3/15/1990
3/15/1990
Student Preaching
Rev. Cammenga is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Loveland, Colorado.
“Students who have received permission according to the rule in this matter, and persons who have according to Article 8 been judged competent for the ministry of the Word, shall, for their own training, and for the sake of becoming known to the congregations, be allowed to speak a word of edification in the meeting for public worship.”
Church Order, Article 20.
The history of student preaching shows that there have been two distinct viewpoints concerning this practice. There have been those who have favored it, but there have also been those who opposed it.
In 1568 the Synod of Wezel decided that ministers with exceptional abilities should take young men under their wing who desired training for the ministry, giving them opportunity, as part of their training, to preach privately before the minister or the minister and his consistory.
The Synod of ‘s Gravenhage, 1586, ruled that students for the ministry might teach in the public assemblies for worship, but only after they had passed an examination and been judged competent.
The Synod of Dordt, 1618-’19, disapproved the practice of student preaching in the public worship services, and returned to the practice favored by the Synod of Wezel. The original Article 20 of our Church Order as drafted by the Synod of Dordt read:
In churches where there are more competent ministers, the use of propositions shall be instituted, that by such practices some may be prepared for the ministry of the Word according to the rule of this matter established by this particular Synod.
The use of “propositions” was a return to private practice-preaching before the ministers and consistories.
The decision of Dordt is to be understood in light of the Arminian controversy raging at that time. The faculties of the universities were responsible for examining and licensing students for preaching in the churches. But many faculty members were sympathetic to the Arminian position. It was largely because the Synod of Dordt no longer trusted the university professors properly to supervise student preaching that they did away with student preaching in the churches. In addition, Gomarus and Thysius, professors at this time at the University of Leyden, objected to student preaching in the churches on the ground that preaching belongs to the official work of the ministry, to which students have not yet been ordained.
In 1834 the churches of the secession known as the “Afscheiding” re-introduced student preaching in the public worship services of the church. In part this was due to the severe shortage of ministers and the large number of vacant churches. (By 1836 there were 128 congregations, but only 6 ministers.) It was felt that student preaching in the congregations was also useful practical training for the ministry.
The churches of the “Doleantie,” 1886, the reform movement led by Dr. A. Kuyper, did not favor student preaching.
This controversy over student preaching continued with later synods. The Synod of Amsterdam, 1892, the Synod of Middelburg, 1896, and the Synod of Groningen, 1899, all favored the practice. But the Synod of Amsterdam, 1908, the Synod of Zwolle, 1911, and the Synod of ‘s Gravenhage, 1914, expressed disapproval of the practice.
The Church Order of our Protestant Reformed Churches makes provision for student preaching. Our present Article 20, therefore, is not the product of the Synod of Dordt, but the revision of the Church Orderby the Christian Reformed Church in 1914.
Before graduation from our Theological School, every student must complete six credit hours of practice preaching. Two sermons are required for one hour’s credit. These practice preaching sermons are delivered before the faculty and the rest of the student body. After delivery these sermons are “criticized” by the faculty and by assigned students. Attention is given to exegesis (Biblical interpretation), homiletics (sermon organization), and delivery.
At the discretion of the faculty, competent students are licensed to preach in the public worship services of the churches. Article XIII of the “Constitution of the Theological School” reads: “The Faculty shall license a student to speak a word of edification in the meetings of public worship when it deems him ready.” This student preaching is then monitored by the faculty and all preaching assignments are made through the faculty.
Although Article 20 favors the practice of student preaching, it is careful to distinguish student preaching from the official proclamation of the gospel.
This distinction is made when the article refers to student preaching as speaking “a word of edification.” The original speaks of a stichtelijk word, that is, an edifying word. There is a difference, a difference that this article of our Church Order forces us to recognize, between the preaching of a minister and the preaching of a student.
That difference is NOT that the one is edifying and the other is not. The difference is not something that concerns the actual content of the word that is brought.
But the difference concerns the authority of the one who brings the Word. The student has not been ordained, and therefore does not bring the Word as an officebearer who has been sent out by Christ and through the church. The minister brings the Word always in the capacity of an ordained officebearer. Ordination means something! Because he lacks ordination the student, although he may speak a work of edification, does not, cannot, preach the Word as a minister. This is also why the student may not officially pronounce the benediction or administer the sacraments.
The article mentions two benefits of student preaching that lend support to the practice: “. . . for their own training, and for the sake of becoming known to the congregations . . . .”
Student preaching certainly serves a good purpose in the practical training for the ministry. It gives the student the opportunity to “preach” in the actual worship situation, hands-on experience, so that by the time of his ordination he has gained some valuable training in this most important aspect of his work. This points up the need for practical training for the ministry that gives students experience in various aspects of the work of the minister: teaching catechism, visiting the sick, leading societies, conducting consistory meetings, attending classis and synod meetings.
There is also good benefit for the churches in this practice. The one benefit mentioned in the article is that the congregations become acquainted with the students. The reference is not so much to personal acquaintance, but acquaintance with their abilities, especially with a view to calling them later. The benefit is also that the vacant congregations are able to have pulpit supply, rather than reading or tape sermons.
In the Christian Reformed Church supervision of preaching by Calvin Seminary students is directly under the control of the Board of Trustees of Calvin College and Seminary. It is worth noting the procedure followed in this denomination.
a. The Board of Trustees of Calvin College and Seminary may grant licensure to conduct religious services in our churches only to such as:
1) Are enrolled as regular students in our seminary.
2) Have successfully passed the final examinations of the junior year in the seminary.
b. The board shall not grant licensure to such students till it has made sure of the following with respect to each applicant:
1) That he is a member in good standing in our churches.
2) That he has spiritual qualifications necessary for the ministry, and that he considers himself called of God to prepare himself for the office of ministering the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
3) That he intends to enter the ministry of the Christian Reformed Church.
4) That he has sufficient knowledge of the Bible, and especially of our Reformed principles to act as a guide to others.
5) That he speaks acceptably and to the edification of the churches. It is left to the discretion of the board, however, whether it will obtain this information by consulting the seminary faculty or by examining the applicants.
c. The board has the right to extend the licensure of those who want to take post-graduate work, but with the understanding:
1) That this privilege is to be granted only to such who are taking post-graduate work in theology, and declare that it is their definite intention to enter the ministry in the Christian Reformed Church.
2) That this extension is valid for no more than one year.
3) That further extension may be given at the end of the first year in case the applicant makes his request in writing, and at the end of the second year if he appears in person and is willing to submit to another examination (the latter part of rule 3c does not apply to those who are taking post-graduate work in theology outside of the United States or Canada).
d. The board is obliged to revoke the licensure:
1) Of those who have completed their theological studies but have failed to take steps to enter the sacred ministry of the Word.
2) Of those undergraduate students who either discontinue their studies or fail to enroll again at the seminary.
In our churches, the seminary faculty exercise supervision over student preaching. This usually takes place after the first year of seminary instruction and after the student has successfully passed such courses as homiletics (principles of sermon-making) and hermeneutics (principles of Biblical interpretation), and done commendably well in “Practice Preaching” before the faculty and student body. Only faculty-approved sermons may be used by the students in their preaching in the churches.
It may be worth considering giving the Theological School Committee (roughly equivalent to the Board of Trustees of Calvin College and Seminary) a more active role in granting licensure and supervising student preaching.
