I took a survey in a Facebook Group of 2500+ pastors, elders, professors, members in Restoration Movement churches.
The number one answer was not what I expected.
If you haven’t scrolled down yet or seen the results, how would you answer?
QUESTION: I wish I had learned in Bible College how to be a better:
- Manager = time, money, programs, people …
- Evangelist = outreach, mission-minded, church growth …
- Pastor = counselor, role model, mentor …
- Teacher = researcher, scholar, sharer of knowledge …
- Preacher = speaker, storyteller …
- Spouse/Parent = husband, wife, kids …
I gave respondents the option to add to the list … you can see below that 8 choices were added.
Did Not See This Choice Coming
One I didn’t think of, but have had considerable experience with = covocational challenges. I served for nearly 20 years in Japan as a tent-maker missionary. I launched an after school language school for Japanese to learn English, while also doing missionary work. The two (missionary work and teaching English) were very complementary.
One of the biggest challenges for missionaries is meeting new people and befriending them. When I taught English in Japan and Far East Russia, people actually paid me to be my friend. Go figure.
ANSWER: Lessons I Didn’t Learn in Bible College But Needed To

RM Pastors Didn’t learn in Bible College
It has me wondering if there might a Bible College or two or three that is reading this. There’s some insight into this survey result that would be useful to Bible College degree designers, no?
What do you wish Bible College had taught you to be better at? Got thoughts?
3 comments
I am Tamdang Pong ,from Myanmar, and have been serving in Putao Christian Bible School ,established by churches of Christ in Nortnen Myanmar,especially in Kachin State,since 1994.
I want to maintain Biblical doctrines which are restoration movement principles. Please send me lessons of it in order to share it with students and churches in myanmar.Thank you.