Becoming a Minister

I have a dilemna that I’m hoping someone can offer some insight into. You see, throughout my childhood, I was very involved with the United Church of Canada (for those of you who don’t know, the very liberal christian denomination in Canada). I went through a very fundamentalist phase in my teens but since then, university has made me quite a liberal, pot-smoking agnostic. Now, even though my actual beliefs changed, for some
reason I still stayed involved with the church. Now as I’m graduating from university, without any amazing job offers lined up, i’m considering becoming a minister. I’m an excellent public speaker and relate well to people on really sensitive issues. I know the church inside and out and can recite 90% of the bible. Would I be conning people if I was “preaching” the bible but not actually believing it to be history, but rather myth/parable. I believe the bible has a great amount of wisdom but I dont take much of it as literal truth. Anyways, it would be such and easy, great paying career for me to step into which would allow me to continue contemplating life on a daily basis. Any thoughts?

George MacDonald, the Scottish novelist & poet, said:

“The man that feareth, Lord, to doubt,
In that fear doubteth thee.”

In other words, God doesn’t leave us just because there are times when we struggle with our faith. Christians fall and stumble many times but God will never forsake you.

Your faith may be a little shaky now but it sounds like this is something that you really want to do. Your feelings about God and the Bible may change when you’re with other believers that are strong in their faith. I work with a Christian woman and she’s such an inspiration. Her life is a living testament to her faith.

Nothing worse than a cheesy preacher who bores the life out of you - and nothing better than one who inspires you and gives you something to chew on while you go through the rest of your day.

I am not a Christian. I went to a Christian funeral last night and had the most spiritual experience there because of the minister who conducted the service. Made me want to be a gospel singer, scream Jesus to the rooftops, and praise the Lord, I tell you.

You go for it. Inspire people to be better. :stuck_out_tongue:

Don’t ever lie.

So there. If you can go on to become a Minister under that, then go right ahead (and maybe you can, you said you were seeking a pretty liberal denomniation).

If the Lord calls you to ministry then do His will. Do not lie, cheat, or steal your way around a Church. The punishment of a ministers inequity is greater than that of the rest of us. Do you had best not bother if you go to con anyone.

I shall pray that the Lord will Reveal His will in you!

Knowing the Bible inside and out does not mean you understand it. If your Church is Liberal, then it gives me pause to if it is a real Church that has prepared Herself as a Bride of Christ. 5 of the 7 in Revelations appear to be condemend. If it is a liberal one that will be condemened… then based on your post you should have a blast. But live it up now… for after, your life will not be fun at all.

It is sad that so many like you show up in the churches and then Defile the word of God just for some sick perverted game.

If you do not have Faith, then you are a failure as a human being, if you decide to become a minister. Its like having Brown being hired at FEMA! A catastrophe!

Absolutely.

What’s more, to believe in a God who would permit such behavior is perhaps a greater tragedy than your failure to realize God does not exist.

You grow up in a religious atmosphere, remain a fundamentalist until you start smoking pot and listening to AC/DC, begin to doubt the bible, and then decide to become a “preacher” because its “pays well and is easy,” even though you don’t believe the biblical account of history is true, but believe that God will excuse your “white lie” while you do it?

Astral,

You seem sure to make a lot of friends here with your pronuncements. I predict a short career. You self-righteousness is more than a little obvious.

i could go either way on this.

it may be good to become a preacher, because the job itself might be a religous experience and lead you to God…

or it may be a bad thing, as people who come to you outside of your sermons might be led away from God.

i can’t decide.

I dont think I was as clear as I could have been in my original post. One of the strongest reasons that I want to become a “preacher” is not to proclaim to have the answers or even the proclaim that Jesus is the only way to God. I don’t personally believe that and would never tell anyone they had to either. In my church, that is not an absolute necessary believe. We welcome people from all faiths and denominations to worship with us and they are welcome to all the sacraments. My interest in becoming a “preacher” is to help guide people on a journery of questioning their beliefs, questioning their meaning in life, and hopefully, at the end of the day, bring them to a stronger sense of faith and being then perhaps they had before. That doesnt necessarily mean a stronger faith in Jesus, but perhaps a stronger will to continue growing in their relationship with their minds rather then remaining complacent as so many people in todays churches are. (That started to sound kind of cheesy but I hope it clarified my underlying desire to become a minister. The lifestyle that I perceive from becoming a minister, is just one of the perks)

Hi Cenns

You seem to have a healthy secular outlook. For people having a similar secular perspective, you could be a healthy influence in adapting to the world. Much of Christendom is primarily concerned with this same perspective.

However, it is not Christianity nor the attraction of Christianity. There will be times when you run into some, especially the young, that will be disappointed in this perspective. What would you suggest to them? Will you become more of a help or hindrance to this minority that will seem out of place?

Those beginning to feel the depth and reality of Christianity are vulnerable just as children are. Secularism disguised as Christianity can be horribly misleading. The ego satisfaction obtained by those “curing” these little ones of this obvious affliction proclaimed by genuine “experts” in these matters but unfortunately only in their own minds, open themselves to not the best of karmic repercussions.

If it were me, I’d have enough respect for Christianity to admit to preaching a variation of Christendom or man made Christianity for the sake of those needing Christianity and the incentive to search for those that have experienced it and can understand these “little ones”…

Truth has always been hated. Of this fact I am painfully aware. The problem is that with people like you I have to kiss ass in my pronouncements to be considered “mildly ok” where as your type usually gets a pass from your side.

I know that the truth of what I speak is what you hate most about what I say… not the manner in which I say it. But since you are so smart, how can a person diplomatically tell anyone that if you commit to inequity as a minister God says He will punish you even moreso than the rest? Also I like the fact that he has upfront admitted that he is not a man of faith and wishes to preach under a lie to make people think he is!

This is where you show your discusting personality! You would rather attack me for wanting to tell someone, who does not share my faith, that they have no business guiding my fellow Christians, than to take him to task for admiting that he is about to pass himself off as a fraud to a congregation of people!

You Ma’am/Sir are a filthy human being! You defend the guilty against someone who is not guilty! It is no doubt in my mind you would get a kick out of a false prophet leading them like lambs to the slaughter!

Added: I would like to add for the rest of you who think me to be an aggressive type. Consider how Christ treated the Pharisees and the Saducees. Also consider Christs words! He said that He did not come to bring peace, He came with a sword and to bring division. If you wish to allow the non-believers to frame how you MUST make your statments as tentative would like to do to me, then know you will fail to appeal to anyone who seeks truth!

“They will hate you for my sake!” – Christ

I think I can sum up what you are saying. You wish to cause people to have doubt while they are still wondering about their faith. You are the blind leading the blind and you both will fall into the ditch!

If you have no faith then do not join the ministry. I am serious when I said that your punishment will be worse than if you had just not bothered to have faith at all! You want people to question it? Then do so outside the Church! Also I might add… the Bible says to question all things! Christianity is not looking for blind converts, but neither is it willing to tolerate an unfaithful person giving direction to the faithful!

I implore you to consider this matter no longer. Do not become a false prophet!

Cenns,

I think you sound like a wonderful young person with so much to share. I don’t think you are lying at all but very honest in your approach and reasons for wanting to guide others in their search. Not all Christians are fundamentalists. Believing in Christ and admitting to yourself that some of the bible is myth and parable (to me) is completely natural… and asking even one fundamentalist this question is your first big mistake.

Notice they will give you your first grandiose critique. A better person to consult would be another liberal preacher who feels like you do. Many of these fundamentalists most likely believe that all Jews and atheists will be banned from paradise. Because of their belief system, they have an IN. Just ask them.

What is the problem with you people? You are actually telling this guy it is just fine to lie to the congregation? And you have the audacity to wonder why the “fundies” like me are getting angry?

You love a lie more than the truth and your post is a complete admittance of that! How can anyone presenting themselves as a lie show someone the truth?

As a “fundie” Christian it is not my place to say who does or does not go to heaven! That is between them and their Judge! But as a Christian I am called to “Cry out when you see evil”! And it is plenty evil to say that you will go be a minister so that you can take peoples relationship away from Christ in a religion where having that Relationship is its CORE VALUE!

You freaks are unbelievable! You are just like spies who enter an institution so that you can undermine it!

Astral,

You seem to be unaware that there are many liberal congregations like the Unitarian Church who would love to have a minister who believed in Christ but still questioned the Bible’s literal truth. You still see this from a fundamentalist POV which I respect, but you simply don’t get it. You see, I was raised as a Unitarian, became a Jew for twenty years, converted to be Catholic (I was searching for the truth in Jesus) only to realize that I found a tremendous amount of truth (and lies) in ALL religions (thus) calling myself (quite simply) spiritually based. I am currently immersed in the Tao.

I know where you are coming from, but please try to show some tolerance for others’ liberal views. We are not all that bad, honey. Frankly, I am deciding as we speak on my outfit for Paradise when I arrive there. I am thinking something kind of white and flowing. Perhaps an off the shoulder number.

You see, Jesus gets me. I was thinking after I quit this music bent, I may become a carpenter. Hmmmm. WWJD?

[size=75]Blasphemer Central, I know. But, then again, Jesus doesn’t call people freaks… I am sure of it![/size]

This has become so true that there must be some universal law responsible for it. But usually, those that speak the most of tolerance are the most intolerant.

The reasons why are obvious but the tolerators are so busy tolerating until they forget and the shit hits the fan, that they can never experience them.

in that case, i would say don’t become a minister

It would almost be amusing if it weren’t sooooo pathetic. The intolerant and bigoted, when confronted, scream intolerance, and proceed to climb up on their cross. Same old story over and over. (shrug)

cenns,

I can only support much of what has already been said by others. There really are only a few simple things necessary. Honesty and sincerity being the critical components. As a minister in a Christain church your beliefs will of necessity have to be that of the majority of your congregation. That your willingness to question belief both personally and as a shepherd to your flock is healthy. Matters of faith are never answered without first being questioned. Faith in any belief is a rough road to be traveled. Get a good helmet and shin guards…

Not hardly. You want to become a preacher in case Gods does exist, so that you might earn a place in heaven when you die. But this wager is loaded and deceitful. You don’t believe in God for God’s sake, or humanities for that matter…but rather to keep the fire off your ass when you die.

By the way, to save you the trouble of wondering where I stand, I am a marxist. I believe that religion is the greatest perversion that has ever struck mankind, having its origins in the history of mediation between classes, politics and economy. You, my friend, are the after effects of this disaster, both uninformed and naive.

An irony I hold dear: the religious type is the actual proof that god does not exist because God, if he did exist, could not possibly have intended the effects of religions presence here on earth.

Look around you, pal. What starts all the wars? What divides people? What causes paranoia, sense of guilt, fear before men, estrangement, etc.?

Religion.

And I add to this irony: if this is the work of “God,” who in their right mind would want to worship such a piece of shit?

yup sure yup. :wink: