Seminary Never Taught This

Seminary Never Taught This

Theme: Asked how young people should go into ministry, Dr. Jeremiah Johnston says to build with full financial transparency, even if it grows slower. Then he names the gap: seminaries don't teach pastors to read a financial statement or govern church money. Scripture's standard is in 2 Corinthians 8:21 (NKJV).

Sources:

• The Religion Business with Nathan Apffel, "A Megachurch Pastor on the 990, Church Money, and the Shroud of Turin": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nz2iv-n6aiQ (question at 32:42, answer from 33:10 to 34:23)

Summary

Nathan Apffel asks what encouragement Dr. Jeremiah Johnston would give "this young generation of just people wanting to go into ministry." Johnston answers that doing it transparently "might grow slower, but you'll grow with no regrets, and you won't ever have to apologize to anyone for how you did it the right way." Then he names the problem: "our seminaries are horrible... most pastors can't read a financial." Pastors aren't taught church governance, and "people that actually attend your church should have access." His own church has a finance committee of volunteers, not staff, who meet monthly, and the budget is presented to the deacons and accepted by the church. He has two master's degrees but "didn't get a single class in any of this."

Edit note: Nathan's question is trimmed to its last line. Johnston's remarks about Skip Heitzig and his 17 years of prayer, which come between the question and this answer, are cut for length. The answer itself plays uncut.

Key lines

• "What encouragement would you give to this young generation of just people wanting to go into ministry?" (Nathan Apffel, 32:42)
• "It might grow slower, but you'll grow with no regrets, and you won't ever have to apologize to anyone for how you did it the right way." (33:10)
• "And the issue is our seminaries are horrible. So the seminaries, most pastors can't read a financial." (33:17)
• "People that actually attend your church should have access." (33:37)
• "We have a finance committee made up of people in our church. They're not staff members. They're volunteers. They meet monthly." (33:43)
• "I have two master's degrees. I'm not saying that to be prideful. I didn't get a single class in any of this." (34:19)

Scripture

• 2 Corinthians 8:20-21 (NKJV): "avoiding this: that anyone should blame us in this lavish gift which is administered by us— providing honorable things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men."
• Romans 12:17 (NKJV): "Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men."
• 1 Corinthians 4:2 (NKJV): "Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful."

Takeaway

When Paul carried the churches' offering to Jerusalem, he made sure others traveled with it so no one could question how it was handled. Honesty before God was not enough; it had to be visible to people too. Open books, outside eyes and a budget the congregation can question are not bureaucracy. They are how a ministry keeps its witness above reproach.