No. 22 on the list of most widely-read posts on this blog appeared on November 8, 2006, and was the last segment of my seven-part interview with Dr. Albert Mohler.

Dr. Mohler is a phenomenon who, by God's grace, accomplishes more than ten ordinary men could possibly hope to do!

It is a real pleasure to welcome to my blog again today, Dr. Albert Mohler. Dr. Mohler should need no introduction to most of my readers, but I include a link to his biography for any who need to know more, as well as a link to my Together for the Gospel Conference Round Up Post.

This interview is being serialised over several days. So far I have published parts one, two, three, four, five, and six. Today we conclude the interview and discuss one of the most controversial things Dr. Mohler said at Together For the Gospel.

A full version of the interview can be downloaded here.

Adrian

One of the striking things that you said at the conference was that you wanted to put SBTS out of business—what exactly did you mean by that, and what do you think the rest of the board would make of you being successful in that quest?

Dr. Mohler

There is always the danger that my statement will be taken out of context! I do not mean to say that Southern Seminary should cease to exist in the very near future. I emphatically believe that the best and most proper place for the education and preparation of pastors is in the local church. We should be ashamed that churches fail miserably in their responsibility to train future pastors. Established pastors should be ashamed if they are not pouring themselves into the lives of young men whom God has called into the teaching and leadership ministry of the church.

I do believe that there is a role for formal theological education, but we should not be seen as an agency that is assigned the task of training ministers by franchise. I want to assist churches and to assist pastors in training pastors. But, after fourteen years of service in this capacity, I am absolutely certain that the finest theological seminary on earth is absolutely incompetent at replicating the actual life of a gospel congregation. I want to train a generation of pastors who will train pastors, and I want to help them in that task.

Adrian

What would this concept of a seminary in every church look like?

Dr. Mohler

Well, the concept of a seminary in every church would look pretty much like what I just described. As a matter of fact, I think it would look pretty much like what we see in the New Testament, and especially in the relationship between Paul and Timothy. Paul poured himself into Timothy, exhorted him, taught him, corrected him, and entrusted significant ministry to him. Undoubtedly, Paul served as his mentor and model in preaching and teaching and in the leadership functions of ministry. This is what I hope to see develop in healthy gospel churches—a group of young "Timothys" studying under the directed leadership and teaching of a senior pastor. I want to help those churches and those pastors by providing a program of theological education that assists them, working in partnership.

Read more . . . Albert Mohler: Radio Host and Theologian