Charles Spurgeon identified a lack of education as a singular obstacle among young men within his London Metropolitan Tabernacle congregation who desired to preach the gospel. Yet Spurgeon also held firm to a narrow set of requirements for admission to the Pastors’ College he formed. Spurgeon expected that candidates for admission display true conversion, articulate a clear internal call to preach, and already be active in a personal preaching ministry. If education was a primary hindrance, why restrict admission in these ways? Though not limited to the historical context of mid-nineteenth century British evangelicalism, the realities of theological education and pastoral training in Spurgeon’s day certainly shaped his pedagogical emphasis on the practical over the scholarly, the plain-spoken over the erudite, a demonstrated ministry over an aspirational intent. This paper will establish the contextual factors within nineteenth century British evangelicalism that contributed to the beginnings of Spurgeon’s Pastors’ College in order to better understand Spurgeon’s contribution to church-based pastoral training and the importance of context in the existence of any institution for theological education.