We get asked that question a lot. So here it is:
Seminary is a four year graduate program. When Jeremy is done, he'll have his masters of divinity.
This is the timeline:
Before you can start you have to learn some Greek. It's kind of like boot camp the summer before school actually begins. You feel so accomplished by merely surviving that you're ready to take on the next four years or something like that.
Year One and Two are spent on campus, learning enough stuff so when you go on internship you don't totally mess everything up.
The summer between Year One and Two, you have to do CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education). You learn how to be a chaplain in a hospital or nursing home. You also get all in touch with your feelings and how your family of origin
screwed you up raised you...so that when you counsel people later on you're not dragging your own messy life history into their issues.
Year Three is internship. You don't get to pick where you go. You fill out some paperwork, a committee decides, you open the envelope and you go. Hands on experience in being a pastor. This is where you learn that you really didn't learn anything in Years One and Two.
This is what we are just finishing up and we had a GREAT experience!
Year Four is back on campus. This is where they
tell you everything you did wrong on internship help you process your experience. You learn from your mistakes, get more practical info, and figure out what to do better when you get a real job.
All along in this process, you have to keep doing well with the seminary so they keep letting you continue on AND you also have to get entranced, endorsed, and approved by your home synod (the place that oversees all the Lutheran churches in the area you lived in before seminary). At any point along the way, either the seminary or the synod can say "thank you for playing, but we're done here" and you're done. This is VERY rare, and when it does happen it's
usually for good reason but everyone still gets freaked out when it's that time again. Imagine going through four years of school, moving that many times, taking out thousands in student loans...for nothing.
Then comes the "fun" part....assignment. Just because you graduate with your masters of divinity, doesn't guarantee anyone wants you to be their pastor. In February of year four, all the bishops get together in a room for the "draft." They each have a rough idea of how many new pastors they need in their synod and which seminarians they want to fill those slots. It's a big mess trying to figure out who goes where I'm sure, especially since some people have restrictions (HAVE to be in a certain spot) and almost everyone has preferences (WANTS to be in a certain spot.....*cough MN*). Once again, we fill out paperwork listing preferences, but ultimately have no say in the final decision. So we pray and sweat it out and after what seems like an eternity I'm sure, we'll get an envelope listing first the region (grouping of states) we'll be in, and a few days later we'll get a phone call from the bishop of the synod we were assigned to.
Note- I did NOT know about assignment when I agreed to this whole seminary thing. I found out at our synod retreat our first year. I cried for about three days. I'm still not thrilled about it, although I understand it and trust God and those involved to make the right decision for the church and for our family. And am actually feeling pretty chill about it going into year four.
So once you have your synod, you get to wait some more for them to send you paperwork about churches in that synod that are looking for pastors. So if you get put in Texas, but there's a church in Iowa that looks really great, tough cookies...you're in Texas. This disperses everyone because otherwise it'd be hard for certain areas to get the pastors they need. Every synod handles this differently, but basically they send you some names of some churches, you say if you are interested or not, you interview, the church decides if they want you, and HOPEFULLY you have a job and get ordained. Some people that were assigned a year ago are still waiting, but it seems most are placed by fall.
The Hard Parts
Moving- You move to get to seminary, some (us) had to move for CPE (although not entirely...we still kept our place in Iowa, but it was still disruptive), you move to internship, you move back to seminary, you move for your first call. That's 6 moves in 4 years (4 if you don't count CPE). 4 times switching doctors, filling out paperwork, getting new library cards, changing addresses, etc. Not to mention all the packing and wear and tear on your furniture (we'll be tossing everything we own senior year). Our kids are young, but for kids in school, it's pretty painful.
Financial Stuff- You still have all the same expenses as a normal family of four, but add on graduate tuition/fees/books etc ($14,000 a year). Plus, if you can't get on state insurance, plan on forking over $13,000 a year for private insurance. PLUS...the student can't work more than 10 hours a week (per policy) and good luck to the spouse finding a job when you move that often. We've been very blessed that Jeremy receives some scholarships and we've gotten help from individuals and congregations...but it's still a boatload of money in student loans. Sometimes I think we're in better financial shape now than we will be when we have to pay this all back.
Saying Goodbye- You make really good friends with people for a year. Then either you or them move and you'll most likely never see them again unless your paths cross between moves for a week or you wind up in the same synod. You start to get a little numb eventually and it's hard to allow yourself to get close to people when you know they're just going to leave.
The Great Parts
Seeing My Husband Live Out His Calling- This has been amazing! Watching Jeremy lead worship while on internship has been one of the biggest blessings ever! It's made this whole journey worth it. I honestly didn't know if he had it in him when we started this process, but he blows me away every time. His gentle spirit yet strong leadership, heart for others, passion for ministry...all of it. Amazing! I can't believe this is the same guy I dated in high school!
The Community and Friends- Most everyone lives on campus together, so all our kids have to do is walk out the door and they've got instant playmates! Bonfires, potlucks, borrowing cups of sugar, it's pretty idyllic! There's an amazing support system there. I had a rough time spring of first year and I had people helping with the kids, making dinner, and just sitting with me. It's what the church is supposed to be. And the close friends that we've made there will be our forever friends!!!
Learning to Rely on God- There have been so many times when things have worked out for us that seemed impossible. The fact that our kids are clothed and there is food on our table is solely attributed to the work of God. I have no doubt that our future will be just fine because God has provided for us every step of the way.
Strengthening our Family- When we visited our seminary for the first time I remember asking the other spouses "Doesn't this process ruin your family?" When they said they've only gotten stronger I didn't think that could be possible, but it is! We've had our ups and downs and several times where I didn't know if we'd make it, but I can honestly say now that we're stronger than we've ever been and we're so excited about not only the future, but where we are right now and this process.
And all in all, the great has FAR outweighed the hard. We're thrilled to be on this journey and excited to see where God will lead us next!
