Do you need a Bible degree to do ministry?

Answer: No.

If you're contemplating whether or not Bible college is for you, check out this article by Joshua Griffin, the High School Pastor at Saddleback Church. He gives a neat perspective on his non-Bible-related education and how it helped him in youth ministry. I'll give my perspective on this question tomorrow. Stay toooned!

"Youth Ministry and a Business Degree" by Joshua Griffin

“You don’t have a Bible degree?” people ask me incredulously.

No, I don’t. And I’m sort of okay with that.

Let me be clear—I’ve taken a ton of Bible classes and fully appreciate youth ministry degree programs. Some of the very best youth workers I’ve ever known have Bible degrees. And while I’m writing this, I am in graduate school to pick up a Masters in Biblical Studies.

But I don’t feel like I am at a disadvantage because I have a business degree. In fact, I’ve noticed a number of valuable uses from my degree during my 12 years of youth work that I don’t think exist in a typical youth ministry degree. Here are a few business skills I’ve utilized in student ministry:

Management: Who knew that a team of staff and volunteers would be such a significant part of youth ministry? I thought I was going to pastor students, not adults who work with students. The art of people management is critical to the long-term health of both the ministry and the minister, and it’s a skill taught over and over again in a business degree.

Budget and Finances: Budgets, fiscal year, approval from the board—you thought the business world was tough? Try getting funding for a youth ministry! Stretching every dollar and making sure an event breaks even are fundamental skills of the youth worker, and one for which a lot of us find ourselves unprepared. My business program in college made it a priority that I understood these principles from day one.

Public Speaking and Reporting: Speeches and public appearances are important to the businessperson, and they are critical to the youth worker as well. In addition to strong leadership skills, youth workers are typically the primary teachers.

Marketing and Return on Investment: Is this the right activity? What return will we see for all this effort? How will we get the word out? Are we using the right methods to connect with our target audience? Will they respond to our advertising? What is the word of mouth about our ministry? These are all questions I learned in my business program, and questions we all should ask ourselves intrinsically in student ministry.

Purpose Statements: Every business has a purpose statement. You learn about them in “Introduction to Business Management” because they are so basic. And in youth ministry, my purpose statement (based on the The Great Commandment and The Great Commission) guides everything I do.

Business Plan: Good luck getting funding for your business without a business plan, and you’ll need the same luck for your student ministry. How do you expect people to buy into your ministry without a clear direction, strategy, and purpose?

Customer Relationships: “The customer is always right.” Learning that in business school helped prepare me for senior pastors and parents. (I would hate to have had to learn that one at my first church.) What are you systems of feedback? You may not have a customer service desk in your youth room, but what about a FAQ section and Contact form on your website? Do people know where to go to give feedback beyond your mobile phone number?

And there’s plenty more, too . . . work ethic, human resources, logistics, problem solving, record keeping, and public relations just to name a few. Getting a business management degree isn’t everyone’s path into full-time youth ministry, and having professional training in youth ministry and the Bible is extremely helpful. But I also value what I’ve learned from the business world and how it has helped me to faithfully manage and lead the ministry God has entrusted to me."