I think it is very important that preachers of today need to be seminary trained .

[Delbert Vaughn]

i say that because there are no more dumb folk in the church and i feel that it is a sad day for the preacher if he has somebody in the congregation that knows more about the bible than the preacher. Also i feel that if the pulpit is dumb then the pews are dumb.

[Minister Moore]

Well I agree that there should be some form of education. There are always online courses and mail order courses as well as denominationally offered courses that can add to the knowledge of the minister. So, I do agree that some form of education is necessary...for the Bible does state that the people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge..

[Apostle Dr. Linda Holliday]

Thank You for your commentary its very ensightful, My prayer is that it will open the eyes of all that read it. We must educate ourselves. and come out from that ancient rule of Constantine and the Catholic Church.

I am not adopting your religious faith but some truths in which you speak

Shalom
Blessings Pastor Linda Holliday

[Pastor Melvin King]

Once again my spirit has danced to the melodious symphony of the well orchestrated words which have fallen from my Brother Moreh Yehoshua Ben Yahweh's Lips. It was a sublimely grand demonstration of a man endued with the wisdom of YAH. Bravo my brother. Well said. Shalom!!! my friend.

[YoungprophetJayden]

Hi I am Jayden and I am an 8 year old preacher. I hope to attend seminary one day. I try not to preach complex stuff in the mean time. I tell people that sin makes God mad and that by accepting Jesus they will get eternal life. In the mean time I keep it simple. I know that for Pastors its very necessary to be well rounded in the Word. Keeping it simple works as many souls are saved when I go out to minister the word. The church that invites me would provide the long term care for new converts.

My videos are on my page let me know what you think? I am going to youth meeting now so later then.

Young prophet Jayden McKenzie

[Pastor Melvin King]

I could never have fixed my mouth to have said something like that. I would be smart enough to think about the consequences and the affects of my words; seeing that I am encompassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses. There are hundreds reading these blogs who do not agree with what you have said. You attack your fellow laborers with the sword God have given you to weld against your enemy. Some people are not equiped with the educational prowess and the eliquent articulation of the english vernacular such as yourself. I am not impressed with smart intellectual preachers. I used to be one. I love men and women of God, who have spent time with God, full of the Holy Ghost and with power. I am impressed with those who hear His voice, and obey Him. It is ashame that we have substituted the anointing for a plaque on the wall with some alphabet behind our names. Are we wiser than God? It is good for some be well educated. But well educated people can't reach every body. It could be that dumb folk as you so illustriously put it need dumb people. Our Lord have many sheep of different pastures. Everybody can't digest you. And everybody won't hear me. But if you will reach the "smart" ones, I'll rake in the "dumb" ones. I have the nce enough to know that the Holy Spirit is the preacher. I wait on Him. And when he preaches, The congregaton will be blessed. Get educated. but don't put a higher priority on education than you would on a real servitude, and sonship relationship with the Father. I am praying for you Brother Vaughn. And I am glad that you are educated. You will be very instrumental someday in the advancement of the kingdom when you come into the full understanding of the manifold wisdom of God. My dad did not have a third grade education. He could hardly read his own name in boxcar letters. But he was one of the most prolific, and profound gospel preachers in his day They even erected a memorial for him in the city park, A stone with his named inscribed in it for the countless hundreds and thousands of lives he touched. He crossed the racial lines and broke barriers that many failed in doing. He was a man of great influence and humility. Nobody ever new that my father could not read, save his immediate family. We readthe bible to him daily. He had a photographic memory. He would remember every word and quote them verbetim. It appeared when he prea that he was reading. But the scroll of God was before him. This he has taught me. And it works. I would say more but I gotta go to a church meeting. Peace my Brother.

[Pastor Melvin King]

Greetings Yehoshua Ben Yahweh, My reply was to a Brother Vaughn who stated that if the pulpit is dumb then the people in the pews are dumb. I think he puts to much a premium on the so-called "higher learning" institution of the seminary cemetary. Yeshua described some of these institutions of old as open sepulchers full of dead mens bones. I have no beef against these institutions, I only say that if a man is not a part of these "schools?" He should not be disdained. An educated man would have chosen his words more carefully. I like you Yehoshua. I've read some of your reasonings. I agree with them all. You are a man after YAH's own heart. I shall make a request for friendship if thats alright with you. I will be most honored to be counted among those who are named your friend.
Pastor Mel.

[Rev. Stephen P. Samuel]

Again, brother I have a question....I appreciate what you said about your father and I am sure that he was a great man of God, however are you suggesting that because you father could not read that it justifies a lack of education. I am sure there may have been social reason why your father never learned to read and the power of God proves that he was successful in spite of. His mind was sharp i'm sure, but we live in a different time. I think that this is something that must be clearly understood. Preaching is communicating. If we a called to communicate the gospel to people who have greater access to higher learning and education, then it would just make sense that we should pursue higher learning and education. Again, no disrespect intended towards you or your father, but the spirit in preaching tears down the things in people's minds and hearts that keep them from hearing the Gospel, the Preacher is still responsible for being as equipped as possible.

[Pastor Melvin King]

Yes Rev. Samuel, You are absolutely right. I do not speak against education. Like I said before. Education is the bomb. Education is important; very important. I believe that not only the preacher should be equiped with an education, but all men. I only suggest that the lack of a "higher education" does not hinder the progress of ministry in ones life, if it so be that God has really called and sent him to preach. I only suggest that before God called and sent him, He knew that the man was not educated. While the lack of education might be an obstacle against success in the secular world, it does not ring true in the kingdom of God. Just because people in the pews are educated, does not mean that they cannot understand what the uneducated is saying. The truth is the truth. To our shame, some of us have become nothing more than entertainers. We are very impressive with our manipulation of words and phrases. We have become stellar in the art of articulation. Tis just as easy to say, You must be born again, as it is to say, You must undergo a process of rebirth. People will understand both sentences. If a man wants to go to seminary schools, I want him to go. It's cool. Some of my best friends went. I have much respect for them. It is just not the path which was chosen for me. Yes, a man should go if he desire it, but he should not go because he needs to go. If God has called him, He has qualified him. The stuff a preacher needs to be a good preacher is not in the seminary, It's already in him. He simply must stir it up. And if he needs seminary to help stir it up, sobeit. I do not judge him. And yes there were social reasons that prevented my Dads education. He was born right out of the depression. Everyone knows how hard that was. He quit school when he was seven years old to work and make money to care for his mother and 2 sisters and a brother. He worked hard and learned trades. By the time I was an adult he owned two business and pastored two churches, and was in great demand by other churches who wanted revival. He retired as head of security at the largest hospital in this city, a position which required at least a bachelor's degree. Yet he could barely read and write. God knew that he was uneducated. He blessed him in spite. Because he was a willing and obedient vessel. My dad was an advocate of education. He always said, "I will be the last dumb thing in the King family". I had homework everyday; even on weekends and all thru the summer. For a guy that wasn't academically smart, he sure got a lot done. All I'm saying is go to school. School is cool, but keep your ears sharpened for spiritual things first, lest you lose the power. Thank you Rev. Samuel for your reply. I believe also (like yourself) that the man of God should be equiped, and throughly furnished unto every good work. God bless you Brother.

[Ken Thomas]

I begun my preaching career at the age of 14 and felt the need then to want to be taught formally how to present and prepare for ministry. Myself, I feel education is a way to challenge ourselves to strive for greatness. I desire to become a Master of my craft, and formal training with aid of the Holy Spirit will give me insight, I necessarily, would have not received through self studying.

[Delbert Vaughn]

Brother Thomas , I hope all is well with you and yours, let me say thank you for your comment every preacher black or white should have a desire to want to be a Master at the art of preaching those 12 fellas that were with Jesus spent 3 years in seminary at his feet. Now what does that say about the Black Preacher, formal training along with the Holy sprit gives us insight now i dont care what nobody say you will not be all that God wants you to be through self study. Now i am working on my Master of Divinity degree at ITC in Atlanta, Ga God bless you Preacher.

[Pastor Melvin King]

Bro. Thomas, If you must, go to seminary. This is something you feel you have to do, but if you will allow me (and 'm not trying to give you a lesson) to help you. As a minister, you are embarking on a spiritual journey. Few men get the chance to walk and talk with the God of all creation in the cool of the day and receive His wisdom and knowledge, and to discover His mysteries on a day to day basis. It is good that you want to challenge yourself. This says that you are not a lazy preacher. It is good that you want to learn. This means that you are teachable. And if you're teachable, you will be a good teacher. The only thing I do't agree with, (and I've read it in several comments by different men) is when preaching is referred to as an "art" or a "craft". Contrary to popular belief it is not an art or a craft. It is simply the delivery or conveyance of a message from God to His people. Preaching is writing God's words into the hearts of men. It is no craft. Witches and sorcerers, and warlocks have crafts. We should be careful not to become so mystical and magical in our thinking, and even with our speech, because how we express our vocation determines how others perceive it. Your words are powerful. They will either uphold and support you and your cause, or they will be a witness against you to bring you to shame. It is a good thing to meditate upon the things you want to say before you say them. You will find that many thoughts will go unsaid. I believe that you are sincere. If after having preached for as many years as you have and you are not seasoned, then seminary is the way for you to go. It will help you to learn the basic fundamentals of communication. This is good. But if you expect it to make a preacher out of you, I am sad to say, yours is a lost cause. You seem like a nice guy. You don't have to strive for greatness. You're already great. And don't let anyone tell you any differently. And when you find all the answers that you need you will know how great you are. Only do not compare yourself against other men of God who you consider to be great. This is not wise. You were called into the ministry because you are uniquely you. You don't need to be a Jasper Williams. He's a great preacher; but he's Jasper. You are Kenneth Thomas Jr. There are traits in you that inspired God to call and send you, if so be that you were called. God told me tonight as I was working and contemplating His awesomeness; He said, There are spiritual genetic traits in your spiritual dna that connects you to Me and makes you a partaker of My divine nature." I can't get that from seminary. He said, divinity is a trait that belongs to all His children, but because we are naturally ruled and think on a natural level, even concernig spiritual things, we inherit flesh and grass. But we should be naturally spiritual, so that we can with that divine nature that we partake of, understand,and propogate the things of God successfully. I love you brother. You are going to do well. Sometimes we are in a bigger hurry than God is. He knows us very well. It makes no difference if you go to seminary or not. If you really truly trust Him doubting nothing, and if you are indeed chosen and sent by Him, you will have good success. No worries. Peace.

[Delbert Vaughn]

Hello, brother Thomas how are you ? well i hope . Now to get to the point pay no attention to the comment of this Pastor King Fella as you can see the sentance in parenthesis he did not put an I LOL so that let's us know that he has no training Preacher there is a book by Henry Mitchell entitled" Black Preaching The Recovery Of A Lost Art" . Preacher you go get that book and read it Rev. Thomas do not hear me well do not let any one stop your dream to go to Seminary and be all God would have you be, and hone your craft. Thomas evan if you are going to be a great painter You have to go to School and get training. So please pay no attention to rev. king God Bless You and Yours