Saggy Bottoms and Supporting Seminarians

Frederich Theoford Focus, our 2005 Ford station wagon, reached a significant milestone this summer: 100,000 miles.  We hope he's up for another 100,000––but to make it there, the second half of his life will be characterized by several trips to "the car doctor" (which is how our 3 year old refers to the mechanic).  Recently Frederich had a small "health problem."  Specifically, his rear-end was sagging.  It's not that I have a problem with saggy bottoms, but Frederich's rear-end problem was wearing the tires––so his lazy-bum was becoming expensive.

After a couple of mis-diagnoses, we returned from our 5,000 mile summer and took Frederich to our friendly neighborhood mechanic.  The service was superb.  Pete communicated constantly, clearly, and candidly about the Frederich's rear-end.  Not only that, but Pete diagnosed the problem, gave us an hour to make a decision, and had the car fixed: all within a day. 

This isn't a post about Frederich's saggy bum but about supporting seminarians.  Pete's business, just a few miles from Trinity's campus, offers a 10% discount to TEDS students.  So, not only do we trust Pete to care for our dearest Frederich, we know that he's caring for us, too.  He's going to shoot us straight and not sell us an alternator to alter the rear-end.* 

Caring for seminarians is something that I think a lot about.  Terese and I are so grateful for the amazing support we've had over the last two years.  Many people have cared for us in the especially mundane parts of life.  This summer we reflected a lot on God's provision through these people.  But I know many seminarians who just struggle along.

But we saw something else this summer.  We've seen church families who simply needed a project; lacking vision for such a project, we've seen Sunday school classes wandering aimlessly through their quarterlies and churches drawing million dollar plans for buildings.  This was painful to watch––especially in light of the needs of families like Josh's––families representative of many seminarians. 

Our friend, I'll call him Josh, is in his early 40s.  Josh, feeling called to ministry, knew that he needed seminary training.  He and his wife had considered moving to Chicagoland for several years, but were consistently unable to sell their home.  Finally, they decided to take the plunge and made plans to relocate.  Shortly after they made their decision, they found out that they were pregnant.  Yet they remained committed to the Lord's call. 

Since being at seminary, Josh's family has been faced with many difficulties: they never sold their home and now rent it––trying to care for it from 1,000+ miles away.  After leaving behind a lucrative landscaping business, they feel the financial burdens of being a full-time student and a full-time mom.  Of course, having a newborn, a 4 year old, a 7 year old, and homeschooling is difficult to juggle with full-time studies.  But they also face small things that most people wouldn't see:

–Josh sold his big diesel truck and now drives a Civic. 
–They left a home on several acres that they took pride in. 
–They now pay more to rent from a less-than-interested landlord on a small suburban lot. 
–On top of all of this, Josh had been out of school for a couple of decades.  The rigors of TEDS academic life has been a steep curve for him. 

They're a thousand miles from family, don't have time for friends, and don't have money to do fun things. 

Josh's family's needs are typical of seminarians.  The equation doesn't add up:

–Seminarians are all the time having kids––an expensive and time-consuming ordeal.  (Check out this cutie on TEDS kids on campus page.)
–Debt isn't a good option because seminarians graduate with not-so-lucrative jobs awaiting them.  

(As an aside, it's little wonder that there's a "movin' on up" trend with pastors.  "Movin' on up" the ladder is usually accompanied by movin' on up the pay-scale.  Sometimes this movin' helps pay college and seminary student loan debts.)
–Finding a job during seminary is complicated––especially for seminarians who are also parents.  For example, Terese and I have decided that the following equation isn't worth it:  

($ from job) – ($ for child-care) ≠ (a little $) + (being away from our children).
–Seminarians are dedicated students.  They take their studies seriously because they take shepherding God's flock seriously.  But dedication takes time.

So why do this?  Seminarians enter this lopsided equation because of a call.  Whenever I rub shoulders with MDiv students, I'm amazed at their level of commitment to God's call on their life.  They're willing to sacrifice so much––sometimes too much––to fulfill this call.

I spent much of my professional career guiding my staff in self-care.  When I see seminarians sacrifice too much, my heart breaks for two reasons.  First, because the equation requires sacrificing stewardship toward family or studies or money.  Something's gotta give.  Second, while seminarians are breaking the bank to fulfill God's call, living as cheaply as possible, others live lavishly.

I hope to post more about supporting seminarians in the future.  But I'll sign off with some quick ideas:

–Have your Sunday School class adopt a seminarian.  S/he can come once or twice a year to teach the class (or preach!), and the class can keep up with her/his family and studies.  You don't have to be close to a seminary to make this happen––harness the power of the internets. 

–Talk to your church about hiring a seminarian during the summers or even recent grads.  (Look for a post very soon on this.)

–Talk to your pastor about her/his seminary days.  Often these are days of fond memories and good friends.  I bet s/he would love to remember. 

–Give.  While seminarians aren’t looking for handouts, they are grateful for gifts.  And it doesn’t take much: I’ve seen seminarians stretch $50 farther than I thought possible. 

–Don't know a seminarian?  I know enough seminarians all around the country and can connect you!  Shoot me a message.  

*This is just one story where folks have "taken care of" my family.  To be sure, most people who deserve the credit don't want it publicly.  We are so grateful to these people who have cared for us––especially those close to us, but also those, like Pete, who's business is committed to "taking a hit."  

**Saw = on the internet, hearing of friends' churches, or attending.