Start a Church Without Attending Seminary

By Raul Rivera

After a week of training, teaching, ministry, and healing, Pastor Ken felt ready to tackle the needs of his church with renewed faith. 

He was on the road returning home from a week-long pastoral leadership and church management conference. He learned the essentials of developing leaders within his church, leading a church corporation, creating a healthy church budget, and more.

Prior to starting his church, Pastor Ken had worked in the business world for 15 years. Hence, he had a lot to learn when it came to leading a church.

The conference that Pastor Ken attended answered many of his questions, and he was looking forward to sharing what he had learned with his board of directors.

A new way of learning for pastor's today

There is a hunger to learn more among many pastors and church leaders today. To help satisfy the desire of learning, there are hundreds of conferences, seminars, and workshops available to pastors and church leaders. 

While formal education from a seminary or bible college has a place and a purpose, the unfortunate reality is that there are many pastors who do not have the means to attend seminary or bible college. 

Additionally, seminaries and bible colleges are not always able to provide the in-depth training on some of the aspects of church management that ministers encounter on a regular basis.

There is, however, an array of other options for ministers to receive training. One such option being conferences.

Throughout the year, you will be able to find conferences, seminars, and workshops with topics such as:

1. Strengthening one's personal relationship with God;
2. Discovering and developing one’s spiritual gifts;
3. Managing the business and legal aspects of church work;
4. Creating and running ministries for children, youth, outreach, and adults;
5. Church finance and budgeting; and
6. Church planting.

Today, conferences, seminars, and workshops have become an alternative way for many pastors to receive a type of “formal” training while starting their churches. 

Three benefits every minister will receive from conferences

I know you are probably asking, “Will conferences really provide me with the necessary training I need to start my church and grow in my calling as a pastor?”

In short, my answer is, “YES!”

Now let me give you some reasons why and the associated benefits:

Benefit 1: You can receive training specific to your needs.

Depending on your background in ministry, it may be difficult to find a seminary program that addresses what you need to learn.

For instance, a minister who has served as a youth pastor for 15 years may not need training in teaching, preaching, and pastoral counseling. However, he may find that he needs additional training in matters of corporate management, such as how to establish a corporation, how to run a board meeting, and how to create and balance budgets.

Attending conferences allows you to choose specific training based on the areas you need to work on most.

Benefit 2: You have the opportunity to network with ministers.

Networking with other ministers is an invaluable tool.

You can receive encouragement from other ministers facing the same challenges as you do. Additionally, these ministers can teach you about resources you never knew existed. You can learn about ministry models, curriculum, software, and more.

Benefit 3: You can be inspired.

Through the training you receive at conferences, you can be inspired with new ideas to refine the operations and direction for your church.

As a minister, you pour out your life to your congregation and community, and often receive nothing in return. You are okay with that because you have the heart of a servant leader. However, the reality is that you also need to be poured into. 

You minister best when you are ministering from an overflow.

By attending conferences, you have an opportunity to be strengthened, built up, and poured into. 

In fact, it is possible for you to attend the same conference year after year and learn something that you may have missed the first time you attended.

It is time to be proactive in your ministry and not reactive

There are many conferences available for you to take advantage of. I encourage you to ask other pastors and church leaders about conferences they would recommend. Who knows, they may even want to attend with you.

There is one last option for you to consider. 

I invite you to attend our Ultimate Church Structure Conference. This is an opportune time for you to learn vital information in church compliance and strategies for expanding your church’s vision and reach.

I also encourage you to bring a board member or two.

At our one-day conference you will learn:

1. How to lead a church board meeting and keep board meeting minutes.
2. How incorporating can actually help protect your church.
3. How to strengthen your church’s bylaws whether you already have bylaws or not.
4. How to maximize the tax benefits afforded to ordained ministers.
5. How to avoid activities that could jeopardize your church’s tax exemption.
6. How your church can no longer solely rely on tithes & offerings.
7. And much more!

Handpicked articles for you:

• “The Dangers of Copy and Paste”
• “How Your Church Can Better Serve Your Community”
• “How to Better Protect Your Ministry’s Religious Liberties”

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