With so many urgent spiritual needs in the world, is it wise to spend years of life in a seminary classroom? If someone is eager for ministry, why wait? To go to seminary or not? Here’s today’s question: “Hello, Pastor John, my name is Brandon, a 23-year-old college student from Georgia. I have felt a call to ministry and discussed it with the leaders of my home church. They have affirmed this calling and given me the opportunity to serve in youth ministry and preach on occasion. “The issue I am facing is that I feel the urgency to be involved with ministry full time — to reach out to adults and the community. I know I am called to pastor, but with this urgency, I can’t help but want to skip seminary. Ministry means everything to me, and I know that seminary will help equip me for my ministry. But I feel pressed to jump into the work now. Additionally, I have this growing sense that we are not only in the last hour of the end times, but that we are in the last minutes, and that Jesus is soon to return (hopefully within my lifetime). Is my sense of urgency wrongly placed?” Episode 1325: https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/im-eager-to-pastor-now-should-i-skip-seminary Related Resources: “How Much Can Christians Learn from Non-Christians?” https://youtu.be/py1wz2rMRK0 “Is There a Place for Female Professors at Seminary?” https://youtu.be/_uqsDngq6as “How Do I Fight Pride When Competing in School, Business, and Sports?” https://youtu.be/j3HvKB8usbg “How Your Career Could Crush You” https://youtu.be/1xYmFSSIcMc Ask Pastor John Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKvMOJ1T8T4&list=PLFF7F6AE365DA3564 Find other recent and popular Ask Pastor John episodes, http://desiringgod.org/ask-pastor-john