections he addressed are worth mentioning, they remain relevant today

One of the objections Alexander addressed was the prejudice church members had toward the poor. Churches feared “rude and unpolished” pastors who were raised among “rough, unmannered” people. Alexander confronted this prejudice head-on, stating that such objectors “lay too much stress” on the “polish of manners” and not enough emphasis on “true humility, meekness, and benevolence.” These objectors failed to consider that Jesus himself chose his apostles from “the humbler walks of life” and did not seek to transform them into “polished gentlemen” but rather effective ministers.^[4]

Alexander also addressed an accusation that supporting the education of these ministers would detract from their “manly independence.” I relied on my wife’s salary when I was in seminary and was told by men several times that I was not a “biblical man” because I was failing to provide for my family. I know this objection well! In response to these objectors, Alexander replied that those who understand what it means to be poor do not possess this same spirit of pride and arrogance that has infected those born to affluence.^[5]

Finally, Alexander confronted a prominent neglect in his Presbyterian tradition:

To hinder or discourage the education of poor and pious youth of good talents for the holy ministry is actually to oppose the vital interests of Christ’s church; and when this is done by Presbyterian ministers, it is a species of ecclesiastical suicide. It is virtually to cut the nerves by which our efforts in advancing the kingdom of the Redeemer must be made.^[6]

It is no secret that Presbyterian churches are the wealthiest tradition in our country. If not in words, we have discouraged the training of ministers from poor and marginalized communities through our deeds. Reformed missiologist and Westminster Professor Harvie Conn once asked why so many Reformed theologians completely overlook the Bible’s emphasis on the poor. His answer? Because our theologians don’t know what it means to be poor.^[7]

We have systematically neglected the needs of ministry candidates from poor and marginalized communities. Is it any wonder we lack enough candidates to fill or establish churches? Are we surprised that Presbyterian churches are little known for their presence in the inner city or for their efforts in mercy and justice toward the suffering poor? Is there any doubt as to why our Presbyterian denominations are ninety percent White?

Alexander cautioned with words of judgment that echo words we’ve already seen from Hodge and McIlvaine: “If our church neglects her duty in relation to this matter, God, in righteous judgment, may so order things that we shall have few [candidates] to educate. Let us beware of incurring the displeasure of the Lord of the harvest.”^[8]

Looking Forward: The Future of Urban Theological Education

I hope by now I have convinced my readers that the Reformed tradition has a long legacy of taking the Scriptural command to love the poor and marginalized seriously. Despite the horrendous racism that dominated 19^th-century Presbyterianism in the United States, this generation could not avoid the clear conclusion that Jesus’ followers are called to follow him in his love for the literal poor. This idea has been evident in Charles Hodge, Joshua McIlvaine, and now Archibald Alexander.

How can we who share this theological heritage respond to the call to cultivate a generation of church leaders from the margins to reach others in similar places? Is it possible to act on this call without compromising theological training or practical instruction? Most would say this is impossible, but I disagree.

My proposal is to establish Urban Training Centers (UTCs) in cities across the country that would supplement existing theological education in seminaries with contextualized practical training for urban contexts. UTCs would collaborate with, not replace, existing seminaries to offer training and instruction to address issues of globalization, immigration, poverty, economic injustice, and racism that converge in our urban communities. These issues are so complex that they require ample space for ministry leaders to examine and apply the Scriptures and their theological traditions to these real-world problems. This space cannot be provided in the available seminary models today.

UTCs would also teach practical skills for urban ministers, such as community organizing, ethnography, grant writing, and life skill development. These skills, which are hardly needed in the suburban churches that dominate most denominations, are core skills for urban ministry.

As most traditional seminary programs transition to virtual education, the essential life-on-life discipleship for ministry training is lost. These training centers would offer this discipleship through a cohort model of ministers and leaders collaborating to bring Christ to urban communities.

UTCs would provide practical ministry experience for future urban leaders through its partnership with local churches. This ministry would be done alongside other residents under the leadership of experienced leaders.

Since UTCs wouldn't need accreditation, these programs would be very affordable. They could also be led by leaders who may lack the degrees necessary to teach in accredited seminaries but possess valuable real-world experience to impart to future ministers. These leadership teams would inherently be much more diverse than traditional seminary leadership teams are today. With adequate fundraising, some of these leaders could receive part of their income from the UTC, alleviating the financial burden on their urban churches.

Speaking of fundraising, UTC leaders would raise funds for the center and its ministry residents. These funds would not only cover the cost of the UTC program but also assist with the residents' seminary training. Additionally, these funds would compensate residents for their work with local churches.

You may wonder where all this money would come from. I contend that there are abundant resources yet to be tapped in our pews, and God’s people are eager to give to something that matters–if only they could be shown how! If leaders in established churches became passionate about supporting urban ministry through these UTCs, I do not doubt that the members would follow.

The Presbyterian system is already well-suited for this ministry model. Each presbytery could establish its own UTC to support the work of contextualized urban ministry within its bounds. One or two pastors in the presbytery could serve bi-vocationally as both pastors and leaders of the UTC. These pastors could fundraise within the presbytery while also networking and raising funds from other Christ-centered churches in the region. This work, then, would additionally serve to enhance ecumenical relations between our presbyteries and other local churches outside our tradition.

I hope that our new church here in Indianapolis will work towards establishing such a center over the next few years as I complete my doctoral program. As we proceed, I will write more about these UTCs as the concept develops in real-time.

I would love to know what you think about the idea. Poke holes in it. Am I too idealistic, or does this idea invigorate you? Would you or your church support a UTC in your city? Why or why not? Let me know!

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^[1] Archibald Alexander, “Thoughts on the Education of Pious and Indigent Candidates for the Ministry” in Princeton and the Christian Ministry Vol. 1 (2012), 275-287.

^[2] See “The Pastoral Succession Crisis is Only Getting More Complicated” https://www.barna.com/research/pastoral-succession/. See also “Churches in America are Having a Hard Time Finding Pastors” https://www.npr.org/2024/11/25/nx-s1-5193755/churches-in-america-are-having-a-hard-time-finding-pastors.

^[3] Alexander, 276.

^[4] Alexander, 279.

^[5] Alexander, 280.

^[6] Alexander, 281-282.

^[7] Harvie Conn, The New Testament and the Poor, Lecture 7.

^[8] Alexander, 286.