tylerramsbey Church Planting, Ministry

Garretson Campus Birthday Party!

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Today I had the honor of celebrating the birthday of the Garretson Campus of The Rescue Church! The Rescue Church is a multi-site church with a vision of impacting rural communities with the Gospel. I have been incredibly encouraged by God’s faithfulness over the past year and a half of ministry. Ultimately, the church exists because Jesus sustains it – NOT because of what I have done!

Here is a short video that explains the journey of the Garretson Campus so far:

The service itself was incredible. We had a time for people to share testimonies of what God has done in their lives over the past year. I am utterly amazed that God would use a little church campus meeting in a leased storefront to change the lives of so many people.. To HIM be the glory!

tylerramsbey Christian Life, Spiritual Warfare

Is All Religion Created Equal?

Many people, including Christians, have been deceived into thinking that all religion is generally the same.

In other words, God is a mountain and the various religions are simply different pathways to the top of the mountain as long as the religion promotes good will and sincere belief. Although there are hundreds of Scripture references from both the Old and New Testaments that directly refute this understanding of God, the story of the Exodus is a surprisingly powerful place to begin.

In summary, the people of Israel are forced into cruel slave labor by Egypt. At this time, Egypt wielded incredible political and military might which no one could withstand. Egypt was so powerful at this time that the king of Egypt – the Pharaoh – was viewed as the divine god Horus who had the ability to give and take away life.

Into this scene steps an unlikely deliverer named Moses who proclaims the famous statement, “Let my people go” repeatedly to Pharaoh in an attempt to deliver Israel from their bondage of slavery. Pharaoh, in his ignorance, declares he knows nothing of the God of Israel and refuses to let the people leave to worship in the wilderness. This sets the scene for the God of Israel and the gods of Egypt to spar with one another for dominance through the ten plagues God unleashes on Egypt.

Each one of the plagues is a direct assault on the gods and comforts of the Egyptians and the attacks culminate in a spectacular display of God’s sovereignty over all of creation.

1. Nile turning into blood.
This was an assault on the “Mother of Egypt” (the Nile river) which provided life to Egypt.

2. Frogs invade Egypt.
This was an assault on Heka – the Frog god of Egypt.

3. Lice/Gnats form from the dust of the earth to attack Egypt.
This was an assault on Geb – the Earth god of Egypt.

4. Flies/Beetles invade Egypt in unbelievable numbers.
This was an assault on Kephra, the Egyptian god whose head resembled the scarab beetle.

5. Cattle all becoming sick and dying.
This was an assault on the Egyptian fertility symbol.

6. Ashes landing on the bodies of Egyptians causing extreme boils.
Ashes were a sign of blessing in Egypt. God uses ashes to curse those who opposed Him.

7. Thunder, lightening, and large hail destroys and kills many Egyptians and their property.
This was an assault on Isis and Serapis who were the gods of fire and water. This was done to show that the false gods could not protect Egypt from the Living God.

8. Locusts destroying all the crops in Egypt.
This was not a direct assault on any specific pagan god but rather to show that the God of Israel is sovereign over all creation – even the supply of food.

9. Darkness covers all of the land and the people of Egypt cannot even see directly in front of themselves.
The was a direct assault on Re, the sun god of Egypt. Re was one of the most important deities of Egypt.

10. Killing of all the firstborn whose homes were not marked by the blood of the Passover Lamb.
All of the plagues culminated in this attack against Pharaoh to refute his claim that was a god and could give and take away life as he pleased.

Almost immediately after delivering Israel from the yoke of slavery, God proclaims the famous Ten Commandments which begin by declaring He is the only God and the ONLY one to be worshiped. The story of the Exodus is in direction contradiction to the popular belief that all religion and all gods are the same. Repeatedly through narrative, poetry, law, and teaching, the Scriptures proclaim the truth that there is only ONE God and the only way to have access to Him is through Jesus Christ.

tylerramsbey Ministry, Missions

Toxic Charity

toxic charity

Thanks to the Kairos Project, I have been profoundly challenged in my views of giving and charity. One of the assignments is to read certain books about the effects of charities on different people groups. The book I am currently reading is – Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help.

To summarize this book, Robert Lupton makes a compelling case that most of our giving to those less fortunate than us is actually hurting them. Instead of seeking time-consuming, holistic transformation of communities from the ground up, we throw a few dollar bills in the direction of those hurting and hope it will provide them with temporary relief.

According to Lupton, this uninformed generosity is far more dangerous than we realize.

I am not saying I am completely on board with Lupton (yet) as I still need to wrestle with the Scriptures in this area. With that being said, Lupton offers an incredibly helpful “Oath for Compassionate Service” inspired by the Hippocratic Oath that doctors affirm. I will try my best to explain each one of the points in a few sentences but I highly recommend reading the entire book.

1. Never do for the poor what they have (or could have) the capacity to do for themselves.
If you do everything for the person you are helping, you are destroying their humanity. This will foster dangerous levels of dependence which will ultimately harm the recipient of your aid. As Lupton says, “The effective helper can be an encourager, a coach, a partner, but never a caretaker.”

2. Limit one-way giving to emergency situations.
In times of disaster, it is necessary to come alongside the poor to offer monetary assistance. Instead of continuing to give in disaster mode, we should begin to empower the poor to change their mindset and circumstances on their own. Offering millions of dollars of aid with no holistic treatment for body, soul, and spirit will result in toxic charity and crush the community we are seeking to help.

3. Strive to empower the poor through employment, lending, and investing, using grants sparingly to reinforce achievements.
When you enable the recipient to pay off the aid they have received, it allows them to regain their sense of honor. Lupton makes a powerful case for the use of micro-lending in order to encourage entrepreneurship. This enables those in the community to see past their present poverty into a future full of possibilities.

4. Subordinate self-interests to the needs of those being served.
Lupton treats many short-term mission trips rather harshly. He refers to it as religious tourism – in essence, Christians in the west spend thousands of dollars to go on one-week mission trips in order to serve poverty stricken institutions such as orphanages, churches, and schools. Instead of these mission trips, this money could be funneled back into the economy to hire local painters, carpenters, movers, etc. to provide the service the organization needs at a fraction of a cost of a mission trip. This will provide employment and help stimulate the local economy.

On a side note, Lupton is not entirely against the concept of short term mission trips. He states, “Isn’t it time we admit to ourselves that mission trips are essentially for our benefit? Religious tourism would have much more integrity if we simply admitted that we’re off to explore God’s amazing work in the world.”

5. Listen closely to those you seek to help, especially to what is not being said – unspoken feelings may contain essential clues to effective service.
Many people seeking aid will not want to share their whole story. This is usually not due to them being deceitful, instead they are often ashamed that they need to seek help. To effectively provide aid, you MUST be listening to the Holy Spirit and studying the unspoken sadness and brokenness of the person’s life. The unspoken feelings may provide substantial clues on how you can truly help them succeed.

6. Above all, do no harm.
Lupton describes this far better than I can – “Before we embark on a new service venture, we should conduct an ‘impact study’ to consider how our good deeds might have unintended consequences. Are we luring indigenous ministers away from their pastoral duties to become schedule coordinators for our mission trips? Are we creating dependencies that may ultimately erode self-sufficiency? As Hippocrates admonished: above all, do no harm.”

I do not fully agree with all of Lupton’s conclusions but I do find his arguments surprisingly strong. Ultimately, we need to hold all teaching in light of Scripture. As I continue to wrestle with this issue, I would highly recommend that you purchase Toxic Charity and read it in its entirety, ESPECIALLY if you are involved in any form of charity.

tylerramsbey Christian Life, Finances

Immediate Obedience

immediateobedience

As I was meditating upon the Gospel of Matthew this morning, I was struck by the reaction of two disciples to Jesus when he called for them. Jesus, who at this time did not have any disciples, was taking a stroll beside the Sea of Galilee. This body of water is a popular and busy workplace for commercial fishermen. All around him, Jesus can hear the rough talk of men and the distinct sound of fishing nets crashing into the water.

Into this scene, Jesus sets his eyes upon two brothers – Simon and Andrew. Similar to any other day, Simon and Andrew are laboring to catch fish. This is not a vacation for them, this is their livelihood which they have trained many hours for.

Boldly, this itinerant preacher calls to them from the shore: “Follow Me,” He told them, “and I will make you fish for people!” (Matt. 4:19)

In essence, Jesus is calling them to sacrifice their comfort and financial security to follow an unknown rabbi. What would you have done? I would have ignored this preacher in order to provide for myself and my family. I have a tendency to worship security rather than God. Instead of stepping into the unknown, I would have held onto my current condition of life and disregarded the Son of God.

How do Simon and Andrew react?

Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. (Matt. 4:20)

They left their sense of comfort. They left their financial security. They left their friends and family. They did all of this to attain a greater prize – following Jesus. Instead of hesitating and worrying themselves out of obedience, they listened immediately.

God wants to use you and I today to accomplish his purposes but we often rationalize our disobedience.

My challenge for YOU today is to obey immediately as soon as you hear the whisper of the Holy Spirit prompting you for action.

 

 

tylerramsbey Christian Life, Temptation

Three Tips for College Students

adviceforcollege

As the Summer season breathes its last warm breath, many students are heading back to school. This is a unique time of the year filled with uncertainty and nervous excitement in the lives of these college students. In order to thrive in your first (or fourth!) year of college, I want to offer some helpful counsel.

1. You are NOT a student first.
I do not care what you parents, academic advisers, guidance counselors, or professors say. Your primary identity is NOT being a student. Although you may spend hours laboring over the dusty pages of ancient books in your campus library, your number one priority is to make much of Jesus Christ – not your studies.

I once heard of a wise professor at a seminary telling his students, “For some of you, it would be sinful not to get an A in this class; for others of you, it WOULD BE sinful for you get an A in this class.”

Your relationship with God comes before your studies.
Your relationship with your family comes before your studies.
Your relationship with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ comes before your studies.

You are a Christian before you are a student so prioritize your time accordingly. What does it profit you to gain incredible grades, prestigious awards, and published articles if you only lose your soul in the process?

2. Root yourself in a local church.
Every college campus, even Christian ones, are notorious for shattering the faith of zealous believers who have spent the last four years drinking soda out of a sock at youth group. In college, as in the rest of your life, it is going to take more than emotional highs and silly games to sustain your faith.

There is an invisible enemy that lurks around your college campus with the desire to kill, steal, and destroy you. Peter provides us with helpful advice: “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” – 1 Peter 5:8

We need to remember that one of Satan’s most effective tactics of devouring believers is by isolating them from a local church. He does this primarily through busyness. If you allow your commitment to a local church to drift during your time at school, you WILL lose this battle against Satan and his demons and your faith will be ruined.

Therefore, root yourself in a local church. Join a small group, serve on a morning team, commit to attending worship services; do NOT unplug from the church as a result of your studies.

3. Do not be taken captive by deception.
All of us are aware of the moral dangers of a college campus. Unfortunately, we are far less aware of the deception that wreaks havoc in the minds of believers being challenged in their faith. It is easy for us to lack discernment and simply received all material we learn in school as truth.

Paul warns us of this danger in Colossians 2:8 – “Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.”

Paul describes this teaching as “empty philosophy” that sounds extremely intelligent. Ultimately, the teaching finds its source solely in human reason which has been marred as a result of sin. This is what you will encounter in your secular religious and philosophy classes.

Nothing is new under the sun.

I would encourage you to be as noble as the Bereans who “searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.” (Acts 17:11) Even when you are confused by a certain teaching, I can promise you there are solid resources by evangelical scholars who have encountered the issues far before you did.

Below is an incredible video by The Gospel Coalition on this subject:

What would you add to this list? Let me know by leaving a comment!

tylerramsbey Current Events, Spiritual Warfare

What Does the Bible Say about ‘Mediums’?

Theresa Caputo, the star of the TLC hit show “Long Island Medium” will be at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls on October 19th. If you are a Christian and support Theresa Caputo by either watching her programs or attending this event, you are doing so in willful disobedience to the Word of God and inviting the demonic world to sear your conscience and make shipwreck of your faith.

Is that harsh? I am simply repeating Scripture.

Unfortunately, many Christians are Bible illiterate even though we have access to literally hundreds of different English translations. Instead of training ourselves to distinguish between good and evil (Heb. 5:14), we ignorantly allow the ideals and values of the world to blind us to the truth of God’s Word. This is very serious and dangerous.

So, why did I make the seemingly harsh and intolerant statement above? Let me say it again, for it is of utmost importance: If you are a Christian and support Theresa Caputo by either watching her programs or attending this event, you are doing so in willful disobedience to the Word of God and inviting the demonic world to sear your conscience and make shipwreck of your faith.

Before my statement is misconstrued by your anger, let me make a few points clear.

1. Theresa Caputo is not the enemy.
This is not a personal attack towards Theresa. Although I do not know much about her, I do know that God desires to have a personal relationship with her. Matter of fact, Jesus lived a perfect life, suffered a brutal death, and rose victoriously from the grave SO THAT Theresa can receive eternal life at the throne of grace.

Ultimately, “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places (Eph. 6:12).” My prayer is that Theresa would have her eyes opened to the deceitfulness of Satan, the one who masquerades as an angel of light to bring confusion into the hearts of people (2 Cor. 11:14).

2. Theresa’s teaching finds its origin and power in the demonic.
What we see happening in our culture, specifically in the Sioux Falls area for this event, is a fulfillment of what Paul wrote to a young pastor named Timothy:

“Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead.” – 1 Timothy 4:1-2

It is likely that Theresa is not simply cold reading people and guessing about their past and family members.

It is real.

What is false is the assumption that she is talking to dead people. She is speaking with demons who cloak themselves as dead relatives in order to lead people astray. By allowing yourself to buy into this deception, you will turn from the truth faith. You conscience will die. You will ultimately reject the Gospel and be separated from God.

3. This is not a gray area for Christians to debate.
There are many “open handed” issues in the Christian faith. In other words, good men and women who hold to the authority of the Bible disagree with one another on theological issues.

This is not one of them.

When it comes to mediums and speaking with the “dead”, Scripture is abundantly clear. I have included a few examples below:

  • “I will also turn against those who commit spiritual prostitution by putting their trust in mediums or in those who consult the spirits of the dead. I will cut them off from the community.” – Leviticus 20:6
  • “There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord.” – Deuteronomy 18:10-13
  • “So Saul died for his breach of faith. He broke faith with the Lord in that he did not keep the command of the Lord, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance. He did not seek guidance from the Lord.” – 2 Chronicles 10:13-14
  • “I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve.” – 2 Corinthians 11:14-15
  • “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to determine if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” – 1 John 4:1

Ultimately, thanks to Jesus Christ, mediums and those who consult with them can receive forgiveness at the cross of Christ. Jesus died to take upon Himself ALL sin, including the sin of speaking with demons. If you are reading this and you are not a Christian, please send me a message (tyler@therescuechurch.com) and I would love to speak with you on what it means to follow Jesus.

If you are a Christian, let me repeat my statement for the third time, it is THAT important: If you are a Christian and support Theresa Caputo by either watching her programs or attending this event, you are doing so in willful disobedience to the Word of God and inviting the demonic world to sear your conscience and make shipwreck of your faith.

This is not a gray area. Do not allow your ignorance of Scripture to cloud your judgment when it comes to those who consult the “dead” for guidance. I speak not in my own authority on this issue but with the authority of the Living God for “all Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.” – 2 Timothy 3:16

Repent of your sin and turn to Christ for forgiveness if you have supported Theresa Caputo or any other medium.

tylerramsbey Church Online

Join me at Church Online!

I recently shot a new introduction video for the iCampus of The Rescue Church. As many of you know, one of my roles is the iCampus Pastor. Our iCampus is our ministry that we use to reach all over the world with the incredible news of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection!

If you have not been to church in awhile and would like to check out The Rescue Church from the comfort of your home, I would love to have you join me on the iCampus. The direct link is www.therescuechurch.tv

Below is the new introduction video. I will “see” you Sunday at 10am!

tylerramsbey Christian Life, Spiritual Warfare

The Battle for Your Mind

battle for your minds

This is the second part on a series about spiritual warfare. To read the first post, click below:
The Invisible War

The effects of spiritual warfare are often experienced in our minds. The enemy uses his vast power to distort our view of God and remove our identity in Christ. In order to be successful in this unseen war, we need to form tactics to reign victoriously in the battlefield of our minds.

“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” – 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

1. We wage war differently.
Our battles are not fought with assault rifles and grenades. We do not outmaneuver our opponent by clever political strategies. Our war is fought in an unseen realm which is populated by beings far more powerful than any of us. Our enemy does not falter at the thought of bulletins and explosions – if anything, that delights him.

Instead, the weapons we fight with are empowered by God Himself. Our two primary offensive weapons in this grueling battlefield are prayer and the Word of God. We wage war successfully when we allow our minds to be renewed by daily meditation on the Scriptures. As our minds are renewed, we are led to pray for holiness in our lives and in the lives of those around us.

2. Our objective is to demolish strongholds in our minds.
The enemy gains ground when he is able to assault our minds and establish strongholds of false belief. These beliefs may present themselves in the form of false religion (or lack of religion). This onslaught can also be experienced in condemning, judgmental thoughts that SEEM to come from God. Ultimately, if you are a Christian, the enemy wants to twist your view of God and of your standing before God.

If you do not tear down these strongholds with the truth of God’s Word and the power of prayer, they will utterly destroy your faith. The enemy has already gained ground in the minds of every person reading this. It takes careful discernment to discover which area of your thought life is being infected by the enemy. I would encourage you to pray Psalm 139:23-24 to discover strongholds in your mind:

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

3. For victory, we must capture EVERY thought.
Although the old nature of sin is dead and we are alive in Christ, our depravity is still active in trampling our thought life. The enemy’s primary weapon is to confuse our thoughts and use them to debilitate our faith.

In order to capture every thought, you need to run them through the filter of Philippians 4:8 –

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.”

As thoughts come to your mind, capture them so they are obedient to this standard:

  • Is it true?
  • Is it noble?
  • Is it right (or just)?
  • Is it pure?
  • Is it lovely?
  • Is it worthy to be admired by others?
  • Is it excellent?
  • Does it cause my heart to praise God?

When you first do this, it will feel mechanical. It will also be an incredible challenge to take every thought through this rubric. As you begin to make this a regular process of your thought life, it will become a habit that reaps incredible rewards. Ask the Holy Spirit to empower you to shatter the demonic and worldly thoughts that assault your mind.

What are some strategies you have found helpful in the battle for your mind? Let me know by sharing a comment, I would love to hear from you!

tylerramsbey Music

Behind the Song: Pray For ‘Em

pray for em 2

Undeniably, one of the major themes of the New Testament is praying for our enemies. Repeatedly, Jesus calls us to pray for and do good to those who persecute us. Although this teaching permeates all of Scripture, Christians fall short of this standard on a regular basis – myself included.

I believe a biblically faithful definition of an enemy is someone who is hostile towards you in thought, word, or deed.

When we are hurt by another person, we want to take revenge. Often, we are blinded by our rage and immediately strike out against the other person with poisonous words. We gossip and slander, hoping that our speech has the power to torment the person who hurt us.

My recent song, Pray For ‘Em, was inspired by the remarkable words Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus regarding forgiveness.

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” – Ephesians 4:32

In order to fully understand this verse, we need to ask – HOW has God forgiven us?

Throughout Scripture, especially in the book of Romans, we see that mankind is depraved. Not only do we rebel against God, we are unable to even desire to please Him due to our sinful nature. Ultimately, we are born into this world as transgressors with consciences that have been dashed to futility by our sin.

Paul writes elsewhere that while we were yet ENEMIES, we were reconciled to God by the death and resurrection of Christ. (Romans 5:10).

You have offended, hurt, and maligned God far more than any human has done to you.

In the midst of our wickedness, Jesus lived the perfect life you and I CANNOT live and died a brutal death we DESERVE to die so that we can have eternal life. If we are to forgive others the same way God has forgiven us in Christ, then there is absolutely no room to hold bitterness, resentment, and unforgiveness in our hearts.

I pray that the Holy Spirit would use the Scriptures and my song below to free you from the cold chains of rebellion.

(If you are reading this in your e-mail, you will need to go to the actual page to hear the song.)

Verse 1 [Tyler Ramsbey]
Hurt people hurt people I remember that
So you can sling that dirt but Imma settle back
I know that it hurts but I will never grab
After my reputation cuz I’m dead to that
In other words I don’t need your applause
I don’t seek to please people I serve God
So Imma pray for you while your anger burns on
Even through the malice I promise that I will stand strong
I don’t think you get it well listen in for a moment
Understand my heart was frozen until my King overthrowed it
My entire life was broken deserving death I was hopeless
With every breath I was choking provoking the God who wrote it
I didn’t think I’d make it out alive
Till I heard about the God who willingly died
Took my sin upon the cross and given me life
I forgive cuz I’m forgiven I live in the light

Chorus [Sean Divine]
Sometimes we ain’t on the same page
We see it all a million ways
Our lives so different
In the end we’re just the same
You can throw dirt on me
Question the direction about my dreams
All Imma do is pray for em (pray for em)
All I can is pray for em (pray for em)

Verse 2 [Tyler Ramsbey]
I deserve death but He gave life
So with every breath Imma state my
Praise and adoration to the Most High
Let the jokes fly with all of the broke lies
Cuz I know in no time my God will crack the whole sky
And So I keep on praying if I’m persecuted
Father they don’t know what they are doing
I was once like you being influenced
By the god of this world all while my sins spewin
But He came and He changed me He went through it
Took my shame and the pain while I was still moving
Further from His presence but He still led me straight to Him
Uh, So who am I to hold a grudge
I’ve been forgiven for living with all my broken lust
I’m amazed at the grace that is holding us
See we forgive because we’re sick and yet we know His love

Chorus [Sean Divine]
Sometimes we ain’t on the same page
We see it all a million ways
Our lives so different
In the end we’re just the same
You can throw dirt on me
Question the direction about my dreams
All Imma do is pray for em (pray for em)
All I can is pray for em (pray for em)

Verse 3 [Tyler Ramsbey]
Uh, We need to rise above
Unforgiveness in your heart will make you die to love
You will be chained by the pain and it won’t lighten up
Until you free your soul, with the finest touch
Look, let us start an insurgence
So we can pray for the people who would burn this
Let’s take the values of the world and turn them
All the way around with sound love and purpose
If they hurt you let it turn to worship
Reflect Christ cuz your life has been purchased
And plus you didn’t earn this… So let your burdens
Fall to the Wordsmith and call on His Holy Name
No matter what they say, go ahead and show His fame
We gotta love our enemies until they know the same
Grace that we’ve tasted I pray this is getting through
Forgive others the same way He’s forgiven you

Chorus [Sean Divine]
Sometimes we ain’t on the same page
We see it all a million ways
Our lives so different
In the end we’re just the same
You can throw dirt on me
Question the direction about my dreams
All Imma do is pray for em (pray for em)
All I can is pray for em (pray for em)

Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed the song, be sure to share this post with your friends on Facebook and Twitter!

tylerramsbey Leadership, Pastor, Vocational Ministry

Why Seminary?

Why Seminary

As some of you may know, I will begin attending Sioux Falls Seminary this Fall. I have received many questions and congratulations as I begin my new journey into higher education. With that being said, I also believe people have assumed certain reasons as to why I am going – some of them being true and some of them being false.

In order to articulate to you as much as to myself, let me clear up the confusion.

I’m NOT going to seminary to be a pastor.
My goal is to continue to pastor and serve God in the context of a local church but that is NOT the primary reason I am going to seminary. I do NOT believe one needs to attend seminary to pastor a church. With that being said, I DO believe pastors should be highly educated and trained for ministry. Seminary is simply one tool (and just that, a tool) to prepare men and women for ministry.

I received most of my training through The Rescue Church; learning from seasoned pastors in the context of practical ministry. This has been an excellent resource as I have pioneered and launched both an online campus and a physical campus through the training I received.

I’m NOT going to seminary to be respected.
If I were to be respected simply because I have letters after my name then I would rather not be in that person’s company. I know of pastors and leaders that have absolutely no formal education and have an impact far greater than one could imagine simply because they are passionate about Jesus (see Charles Spurgeon).

If you ever feel adequate for ministry because of your education, you are NOT ready for the pastorate.

No amount of formal or informal education will completely equip you to serve in ministry. The pastorate is purposely impossible to do in human strength so that pastors rely solely on God’s power.

Once you reach a place of drifting comfortably in ministry, you are leading the church towards stale stagnancy or worse, devastating destruction.

I AM going to Seminary to learn.
This SHOULD be a given, unfortunately it is not. I have seen many men who, having already received training through their church, arrive at seminary with an arrogant, unteachable attitude. If anything, my time in ministry has shown me how much I am LACKING, not how much I know.

One of the disadvantages of informal training is lack of different perspectives. I tend to stay within my “tribe” of Christianity rather than having conversations with those who disagree with me. I am challenged practically by informal training and challenged theologically through formal schooling.

Ultimately, I want to have my theology structured from Scripture, not pragmatics and experience.

Specifically, I am looking forward to learning and growing in the following areas:

  • Church History
  • Pastoral Counseling
  • Greek and Hebrew
  • Preaching
  • Church Polity (Structure)

As I am challenged over the next four years, I am convinced this list will grow (which is what I am excited for!)

I AM going to Seminary to be obedient.
For many people, as I said before, seminary is simply one tool of many to prepare for ministry. For me, I believe I am disobedient to God if I do not pursue formal training and education. I have felt the Holy Spirit call me to attend seminary and He has opened the doors to make it possible.

My biggest smokescreen to skip out on seminary was the price. How the heck is a minister in a rural setting suppose to pay off graduate level debt?!

When I first visited Sioux Falls Seminary, I bluntly told the man I met with that I am not willing to go into debt for a master’s degree. He then explained to me the Kairos Project at the seminary. In a nutshell, the Kairos Project is for people who are already involved in ministry. Instead of the education being formed around classes, it is formed around mentors. One of the greatest benefits of the Kairos Project is the cost, it is only $300/month for a Master of Divinity! (This price will go up to around $600/month but I will be locked into the $300/month rate as I am one of the first students going through it.)

Unfortunately, the Kairos Project has very limited room for students. I applied for Seminary late in the Summer, far past the deadline for regular acceptance, which means I was WAY behind in applying for the Kairos Project. Somehow, by the grace of God, I got accepted into both for the Fall.

Therefore, God is not only guiding me towards seminary, he is providing for it. To not go would be disobedient to His clear calling on my life.

If you are a young man (or even an older man) please do not feel as if you must attend seminary to become a pastor. I would encourage you to speak to the elders in your local church and receive both training and direction from them. Ultimately, it is the church’s job to raise up pastors, not a seminary’s.

By the way, if you are interested in learning more about the Kairos Project, you can watch the short video below: