How, then, can churches raise up men who are well acquainted with a pastor’s private duties, as well as the public? The answer lies in the local church. Churches must not assume that they have done their duty simply because they have sent off a promising young man to seminary. A man’s local church must be vitally concerned with the man’s spiritual growth in the areas of these private duties. The elders of a seminary student’s home church must be actively involved in discipling him. They must self-consciously pursue the student in these specific areas of private duty. They must hold the student accountable for growth in personal holiness, private meditation, and the willingness to minister regardless of the smiles or frowns of men. These areas of growth in grace only come in the context of discipleship in a local church.

If a student must leave his home church in order to study, his elders must see to it that he is properly placed under the oversight of like-minded elders in another church. The student is not free to roam from church to church. He should settle into one particular body for his entire seminary career so that he can benefit from the regular ministry of the same elders. He must see the cultivation of these private duties as of much greater importance than his skills as a public speaker, or his knowledge of Hebrew. These duties must receive the top priority in his training. Otherwise, when he graduates from seminary, he may be a man who is skilled in the various aspects of public ministry, but who is dry and empty inside. He may have the appearance of a sturdy outward edifice, but have a very shaky foundation.

May God raise up in this age men who are willing to grow strong and deep in these private duties. And may God raise up churches that are willing to do the hard work of intense discipleship. Only then will there be young men who are not just capable administrators, but true shepherds; not just good orators, but bold heralds; not just practiced advisors, but faithful ministers.