Theological educators and what it is like to be a minister: A qualitative study of five Protestant settings

Abstract

To increase the alignment between the lives of ministers serving congregations and what seminary professors think that congregational ministry is like, this study used qualitative methods to examine the themes voiced by seminary professors and graduates in ministry at five Protestant seminaries in the United States. There was some agreement about key themes in the lifeworld of ministers. However, there was little agreement between professors and graduates in ministry about which themes were most influential. Findings point to opportunities for seminaries to create ways to take seriously the experiences of ministers.