“Before and after” pictures often tell a powerful story of transformation.
On the left might be a picture of a shy four-year-old girl holding on to her mother’s leg, while on the right is that same girl at her college graduation, ready to take on the world. Maybe the “before” picture shows a scrawny freshman boy in danger of being bowled over by a sudden gust of wind. The “after” picture reveals a fit, muscular senior for whom work in the weight room made a major difference.
It might be nice to have “before and after” pictures to demonstrate the growth seminarians experience. There are some “before and after” pictures that could be used. Each student has his picture taken during orientation and then again for graduation. The students who arrive on campus as 22-year-olds look a little different when they leave as 26-year-olds. The pictures demonstrate their physical maturation.
What doesn’t show up in those pictures is their growth in many other areas: in their knowledge of the Scriptures, in their faith in Christ, and in their skill in serving God’s people with God’s saving word. The “before and after” is striking, a testament to the Spirit’s powerful working.
Their graduation pictures do not indicate how much they have grown in their knowledge of God’s Word. One might almost expect to see in each of their pictures a bulging cranium, given the time each student spends digging into the Scriptures. The curriculum calls for them to study several books of the Bible in painstaking detail, in Hebrew and Greek. They work their way through Genesis, Psalms, Isaiah 40–66, Galatians, Ephesians, and Romans with special thoroughness, examining individual words and phrases as well as literary structure. Students cover every book of the Bible during their preparation for ministry, whether at Martin Luther College or the seminary. Well over one-third of the credit hours in the seminary curriculum are dedicated to the study of the books of the Bible. The seminary catalog aptly says that “thorough, intensive, and reverent study of the Holy Scriptures is the very heart of seminary training.”
Seminary students build on their study of the individual books of Scripture through an in-depth study of Christian doctrine during their three years on campus. In systematic theology courses, which bring together the Bible passages addressing a particular teaching, they consider what God wants them to believe and teach. For instance, they look at verses from many different sections books that speak about baptism, whether the institution of the sacrament in Matthew 28:19, or the blessings of baptism in Acts 2:38, Titus 3:5–7, and 1 Peter 3:21, or its purpose in daily life in Romans 6. After grounding themselves in what the Lord teaches about baptism, they then consider common false teachings about it, whether that’s the rejection of infant baptism or the idea that baptism is merely an outward ceremony that cannot be a means by which the Lord forgives sin. They gain a clear and comprehensive understanding of the truths of God’s Word upon which they can continue to build throughout their lives.
During their time on campus seminarians also learn how Christians who have gone before them have confessed the truth of Scripture in their time. They study, for instance, how Christians in the fourth century responded to Arianism, which taught that Jesus was a creation of God and therefore distinct from God. The Nicene Creed was the church’s response to that heresy, confessing powerfully and poetically that Jesus is “God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father.” Students also grow in their understanding of how their Lutheran forebears confessed scriptural truth over against the false teachings present in the visible church during the Reformation era. Confident that the Lutheran Confessions are an accurate exposition of the teachings of Scripture, students promise to preach and teach in conscious agreement with these statements of faith. Church history courses help future pastors see how the Lord guides all things in service of his gracious plan to gather his people through the gospel.
Each student grows tremendously in his understanding of God’s Word during his time on campus. That growth comes not only through coursework but also through personal devotional reading and daily chapel services. Students, faculty, and staff gather each morning to sit at Jesus’ feet and be fed. While knowledge of God’s Word is being increased, something else is also happening. The Spirit is at work in the hearts of his people. Through the living and active word proclaimed in classroom and chapel, the Lord causes faith in Christ to grow. Finally, faith is at the heart of ministry. As the Lord keeps his promise to strengthen faith through his gospel, he forms men for service as pastors. Only those who cling desperately to God’s grace for them in Christ and who marvel at his goodness in rescuing them, though undeserving sinners, are equipped to share it with others.
Seminarians also grow significantly in their skill in serving God’s people with God’s Word. Through counseling classes, they learn how to listen to the hurting and to draw them out and then how to apply the truths of Scripture to the individual’s situation. Evangelism classes help future pastors grow in their ability to share the gospel in a meaningful way with those who do not know Christ and to engage the community in which the Lord places them. Students grow in their proficiency as teachers of confirmation students, young people, and adults through education courses and opportunities to teach. Courses in worship and preaching during each year on campus provide students the chance to gain both understanding and skill in an important aspect of a pastor’s ministry to the saints.
While the three years in the classroom learning from professors who have served as pastors are essential to the formation of future pastors, the vicar year plays a critical role. Under the supervision of a gospel-centered pastor, a vicar gets to put into practice what he has learned. He gets to see what pastoral ministry looks like day after day. Preaching 20–25 sermons during that year, regularly teaching confirmation classes and adult Bible classes, actively reaching out to the community and following up on visitors, observing his supervising pastor lead a congregation and equip the saints for service, and having in-depth conversations with his supervising pastor make all the difference for a pastor-in-training. There’s nothing quite like experience to help a person grow in pastoral skill and confidence. Faculty members regularly comment on how different the men are after a year of full-time ministry.
The seminary is a place to grow. Students grow in their knowledge of God’s Word. They grow in their faith in Jesus as their Righteousness and Life. They grow in their skill in ministering to and with God’s holy people. Students leave the campus prepared for a lifetime of ministry and a lifetime of learning. While the “before and after” pictures may not reveal much change, the reality is different. During the students’ time at the seminary the Lord transforms them and equips them for pastoral ministry.
Earle Treptow serves as president of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and teaches courses in systematic theology.