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What They Didn't Teach You in Seminary
In churches today, there are ever fewer older pastors speaking into the lives of younger leaders, and fewer younger leaders feeling there is much to be learned from the experience of their elders. Street-smart wisdom is gone from training as there are many men and women preparing pastors who have never themselves pastored a church. Intriguingly, even older, more seasoned pastors yearn for insight into their task, as they remain "undiscipled" in the school of leadership.
In What They Didn't Teach You in Seminary , veteran pastor James Emery White provides the kind of mentoring young pastors desperately need but cannot get from academia or leadership books. These "from the trenches" insights will help them transform their relationships with staff and parishoners, develop healthy boundaries, deliver hard truths, avoid spiritual pitfalls, use their time effectively, and much more.
In What They Didn't Teach You in Seminary , veteran pastor James Emery White provides the kind of mentoring young pastors desperately need but cannot get from academia or leadership books. These "from the trenches" insights will help them transform their relationships with staff and parishoners, develop healthy boundaries, deliver hard truths, avoid spiritual pitfalls, use their time effectively, and much more.
192 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2011
27 people are currently reading
72 people want to read
About the author
James Emery White
31 books54 followersJames Emery White is the founding and senior pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church in Charlotte, North Carolina; president of Serious Times, a ministry that explores the intersection of faith and culture. Dr. White is an adjunctive professor of theology and culture at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where he also served as their fourth president; and author of more than twenty books.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
October 8, 2019
This is a book I wish I would have read earlier in my career as a pastor. White discusses many issues with which I can identify as a pastor of 24 years. Every pastor who reads this book will find encouragement in the areas ground level pastoring.
December 11, 2020
This is the book that every student of Seminary should get upon their graduation.
September 8, 2025
I highly recommend this read for anyone in ministry. It helps with many things that you know to do, while shedding light on some forgotten things!
May 26, 2016
I'd never heard of James Emery White before getting this book or the mega church he leads in America so when What they didn't teach you in seminary: 25 Lessons for successful ministry in your church arrived in the post for review, I had no expectations one way or the other.
After having read it, I have a one big question: what do they teach prospective pastors in seminary in America? Really, if they missed out all this then there's some room for improvement over there.
So some of the 25 topics that White covers include; emotional survival, raising money, sexual fences, family life, casting vision. And some other fairly basic leadership stuff like, you know don't employ someone without references and burn out is bad for your soul, stuff like that.
There were also enough stories to make me scratch my head about American Christianity and the industry that we call the church. I know that the church can often have the meanest and stupidest people on earth in them but no one seems to do that better than America if the stories you read in leadership books are even half-true.
Each chapter is short and eminently readable and it really does contain some useful leadership lessons. It's a book I'll keep and pass along. Others have covered in greater detail some of the material so for example the chapter on the five C's is straight out of Bill Hybel's Courageous Leadership and the chapter on emotional resources received a book by Wayne Cordeiro and so on. It sounds like to me that White and his church would be pretty similar to say Willow Creek, that's where I'd pitch it, if that helps at all. In fact it's a lot like Hybels' Axiom book.
The book is down to earth, conversational and generally straight talking about the realities of church leadership and most of the advice offered was good, sound and solid stuff. One of the little positive that stood out for me and enjoyed as I read the book were the last sentences of each chapter, each was pithy, witty and drove home the point of the chapter. I thought most of them were really good examples of punchy writing.
There were a few areas which made me pause, some of which are no doubt shaped by White's context (American mega-church) and which don't travel all that well.
White had an annoying habit of talking anonymously about all the well-known pastors he'd met with here or there. Now you can mention it once and it's clear that you're avoiding just naming names, do that five or six times and it sounds like you want people to know that really you could name names and that you're in the know. It was name dropping without saying the name, so it just came across as a little boastful.
There were some more real areas of disagreement such as the value of excellence and the general assumption that big seeker sensitive church is the way to go, and possibly the only way to go that makes any sense. So there were some things there that I just couldn't get excited about and there is very little teaching here. So it's life lessons from an experienced pastor and not insights from the Bible into leadership.
So recommended and a book I may well pass on but it needs reading with some sense of context to filter out the stuff that just doesn't work if you're not in an American mega-church or even want to be in one!
After having read it, I have a one big question: what do they teach prospective pastors in seminary in America? Really, if they missed out all this then there's some room for improvement over there.
So some of the 25 topics that White covers include; emotional survival, raising money, sexual fences, family life, casting vision. And some other fairly basic leadership stuff like, you know don't employ someone without references and burn out is bad for your soul, stuff like that.
There were also enough stories to make me scratch my head about American Christianity and the industry that we call the church. I know that the church can often have the meanest and stupidest people on earth in them but no one seems to do that better than America if the stories you read in leadership books are even half-true.
Each chapter is short and eminently readable and it really does contain some useful leadership lessons. It's a book I'll keep and pass along. Others have covered in greater detail some of the material so for example the chapter on the five C's is straight out of Bill Hybel's Courageous Leadership and the chapter on emotional resources received a book by Wayne Cordeiro and so on. It sounds like to me that White and his church would be pretty similar to say Willow Creek, that's where I'd pitch it, if that helps at all. In fact it's a lot like Hybels' Axiom book.
The book is down to earth, conversational and generally straight talking about the realities of church leadership and most of the advice offered was good, sound and solid stuff. One of the little positive that stood out for me and enjoyed as I read the book were the last sentences of each chapter, each was pithy, witty and drove home the point of the chapter. I thought most of them were really good examples of punchy writing.
There were a few areas which made me pause, some of which are no doubt shaped by White's context (American mega-church) and which don't travel all that well.
White had an annoying habit of talking anonymously about all the well-known pastors he'd met with here or there. Now you can mention it once and it's clear that you're avoiding just naming names, do that five or six times and it sounds like you want people to know that really you could name names and that you're in the know. It was name dropping without saying the name, so it just came across as a little boastful.
There were some more real areas of disagreement such as the value of excellence and the general assumption that big seeker sensitive church is the way to go, and possibly the only way to go that makes any sense. So there were some things there that I just couldn't get excited about and there is very little teaching here. So it's life lessons from an experienced pastor and not insights from the Bible into leadership.
So recommended and a book I may well pass on but it needs reading with some sense of context to filter out the stuff that just doesn't work if you're not in an American mega-church or even want to be in one!
August 25, 2011
I came to this book with low expectations. The reputation of the author drew me in but that alone was not enough to overcome the skepticism which the title engendered. Then, add to that a subtitle which promises a list leading to success? Oh boy…
By the time I was finished this book, however, my opinion was completely reversed. What did overcome my initial skepticism, swiftly and completely, were the wise and considered words of James Emery White. His discussion ranges from leadership and administration issues, to words about soul care and family. White truly runs the gauntlet of difficult issues pastors face in their positions. In most chapters he is sincere, wise, and helpful. Naturally there were a few chapters that I found to be less so, but they are hardly worth mentioning next to amount of just plain good advice in this book.
In the introduction White discusses how the U.S. Army is changing its training program in order to prepare soldiers for what they actually face in war. With that analogy in mind he summarizes his book: “So from someone who loves and appreciates what a seminary education offers but who’s been deployed in the war for a while, here’s what they never taught me there – and in fairness, never could.” This is, indeed, what you will find within the pages of What They Didn’t Teach You In Seminary. Here is a book worth reading.
Conclusion: 4.5 Stars. Conditionally Recommended. This book was written for pastors, and so if you are one then you should read it. If not, you can still learn from it, especially in terms of understanding more clearly what your pastor goes through and needs.
"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group".
By the time I was finished this book, however, my opinion was completely reversed. What did overcome my initial skepticism, swiftly and completely, were the wise and considered words of James Emery White. His discussion ranges from leadership and administration issues, to words about soul care and family. White truly runs the gauntlet of difficult issues pastors face in their positions. In most chapters he is sincere, wise, and helpful. Naturally there were a few chapters that I found to be less so, but they are hardly worth mentioning next to amount of just plain good advice in this book.
In the introduction White discusses how the U.S. Army is changing its training program in order to prepare soldiers for what they actually face in war. With that analogy in mind he summarizes his book: “So from someone who loves and appreciates what a seminary education offers but who’s been deployed in the war for a while, here’s what they never taught me there – and in fairness, never could.” This is, indeed, what you will find within the pages of What They Didn’t Teach You In Seminary. Here is a book worth reading.
Conclusion: 4.5 Stars. Conditionally Recommended. This book was written for pastors, and so if you are one then you should read it. If not, you can still learn from it, especially in terms of understanding more clearly what your pastor goes through and needs.
"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group".
August 1, 2019
If you are looking for a book that is filled with 25 practical aspects of ministry that is open and honest about some of the struggles that pastors and leaders have to face in ministry than this is a useful little book. The book is definitely marketed towards those who have gone to seminary and might have the academics, but realize that they haven't learned that many practical things about leading a church.
I would argue though that there is value in this book to anyone who is willing and able to look at leaders and pastors as human. Some of the things are subtle things most people don't realize pastors have to deal with. One could make the argument that this book focuses on those who are in larger churches, and that is a fair argument to a certain degree. However, most of the principles and ideas can be scaled down to smaller churches as well or the same issue will haunt a smaller church in slightly different ways.
Overall, it's a book that I recommend if you like a pastor being open and honest about things that aren't taught very well in seminary and about the stuff that leaders have to face even within their own heart and minds.
I would argue though that there is value in this book to anyone who is willing and able to look at leaders and pastors as human. Some of the things are subtle things most people don't realize pastors have to deal with. One could make the argument that this book focuses on those who are in larger churches, and that is a fair argument to a certain degree. However, most of the principles and ideas can be scaled down to smaller churches as well or the same issue will haunt a smaller church in slightly different ways.
Overall, it's a book that I recommend if you like a pastor being open and honest about things that aren't taught very well in seminary and about the stuff that leaders have to face even within their own heart and minds.
July 27, 2013
James Emery White and I minister in two different worlds but those worlds overlap in some places, therefore this book was helpful. White is part of the church growth orbit of evangelicalism and pastor of a megachurch. You would figure that would mean that he doesn't really have much to say to me, pastor of a small, reformed evangelical church but that isn't the case. I cringed at places in this book, rolled my eyes at other places, and then, more often than not, underlined the next sentence.
White has a lot of experience in ministry as a church planter, seminary president, and pastor. That experience has born wisdom which he shares. So read the book if you're new to ministry and if you're not part of the church growth wing, then hold your nose when he calls the Bible "the owner's manual for life" but don't miss his points about making your preaching "relevant" even though that word may be a red flag in most instances. If you can read past the buzzwords and read his advice critically, this book can be helpful.
White has a lot of experience in ministry as a church planter, seminary president, and pastor. That experience has born wisdom which he shares. So read the book if you're new to ministry and if you're not part of the church growth wing, then hold your nose when he calls the Bible "the owner's manual for life" but don't miss his points about making your preaching "relevant" even though that word may be a red flag in most instances. If you can read past the buzzwords and read his advice critically, this book can be helpful.
February 3, 2018
This book is a clear and easy read for anyone in the church, especially church leadership. The advice given is very practical and truly not taught in seminary. The caution I would give to anyone reading this book is that of pursuing a corporate America model for church planting, which is a model this book endorses implicitly. I do not doubt that the advice given will grow a church, I just wonder at the impulse that the only way to be obedient to Matthew 28 is by heading towards mega-church status. The church system modeled in this book resembles a franchise structure, which has its positives and negatives. Would still recommend.
January 14, 2023
Amazing Book
I went to seminary, graduated, learned appt in the process, however this book has shared with me so much things that I have not considered at all. Being a pastor, leader is way more than just being the pulpit speaker. Its all the things mentioned in this book, that on one day, when I too am leading a church I have to keep in mind. The book was amazing, and I'm sure ill end up reading it yearly
I went to seminary, graduated, learned appt in the process, however this book has shared with me so much things that I have not considered at all. Being a pastor, leader is way more than just being the pulpit speaker. Its all the things mentioned in this book, that on one day, when I too am leading a church I have to keep in mind. The book was amazing, and I'm sure ill end up reading it yearly
October 1, 2013
This book is filled with great quotes and strategies. Lots of practical, but I found that much of it was hard to apply in my current situation. The book definitely has food for thought for the future, though.
January 15, 2017
Must read for pastors. Did I say "must read"? I meant "MUST READ"!
Valuable information in easy to swallow bite size chunks. One of the best ministry books I've ever read. Two more words.
Valuable information in easy to swallow bite size chunks. One of the best ministry books I've ever read. Two more words.
August 28, 2011
Great look at every day ministry challenges. This book had some amazing ideas and advice
November 27, 2011
Flat out one of the best books on ministry I've ever read - James Emery White writes w/wisdom, style, humor & Scriptural backing. I can not recommend this highly enough.
Read
May 9, 2014Awesome book - short chapters readable and several helpful insights. Practical lessons with serveral personal testimonies on different situations encountered.
December 29, 2013
Great quotes in this book, e.g., "...three qualifications of a pastor: must have the, i) Mind of a scholar, ii) Heart of a child, iii) Hide of a Rhinoceros. It hit home like a rock on my face.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews