Hamalas
whippersnapper
I'm finishing up my college degree right now and will hopefully be graduating in May of 2014. I'll be 24 years old at that time and I plan on pursuing a call to pastoral ministry once I finish my college education. I'm hoping to attend Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary to get my M.Div. I'm also considering the possiblity of ministry in the UK so I'm strongly leaning towards doing a one year ministerial internship with MTW in between college and seminary.
With that background, here is my question: is it wise or foolish to think about doing a "Gap Year" between that internship and my seminary studies? I absolutely love to travel and would relish the chance to explore new places and gain new experiences (probably either in Europe or Asia). Taking a year to teach English (or maybe doing farmwork: WWOOF Association | WWOOF Organizations, Hosting and Volunteer Exchange) would be a great way for me to fulfill this desire at little to no cost. However, the chances of my being able to do this and come out ahead financially are pretty slim (unless I could find a position teaching ESL in Korea which I would love, but it looks like you have to have an accredited degree and my school is unaccredited). On my own terms I think it would be worth doing, but I'm concerned about whether or not this is really wise for a Christian to do.
We have so little time on this earth is it selfish for me to want to take a year more or less for myself? Am I putting off the opportunity to truly minister so that I can live out my own fantasies? I feel like I could justify it more if it would help me save money for seminary, but what if I simply took a year (for example) teaching ESL in Germany and came out of that in the exact same place (financially) as where I started? What if I actually lose money from my savings between the internship and seminary? Is this the best (or even an appropriate) use of my time and money?
I know there's no black and white answer here, so I guess I'm really looking for sanctified Christian wisdom here. What advice/experience do y'all have to share?
With that background, here is my question: is it wise or foolish to think about doing a "Gap Year" between that internship and my seminary studies? I absolutely love to travel and would relish the chance to explore new places and gain new experiences (probably either in Europe or Asia). Taking a year to teach English (or maybe doing farmwork: WWOOF Association | WWOOF Organizations, Hosting and Volunteer Exchange) would be a great way for me to fulfill this desire at little to no cost. However, the chances of my being able to do this and come out ahead financially are pretty slim (unless I could find a position teaching ESL in Korea which I would love, but it looks like you have to have an accredited degree and my school is unaccredited). On my own terms I think it would be worth doing, but I'm concerned about whether or not this is really wise for a Christian to do.
We have so little time on this earth is it selfish for me to want to take a year more or less for myself? Am I putting off the opportunity to truly minister so that I can live out my own fantasies? I feel like I could justify it more if it would help me save money for seminary, but what if I simply took a year (for example) teaching ESL in Germany and came out of that in the exact same place (financially) as where I started? What if I actually lose money from my savings between the internship and seminary? Is this the best (or even an appropriate) use of my time and money?
I know there's no black and white answer here, so I guess I'm really looking for sanctified Christian wisdom here. What advice/experience do y'all have to share?
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