In a 2020 article published by the Association of Theological Schools, data collected from alums about their biggest unmet seminary course wishes were boiled down and analyzed. What's the one thing they wanted to learn more about? Here's what the article says:
It is probably not surprising that, for all respondents, categories unrelated to theology proper—"Administration" (19.7%), "Leadership" (15.3%), and "Finance" (15.1%)—stand at the top of the Wish-Learned list. One-fifth of alums marked "Administration," far exceeding all other categories.
Administration? The findings are not particularly revolutionary but they point to a divergence between theological school courses and the real world of pastoral work. Seminaries seem to do a good job preparing pastors to preach and write academic papers but haven't quite figured out how to help students administer and navigate complex congregational systems.
My own experience confirms what I read in the article. When I was a lead pastor, I sat on hiring committees, worked on church budgets, administered staff performance reviews, wrote proposals and reports for committees and the board, and all those tasks were on top of my traditional pastoral work of preaching, counseling, visiting, and praying.
I think there is room to rethink pastoral education to bring the process and outcomes more in line with what today's congregations require. However, there is an equal need to examine congregational life and ask whether its time to rethink the expectations congregations have for their pastors.
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