Journal: Reformed Presbyterian Theological Journal
Volume: RPTJ 05:1 (Fall 2018)
Article: The Shepherd’s Seminary
Author: Barry J. York

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RPTJ 5:1 (Fall 2018) p. 3

The Shepherd’s Seminary

Barry J. York

President and Professor of Pastoral Theology
Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary

“I will feed My flock and I will lead them to rest,” declares the Lord God. “I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken and strengthen the sick; but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with judgment.”

Ezekiel 34:15–16 (ESV)

Five years ago, on becoming the Professor of Pastoral Theology at Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary (RPTS), I considered the theme of “The Shepherding Seminary” for my inauguration. Upon becoming the President of the seminary, I want to revisit the same theme and consider the topic of “The Shepherd’s Seminary” in this paper. Though RPTS has a president to lead it, has a Board that oversees it, and is controlled by the RPCNA, RPTS belongs to Jesus, the True Shepherd. It is his seminary! In this paper, I want to explain why a model of shepherding is the best model for RPTS, and how we best ensure that RPTS remains committed to that model.

Reviewing Our Vision

The motto of Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary, is “Study under pastors.” The Shepherd’s staff running through the initials of our institution is a reminder that the chief work of a pastor is to be a shepherd. Indeed, the very word “pastor” comes out of French and Latin words for shepherd. At the heart of being a pastor is to be a shepherd; at the heart of doing kingdom work in teaching, counseling, and caring for people is shepherding. Though the seminary is an academic and theological institution, RPTS is to be a place where shepherds are trained and where shepherding takes place.

Yet shepherding is often not the model being employed in many churches and ministries today. In many places, the shepherding structure of the local church has been replaced with a pastor using a business model where he acts like a CEO. To many, a model of the church or seminary training that follows shepherding seems antiquated. The corruption we are seeing today, not just in the Catholic church, but in the evangelical church as well, has much to do with a failure of the shepherds, a failure to teach and insist on having the church structured with a shepherding model.

Compounding the challenge, the Digital Age has brought momentous changes to theological education. Some of these trends in theological education that RPTS and others are facing are:

1) Centralized education in brick and mortar buildings was once the sole means of theological education; now bytes and pixels mean training can be done all over the world.

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