Dean's Notes
Leading with Excellence

No one in the Christian faith would argue with the concept that we serve a God of excellence. The Scriptures repeatedly refer to Him as possessing and modeling excellence (Psalm 8:9, 36:7, and 150:2). The child of God is also clearly called to live and serve God with excellence. Commands in 1 Corinthians 9:24–27, Colossians 3:17, 23–24, and Philippians 3:13–14 all instruct us to serve God with all of our effort, energy, and commitment.

How does this relate to the church ministry and the training of men for pastoral and ministry leadership roles? The short answer is that those who lead the church must be prepared to strive for excellence in all they do.

One of the ways a potential or actual pastoral leader does this is in his academic preparation and continuing education. The fact that a pastor will discipline himself to earn advanced degrees speaks volumes to his people about excellence. It shows that he takes seriously the admonition of 2 Timothy 2:15, Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. (NIV) This exhortation extends to the doing and practice of ministry as well as the knowing. We must give attention to more than the facts.

A commitment to ministry excellence drives Baptist Bible Seminary as it develops new programs, designs new courses and hires new faculty. Excellence for God involves a balance of learning disciplines. BBS provides Scholarship for Your Mind, Passion for Your Heart, and Ministry for Your Hands. Because of this unique balance, a majority of BBS students are already serving in the ministry as pastors, professors, or ministry leaders when they enroll. They are men who want to develop their ministry excellence even further. Modules, online courses, and oneday-a-week classes allow men to choose options that best fit their schedules and families.

Pastors and ministry professionals may now receive scholarship help in their quest for ministry excellence by enrolling in a master’s degree program at BBS. The Training Timothys Scholarship is available to M.Div. and M.Min. students.

Ministry with excellence is possible, and preparation is available at Baptist Bible Seminary.

return to the Summer 2007 Paraklesis