A Message from the Student Council

On a recent phone call with a friend, Wesley alum and current pastor, I asked them about how their life in a local congregation was treating them. They didn’t take too long to say, “You know, they don’t teach you what you really need to know in seminary! I learned a lot about leading worship services, but not about how to lead worship when you need to call 911 to take care of a parishioner who has just fainted in the service!” My friend hit on something important. The classes we take prepare us personally and professionally for the hard work of ministry in various settings…to a point. No matter how many biblical studies, theology, leadership or preaching courses we take, so many lessons evade our understanding until we experience them for ourselves.

This message has lingered with me since starting at Wesley in 2016. As I’ve gotten closer to graduation, I keep realizing how much I still have to learn and how much I’ve learned beyond the classroom through practical ministry experience. In my work, I’ve discovered the importance of creative organization and relationships rooted in trust and authenticity for fruitful ministry, as well as how to cover candle oil stains on your shirt collar before a service starts. But the main thing that often remains unspoken in seminary classrooms is just how hard ministry can become. We might make a passing reference to human brokenness in theology classes or talk about conflict management in a communication or leadership course, but we rarely talk about what happens when a trusted leader violates their community’s trust, or when a beloved ministry partner says and does hurtful things. It’s at these times we struggle to shine in our gifts and draw out the divine light in those with whom we serve, especially if our struggles cause us to question our very calling.

The beautiful thing about a seminary education is that the educational journey can prove just as formative, if not more, as the content we encounter to our ministry practice. Seminary, like any ministry setting, is full of people in need of healing, and despite our unrealistic expectations for a perfect educational experience, we still have to fight our way through tough classes, overwhelming to-do lists and relational challenges to make it through. Seminary requires us to develop the perseverance necessary to thrive in a ministry setting to get to that ministry setting in the first place. 


Whether you’re taking your first or final Wesley class, remember that God’s vision for the world includes the flourishing of all human life, and this call for perseverance is not a call to accept suffering in any form for some holier purpose. Yet, even amidst the challenges we face as we lead and serve, God is present with us and offers us the gifts of the Spirit’s power and our community. That way, we can take seriously Paul’s exhortation to the Galatians: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Lean on one another as we labor for good, and let’s see what God can do in and through us!

Jonathan Fuller is a seminarian at Wesley and Student Council Parliamentarian.

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