Ministry preparation is as old as the church itself. The apostle Paul had received formal Jewish instruction at the feet of Gamaliel before receiving personal instruction from Christ Himself. Bringing this concept full circle, Paul exhorted Timothy to “be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a worker who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15).

Additionally, in 2 Timothy, Paul encouraged Timothy to “entrust these to faithful people who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:2). The apostle’s exhortations ring through the ages, challenging every generation of gospel ministers to be maximally prepared for ministry service. And, by the way, Timothy knew Greek, was ministerially incubated in the apostolic age, and enjoyed Paul as his personal mentor. Think about that carefully. If Timothy needed to be intentional about ministry preparation, so do you!

_

Excerpted from Succeeding at Seminary: 12 Keys to Getting the Most Out of Your Theological Education by Jason K. Allen (© 2021). Published by Moody Publishers. Used by permission.

DR. JASON ALLEN is the fifth and youngest president of Midwestern Baptist Seminary. He currently serves the church more broadly through writing and preaching ministries, including his own website www.jasonkallen.com.