By Leslie Diestelkamp
Just a few years ago many Christians and a great number of congregations were troubled with a bad disease, which I call “Collegeitis.” When considering qualifications of a preacher, the first and seemingly most important question was, “Did he graduate from one of the Christian colleges?”
Today I see signs of significant recovery from this illness. In recent months I have observed that many churches are now being assisted by a gospel preacher who was a factory worker, bookkeeper, school teacher, etc., a couple of years ago. It is also worthy of notice that most of those men are doing splendid work. Evidently many brethren have learned that there are just three real necessary qualities for a gospel preacher:
1. He must be a genuine Christian.
2. He must know his Bible.
3. And he must have the ability to speak effectively.
What is said herein must not be construed as a criticism of schools operated by brethren, nor should it discourage young men from attending such schools to further their education. Nevertheless such schooling must not be a determining factor regarding the quality of a preacher of the word.
Truth Magazine VI: 7, pp. 16-17
April 1962