Quincy Wheeler,
Associate Pastor in East Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church, B.A.
in Communications Studies from Baldwin-Wallace, M. Div. from Ashland
Theological Seminary.
As I begin my post-seminary career in ministry, I am
thankful on a daily basis for my decision to major in Communications Studies in
my undergrad work at Baldwin-Wallace. When I first looked at Baldwin-Wallace, I
debated majoring in Religion, as I knew that I wanted to be involved in
ministry. However, knowing that seminary would help further my knowledge of
Scripture, theology and church life, I tried to identify a course of study that
would be most helpful to me as a minister of the Gospel. After a brief
consideration, the clear choice became to enroll in Baldwin-Wallace’s
Communication Studies program.
I would like to outline ten ways that my communication
studies degree continues to help me, on a daily basis, engage in my work as a
pastor. I will also try to distinguish what elements a Communication Studies
degree provides that may not be found in a degree in Religion.
(1)Communications Studies honed my public speaking skills.
In whatever ministry you try, you will need to speak publically. Communication
studies taught me how to develop a well-organized speech, how to speak without
looking at notes, and how to use gestures, vocal movement and diction to drive
home a point.
(2)Communication Studies developed my conflict resolution
skills. Conflict resolution is probably the single most important skill to
learn going into ministry. It is rarely covered in religion or seminary
coursework, from my experience.
(3)Studying Communication theory assisted me in
understanding dynamics at work in the personal and public settings for
ministry. Ministry entirely consists of caring for people as people interact
with you and with each other. Communications offers insight into those
interactions.
(4)Executing a research project for my Communication Studies
degree allowed me to discover ways to collect, interpret and apply meaningful
data for ministry purposes. Performing an experiment-based research project
taught me data-collecting and analytical skills I utilize every day.
(5)Communications Studies increased my self-awareness of my
communication style and my understanding of those around me whose styles differ
from my own. I am simply more aware of the communication needs and tendencies
of others around me than I would have ever been, had Communication Studies not
informed me that those needs and tendencies are there, and offered me tools on
how to manage them.
(6)Communications Studies' lessons are easily contextualized. The
problem with philosophical and theological truths is that they are not always
easily applied. Psychology, also, gets confusing when trying to mix it with the
healing power of the Holy Spirit. Communication Studies includes aspects of
psychological and philosophical truths that can be easily translated into
ministerial contexts.
(7)The primary challenge of the Church in the modern age is
encoding the Message… message-encoding just happens to be the primary learning
outcome of Communication Studies. We have to communicate the Gospel to a
society that increasingly does not believe in God, nor does it accept the
revelation of God in Scripture as authoritative. We must discover how to
communicate the Good News so that it sounds like good news and reaches a new
generation. Communication Studies provides a wealth of information on how to
make messages meaningful, relevant and transformative.
(8)Communications Studies focus on group dynamics and
organizational communication processes, both incredibly important aspects of
ministry which receive little attention in seminary. As I chair committees and
serve on ministry teams, I constantly turn to insights I received in my
undergraduate studies in Communications. As I continue to interact with staff
members and help with church visioning, I remember and apply lessons I learned
in my Organizational Communication classes.
(9)Communication Studies teach the importance of good
listening skills, which is often-times overlooked as we seek to engage in the
task of communicating the gospel. A pastor who is unwilling to listen to his
people will soon speak a message that no one wants to hear, let alone
understand. The study of communication demands development of listening skills.
(10)Communication Studies add important marketing and public
relation insights which seminary training rarely addresses. Packaging of the
Gospel has to be noticeable and appropriate, concerns amply addressed in
Communication classes.
As I continue into a career in ordained ministry, I am
constantly grateful that I chose to major in Communication Studies. If you are attending a non-Bible college, I would highly recommending minoring in
Religion (for basics in Scripture and theology) and majoring in Communication Studies before seminary. I really benefited from and loved my seminary training. However, the focus of seminary was at least 75% on knowledge-based learning,
and maybe 25% on practical matters relating to communicating the Gospel.
Between the preparation offered by Communication Studies and the education
received at Seminary, however, I feel adequately prepared for ministry and
effectively resourced for the challenge of preaching the Gospel in any context.
