College Plans (Part Two)

In my last blog I stated that I planned on creating two blogs on college. Because this is my last blog of the semester, I will also have a brief conclusion to all that I have learned.

College Majors

The college topic that I will be discussing is my planned majors. What I study has a huge impact on my career, not only because it will affect how my employers look at my degree, but also what I will learn. I want to make sure to choose the most relevant and logical degree as possible. Depending on the school I plan to go to will effect the specific majors I choose.

Union:

For Union, I would be studying under the School of Theology and Missions. The major programs of study include the following:

• Biblical Studies-Languages
• Christian Ministry and Missions
• Christian Studies
• Christian Thought and Tradition
• Philosophy
• Sport Ministry

Of these, I would likely major in either Christian Ministry and Missions or Christian studies. The major focuses of the ministry and missions degree is teaching students how to hold themselves to a high standard in the ministry and live a missions oriented life. Christian Studies is, "Designed for students who want a general introduction to biblical, theological, or ministry studies, the program is recommended for students who have yet to choose a specific direction in ministry and wish to explore the various areas."

Houston Baptist:

At Houston Baptist I would likely study both Christianity and Philosophy. For my career choice, I would likely choose to major in Christianity/Christian Studies and minor in Philosophy. These two department work very closely together and would be great for my college choices.

Another thing I would definitely get involved with at Houston Baptist is their honors college. With this, many of the core classes will be replaced with honors versions. This would associate me with the most intelligent people in the college, and give me a much more in depth form of education.

Liberty: 

Of the colleges I am looking at, Liberty is by far the largest, therefore has the most degree programs. 

Master of Arts in Religion

• Biblical Studies
• Church History
• Discipleship and Church Ministry
• Evangelism and Church Planting
• Global Studies
• Homiletics
• Leadership
• Marketplace Chaplaincy
• Pastoral Counseling
• Pastoral Ministries
• Theology
• Worship

Master of Divinity

• Biblical Studies
• Chaplaincy (93 Hours Track)
• Chaplaincy (72 Hours Track)
• Church History
• Discipleship and Church Ministry
• Evangelism and Church Planting
• Global Studies
• Homiletics
• Leadership
• Marketplace Chaplaincy
• Pastoral Counseling
• Pastoral Ministries
• Theology
• Worship

Many of these are great options for me and I honestly cannot say which I might choose. I would probably lean toward a more theology or ministries approach but only the future can say

Conclusion

I hope you have enjoyed my blog almost as much as I have enjoyed writing it! It has been an awesome learning experience and I hope you were able to get something out of it. With that being said, this is my last blog. Thank you for being a loyal follower of my posts! 

Sources

1. "About Union University." Union University. Union University, 2015. Web. 24 Apr. 2015. <http://www.uu.edu/about/>.
2. "Houston Baptist University." Hbu.edu. Houston Baptist, 2015. Web. 3 May 2015. <http://www.hbu.edu/Home.aspx>.
3. "Libery University." Liberty University Christian College Education. Liberty University, 2015. Web. 03 May 2015. <http://www.liberty.edu/>.

College Plans (Part One)

Welcome To College!

My next two blogs will be based on college plans for my future. In these two blogs, I will be talking about two major topics:

• What Colleges I am looking into
• What I will be studying at said colleges

Today's blog will be talking about the former, what colleges I am currently looking at. Currently, my top colleges are as follows:

• Union University
• Houston-Baptist University
• Liberty University

Union University

• Location: Jackson, Tennessee
• Mascot: Bulldog
• Student Body: More than 4,200 undergraduate and graduate students from 44 states and 33 countries
• Student to Faculty Ratio: 11:1 Ratio
  
• President: Dr. Dub Oliver
• Mission Statement:
• Union University provides Christ-centered education that promotes excellence and character development in service to Church and society.

Union has been one of my dream colleges since I was young. It is a small, local college, but has an amazing atmosphere. I was able to visit the campus last semester and loved every minute of it. Their dorms are very unique where each person gets their own living space, and the feel of the college is very personal. The only downside that I saw during this visit was the small cafeteria, but they have a Chick-fil-A, so I would survive.

Houston Baptist University

• Location: Houston, Texas
  
• Mascot: Huskies
  
• Student to Faculty Ratio: 15:1
  
• President: Dr. Robert Sloan
  
• Mission Statement:
• The mission of Houston Baptist University is to provide a learning experience that instills in students a passion for academic, spiritual, and professional excellence as a result of our central confession, "Jesus Christ is Lord." 

Houston Baptist is probably the underdog story of my college options. It was not even on my radar until my father went there in hopes of becoming one of their professors. After looking into it, and then going on a tour of the campus, meeting the president, and talking to many of the faculty, I began to entertain the thought of one day becoming a Husky.

Liberty University

• Location: Lynchburg, Virginia
  
• Mascot: Eagle
  
• Student Body: 13,000 residential students, with over 100,000 residential and online students
  
• Student to Faculty Ratio: 25:1
  
• President: Dr. Jerry Falwell, Jr.
  
• Mission Statement:
• Through its residential and online programs, services, facilities, and collaborations, the University educates men and women who will make important contributions to their workplaces and communities, follow their chosen vocations as callings to glorify God, and fulfill the Great Commission.

Liberty is the worlds largest Christian college. It is the center of Lynchburg, VA, and is currently one of the nicest colleges I have looked at. After visiting, I was blown away at how beautiful the campus was, and how large such a Christian college could be. It is a great school with a great college-like atmosphere.

Sources

1. "About Union University." Union University. Union University, 2015. Web. 24 Apr. 2015. <http://www.uu.edu/about/>.
2. "Houston Baptist University." Hbu.edu. Houston Baptist, 2015. Web. 3 May 2015. <http://www.hbu.edu/Home.aspx>.
3. "Libery University." Liberty University Christian College Education. Liberty University, 2015. Web. 03 May 2015. <http://www.liberty.edu/>.

Memphis Mission Trip

What is it?

The Memphis Mission Trip has been a huge part of my spiritual life and has made a huge impact on who I am today. In general, multiple middle school students go with First Baptist Hendersonville to Memphis in order to serve the rougher parts of Memphis. We partner with Brinkley Heights Urban Acadamy in order to reach the area in the most effective way. According to  Streetreach.org

"Street Reach is a...nonprofit ministry located in an impoverished area of North Memphis, TN. For the children or youth in this community, drugs, gangs, crime and violence are not just stories seen on the news -- they are a way of life. 

Street Reach tries to impact these children's lives by meeting them where they are at and running Backyard Bible Clubs in their neighborhoods, where they feel most comfortable. Street Reach strives to meet the needs of the community and love them the way Jesus loves us."  

Preparation

 In order to prepare for this trip the main thing we had to learn was a specific scripture. This scripture goes as follows.

1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:1-8

My Experience

All throughout middle school I went on this trip. I would say that the three times I was able to go are my fondest middle school memories. All of the camps that I have gone to were always great, but the mission trips were my chance to share what I learned.

In middle school, the experience is a huge part of my life. The opportunity to walk up to houses, knock on their door, and ask if their kids would like to come to a Bible Club is one that is both nerve racking, and extrodinary. I was able to explore my personal faith, while helping in need kids grow in their faith (or even experience this faith for the first time).

I went into Memphis this year expecting more of the same experience that I did in middle school. Instead while I was able to personally impact the people of Memphis, I got to lead those leading the Memphis children. While looking over the people, I was able to experience God in an amazing way

Sources

1. Romans. NIV Bible. 2015. Print.
2. "Street Reach | S+R." Street Reach | S+R. S+R, 2015. Web. 23 Apr. 2015. <http://www.streetreach.org/>.

Video Blog

This week I will be reviewing what I have learned thus far in a video blog. This video goes over some of the information I have learned in my blog and what I've written about. I also have a brief preview of what I plan on doing for my future blogs, so I hope you enjoy it!

I'd like to also note that I did not film this at the beach (although that would be ideal).

Youth Minister Description

Why a Youth Minister?

I have wanted to go into the ministry since I was in middle school. Some of my major influences are people like my father, who is a pastor, Jeff Henry, and Scott Mathews (both men at the end are youth ministers). When I first felt truly called to the ministry, these strong influences were following their paths in this valet field of youth ministry.

When first looking into the ministry, I was surrounded by youth and felt that this was a good path for me. Although I do not feel it is in my future to be a youth minister for my entire career, I feel it would be an amazing way to enter into the life of the church and learn about how the inner-workings of the church work before becoming the leader of one.

Description

At the surface of a youth minister job the goal is to help bring people to Christ, specifically youth. Folcraft Union church defines the job description of a youth minister as follows:

"The primary purpose of the Youth Minister is to introduce young people to Christ; to disciple them in spiritual growth; to train them in serving Christ with their life. Of equal importance is to assist parents or guardians in raising their teenagers to a wholesome maturity. Finally, to oversee and support the activity entrusted to senior leadership of each Christian Education/Youth program."

Although this description technically only applies for one church's job, I like it very much because it seems to highlight every important aspect of the job. Although it does capture the important parts, there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes. The same website dictates three major categories within being a youth minister.

1. Program oversight
• This includes overseeing everything in the youth group and making sure all youth operations run as they should. 
2. Leadership training
• Appoint leaders under you, typically volunteers, to oversee task within the youth group and provide them with adequate training.
3. Administrative
• Behind the scenes things within the church (such as budgeting and planning for events with the leaders of the church).

Salary

The salary for a job such as this one is very difficult to calculate. Typically, a job in the youth ministry field is intended to launch them into the opportunity for a larger job. Because of this, as experience level goes up, salary is sure to follow. The salary largely depends on the location and size of the church. It also depends of the size of a given churches youth group.

 According to payscale.com, the median salary for a youth pastor is $33,249. This is a misleading number because it includes many young ministers that just came out of college. There is an obvious trend in the graph to the left that shows that as skill increases, so does wages. This is encouraging because if I ultimately decide to make this into my career, I will make much more than $33,000.

Sources

1. "Youth Minister Job Description." Youth Minister Job Description. Folcraft Union Church. Web. 20 Mar. 2015. <http://www.folcroft.org/policies/youthmjd.htm>. 
2. Smith, Dave. "Youth Minister Salary (United States)." Youth Minister Salary (United States). PayScale, 2015. Web. 23 Mar. 2015. <http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Youth_Minister/Salary>.

Missionary Description

My final blog about a specific job's description is that of a missionary. According to dictionary.com, a missionary is defined as

"a person sent by a church into an area to carry on evangelism or other activities, as educational or hospital work." 

Job Description

It is the job of a missionary to spread the gospel to those who have not been exposed to it. This may mean moving to another city to start a small church (which relates back to my second blog post about becoming a pastor), or moving to another country and telling people who have never even seen anything relating to Christianity and spreading the love of God to them.

This is an incredibly unique job because it can involve so many different things. It is very difficult describe the exact job description so I answer the most basic questions about the job in order to explain it in the best way possible. These questions are answered according to gotquestions.org

• WHO is a missionary
• Many people picture a missionary as a middle-aged man who leaves his job in America to evangelize and plant churches in Africa, but today African Christians reach out to Muslims in the Middle East, college students spend their summer teaching English in Asia, families in America witness to international students. All these people are missionaries because they are evangelizing to those in a specific area that they feel called to.
• WHAT is a missionary
•  As I said earlier, a missionary is someone sent by the church, and God, to spread the gospel to an area that they feel called. The ultimate goal of a missionary is to bring someone closer to Christ and create disciples of all nations.
• WHERE are there missionaries
• Missionaries are everywhere. A missionary is not just a man in a foreign country, such as Africa. It is also someone who dedicates their life for God in any area that needs it.

Salary

The salary of a missionary is one that is seemingly impossible to determine. There are so many different aspects of the job, that the group of people within the job are vastly different. According to work.chron.com, "The amount you can expect to earn really depends on the organization funding the mission." The same website states that the average salary was about $31,600 in 2011 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. after that it follows the statistic with the statement:

" But high salaries — and low ones, for that matter — can skew the average, and median wage is often a better indication of earnings. Half of all religious workers earned less than $26,150 a year. Neither number, however, accounts for a worker's position."

Personal Experience

I have never been on an out of country mission trip, but I have gone on a few in the country. The main mission trip I have taken is the Memphis Mission Trip. This trip is for middle schoolers at First Baptist Church of Hendersonville. We go to one of the more "ghetto" parts of Memphis and work with an organization called Street Reach. Our job is to hold bible clubs for the kids and do service projects within the community. This has always been a learning experience for me and is my fondest memories from middle school.

This year I was able to go on the Memphis trip as a leader. That is what my next blog will be about if you want to learn more information about my experiences on that trip. I also plan on going on my first out of country mission trip this summer. I will go to Haiti with my church, The Fellowship. I am very excited to go and be a missionary for a few weeks in Haiti and learning what it truly means to become one.

Sources

1. "Dictionary." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, 2015. Web. 21 Mar. 2015. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/missionary>. 
2. "What Is a Christian Missionary." Gotquestions.org. GotQuestions.org, 2015. Web. 5 Apr. 2015. <http://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-missionary.html>.
3. Severson, Dana. "How Much Money Do Missionaries Make?" Work. Chron, 2015. Web. 06 Apr. 2015. <http://work.chron.com/much-money-missionaries-make-17368.html>.

Church Pastor Description

On my previous blog I stated that the first part of the semester I will be focusing more on the research aspect of my project. I also said that I would be looking into three specific types of jobs within the ministry. Today, I will be looking at statistics and job requirements of a pastor. I am a Southern Baptist so a majority of my statistics will be focused on pastors within that denomination. There are many misconceptions when it comes to what a pastor does, so I would like to clarify what exactly a pastor does in the 21st century.

Description

Pastors are very important to today's American society, and without them we would not be able to evolve spiritually nearly as well as we can with them. There are many responsibilities that a pastor is required to accomplish in his job. Learningpath.org defines the responsibilities of a pastor by saying the following:

"The primary duty of a pastor is to care for the spiritual well-being of his or her congregation. This can include performing religious rites, such as baptisms, confirmations and funerals. Pastors also counsel parish members in times of confusion and emotional distress"

There are also many behind the scene activities for pastors that nobody sees such as overseeing all of the church staff, providing training for growing ministers in their church, developing church policies, and in some churches the responsibility of budgeting falls on the pastor. These may seem very tedious and stressful, but knowing that you are making a difference can make it all worth it.

Salary

As I've said throughout my blog, and will probably say many times more, ministry is a very unique career path. The salaries for pastors have quite the large range and vary by many causes such as location, size of church, denomination, and experience level. According to salary.com the median annual salary of a pastor is about $89,101. Being the son of a pastor, I believe that this is entirely to high. This is probably due to the fact that it encompasses many different types of pastors not including the type I am interested in.

Salary Chart according to Salary.com

I feel that payscale.com has a much more realistic salary scale for a pastor. It states that the average salary for the pastor of a First Baptist Church is $51,134. This seems much more realistic than the previously stated $89,101. This is due to the fact that it is much more specific toward my specific career path.

Salary Chart according to payscale.com

How to Get the Job

According to http://work.chron.com/job-pastor-15735.html there are two major steps in getting a job: preparation and solicitation. This job is very different from most but the beginning stages have the same general steps as any other job. 

1. Preparation

• Step 1: Identify which specific area of ministry that you feel God is calling you to. The best way to determine this is by consistent prayer, studying, and finding what you are most passionate about and following that as a career choice. To relate this to me, this is the stage that I am currently in
• Step 2: Start serving and volunteering in every church or volunteer event possible. This will give you a chance to find the area of ministry you are most interested in, relating back to step one, and improve your resume.
• Step 3: Get an education in the field of ministry and go to a seminary that you feel called to. Internships in churches are also a great opportunity to better you knowledge and experience
• Step 4: Surround yourself with people that are already in the ministry to gain knowledge from people who have already gone through what you plan to, and to build connections when trying to gain a job.

1. Solicitation

• Step 1: Create the most extraordinary resume that man-kind has ever seen. The more experience and education that you can include, the better. This is where step 2 of preparation will come in handy.
• Step 2: Search though job finding websites (such as ChurchStaffing.com, ChurchJobFinder.com and MinistrySearch.com). Email prospective churches you are interested in and use friends in the ministry to find the job that is perfect for your talents and God's will.
• Step 3: Once you have determined a few churches that you feel specifically called to visit them and ask the church congregation why they are a part of the church and what makes it special.
• Step 4: Interview with the leaders of the church, typically the search team or elders of the church. If it is the right church for you, and you feel it is definitely the one you are being called to, I am confident that you will get the job.

Sources

1. Torres, Franco. "Becoming a Pastor: Careers, Salary Info & Job Description." Learning Path. Citlali Tolia, 2011. Web. 14 Feb. 2015. <http://learningpath.org/articles/Pastor_Career_Summary.html>. 
2.  Salary.com. "Pastor Salary." Salary.com. SimplyHired, 2015. Web. 15 Feb. 2015. <http://www1.salary.com/Pastor-Salary.html>.
3. Smith, Dave. "Senior Pastor Salary at First Baptist Church (United States)" Senior Pastor Salary (United States). PayScale, 2015. Web. 15 Feb. 2015. <http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Senior_Pastor/Salary/ae1ebde3/First-Baptist-Church>.
4. Myles, Tony. "How to Get a Job as a Pastor." Work. Chron, 2015. Web. 13 Feb. 2015. <http://work.chron.com/job-pastor-15735.html>.