I recently had posted on my personal website a document entitled, “On Receiving a New Pastor.” It is essentially my notes for an address I have given to churches who are awaiting the arrival of a new pastor. There is not enough thinking about what a pastor is to do and as a result there is not enough thinking about how a church should receive one.

Here is the opening section:

Calling and receiving a new pastor is a significant occasion in the life of a church and therefore deserves some reflection. As a church you should, and I believe you do, want to receive your new pastor well. We would do well then to contemplate how you can receive him and his family well.
The primary issue in receiving a new pastor well is to understand the nature of the pastorate. This is absolutely essential. You must have a clear idea of what you have called this man to do. You have called him to be your pastor, but what does this mean? If you are not clear on this you might end up like someone who is:
– upset with a quarterback who has thrown dozens of touchdown passes but has yet to hit a single home run.
– upset with a baseball coach who has won lots of games but has yet to win a Super Bowl.
– upset with a math teacher who did not explain nouns and pronouns well.
– pleased with a banker because he is so pleasant even though he cannot find your savings!

If you are going to receive a new pastor well, if you are going to be a blessing to him, then you must have a clear, biblical view of what he is supposed to do. Otherwise you might end up giving him a hard time about things which are not his responsibilities or praising him for the wrong things.
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In response to my posting of a particularly bad resume cover letter, Ryan asked how one should properly write a resume as a pastor. This is a fine question and touches on the broader topic of how we find, recruit and promote pastors today- a broader question which would be good to speak to in the future.

On this question, let me first say that we ought not totally ignore the pattern of men rising up from within the church itself. This is rare today and some call it impracticable, but it certainly happened in Scripture and has advantages. In a situation with multiple pastors this is even more possible. However, the question concerns our typical situation where a church is seeking an individual from outside of itself. So, let me turn to that.

Churches typically call their associational office, perhaps the state office and some seminaries to collect all the resumes they have. This results in an avalanche of resumes (of which yours would be one). I am regularly urging churches not to take this route- at least not initially. I urge them to first call pastors and leaders they respect and ask for recommendations. If they can do this then they are starting in a much better position already having some basis for confidence in the people they will talk to. Since this is my advice to churches, my advice to those seeking to pastor is to first let people who know you that you are looking to serve in this way. You will be better served by established people recommending you than by simply having a piece of paper in the avalanche.

In the end, though, it is good to have a basic resume for someone to use in recommending you. The resume need not try to “sell you.” All it needs to do is give a basic portrait. As I have worked with lay leaders seeking a pastor, they have almost always been turned off by resumes which seek to highlight a man’s accomplishments. Your references can tell them good things about you- “Let another praise you and not your own mouth” (Prov 27:2). Just give them the facts.

Here is a basic outline of what I would recommend you include:

Name, Date of birth, contact info
Marital status
Children
Ordained or not, when

Education (school, degree, date)
Experience- church and other (date)

References- some should be connected with places you have worked. You can indicate this in parentheses after the name, e.g. Joe Shmoe (supervisor at Fed Ex)

Then include these items. Many will not expect these but these are far more valuable than listing so-called accomplishments:
Personal Testimony– Tell them how you came to Christ

Philosophy of ministry– what do you understand the pastorate to be, what would be your priorities and how would you go about it (for a brief example see here)

Doctrinal Statement– Sadly I have rarely been asked doctrinal questions in interviews. It is incumbent though upon the candidate to give his basic doctrinal orientation. You need not and indeed cannot go into everything, but they need the basics. I think it is best to use a historical document so as to identify yourself with a tradition. For Southern Baptists, you could use the Baptist Faith and Message or the Abstracts of Principles, noting where you would modify anything.

This approach takes seriously the fact that paper can only tell you so much by majoring on what can be communicated in this way- ideas. If more search committees were able to consider ideas first and then pursue contact in order to learn about the person, we might be better served.

King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table, Roger Lancelyn Green
(1953; Puffin Books, 1994) pb., 330 pp.

I really enjoyed the King Arthur stories as a boy and looked forward to reading them to my boys. There are various renditions of course (and I have gathered a number of them over the years), but this one is particularly interesting because it was done by a significant literary figure (and friend of C. S. Lewis). In his introduction, Green notes that the Arthurian legends are inconsistent and incoherent as they come from various sources. Green attempts here to draw them together into one story.

The inconsistency of the legends can be felt in the reading. In the early portion of the book I was often frustrated with the underlying worldview. Honor is often thought to be found in fighting and killing each other almost as sport. Oddly enough later in the book this idea is judged harshly, and the noble knight is the one who fights only when there is a just and necessary cause. Similarly, the pride of knights seems to be condoned in the earlier parts, but is severely criticized in the latter parts. My boys picked up on the inconsistency.

While the book seemed to start slow (this seems to be a recurring theme in my reviews), eventually my boys really got into it. Even with the faults, the stories are explicitly Christian. They intend to be Christian even when they fall short of a truly biblical worldview. This combined with my boys growing interest caused me to persevere with the reading. Along the way, and especially as we came to the latter half (roughly) of the book we found many good morals. Form the earlier part of the book, in the story of the brothers Balyn and Balan, there is a strong point of perseverance in spite of being placed in difficult circumstances. At one point Balan says to his brother:

“Many sad things have indeed befallen you,” said Balan, “but we must endure even the hardest adventures that God sends us.”

Here you have perseverance under the sovereign hand of God. This provided very useful fuel for discussion for perseverance in homework, etc. Somehow it resonates a bit more with my boys when tied to knighthood! Furthermore, as the story turns to the quest for the Holy Grail the issue of purity of heart, and resistance of temptation comes strongly to the fore. This too provided many useful opportunities for discussing various temptations and distractions which face us.

Anyone familiar with the basic story will know that some of the temptation that comes to various knights is sexual. However, Green handles this very tactfully. Sometimes he simply says that maidens tempted the knight without further explanation, or the temptation is phrased in terms of trying to get the knight to marry or kiss a maiden who is married to another. For my boys this was a very tasteful reminder of the sanctity of marriage and the preserving oneself (here represented as kissing) for marriage.

In the end, the story comes across as a significantly Christianized fable. It sounds almost like a thoroughgoing exhortation to Christian living in terms of medieval spirituality. Thus, it would need explanation and some editing, but with that it can be very useful.

Today in my pastoral ministry course we discussed Gregory the Great’s Pastoral Care, written in AD 590. I first encountered this book after reading Eugene Peterson’s The Contemplative Pastor in which he referred to his views on pastoral ministry being shaped by Gregory among others. I did not know what book by Gregory he was referring to, so I went searching and found this book. This book became a key document shaping the views of pastoral ministry early in the history of the church. For that reason alone it is worth reading. Gregory states clearly that his purpose is to detail the solemn gravity of the task and to discuss how it should be done.

Reading this book is a bit different from reading a more recent book. As I told the class, “Don’t talk to me about it being harder or less fun to read, etc. We are not here to toy with trivialities but to wrestle with the weightiness of the oversight of souls. Those seeking nourishment are not worried with the thickness or toughness of the husk, but only with whether or not once the husk is cracked nourishment can be found.” And nourishment is available here.

The class detailed numerous strengths of the book. Gregory consistently hammers the absolute necessity of humility, the gravity of the task, the need to care for souls, and the work of the pastor as helping people to live Christ-like lives. The bulk of the book is taken up with examining various conditions and situations of life and how we can encourage and exhort people in such settings. This is refreshingly different from typical approaches today which see pastors as managers of programs (“running a church”) rather than shepherds of souls.

There are weaknesses as well. One can see the encroachment of a more works based theology already at work. Nonetheless, if we are (as we should be) mature enough to sift through wheat and chaff this is a useful read.

I will plan to post some more quotes in the future, but for now let this one suffice. Here Gregory is speaking of the importance of proper preparation for the work of overseeing souls.

“No one ventured to teach any art unless he has learned it after deep thought. With what rashness, then, would the pastoral office be undertaken by the unfit, seeing that the government of souls is the art of arts! For who does not realize that the wounds of the mind are more hidden than the internal wounds of the body? Yet, although those who have no knowledge of the powers of drugs shrink from giving themselves out as physicians of the flesh, people who are utterly ignorant of spiritual precepts are often not afraid of professing themselves to be physicians of the heart, and though, by divine ordinance, those now in the highest positions are disposed to show a regard for religion, some there are who aspire to glory and esteem by an outward show of authority within the holy Church.” (p.22)

Since I recently posted a biblical want ad for a pastor, here is an excerpt from a cover letter sent by a pastor to the search committee of a church. This letter came to a church I was assisting in their search for a pastor. I was astounded by the arrogance and copied by hand this portion to keep as an example. Here it is:

Dear Search Committee:

As a pastor with many years experience, I think I may be well qualified for the position of senior pastor that was brought to my attention via the internet outlining your church and need. You will see from the enclosed resume that I have pastored a number of churches. In each case I was able to raise the spiritual standards of the church, increase its effectiveness as a positive witness for Christ (in one case, my current pastorate, doubling Sunday school attendance), and attracting new members in significant numbers.

Having met and exceeded my goals in my present position, I want to challenge myself with a more demanding position. __________ Baptist Church appeals to me very much as this type of challenge. [His only knowledge at this point is a paper add]
I would like to discuss this position with you and will be happy to come in for an interview at your convenience.

Is humility a characteristic desirable in pastors? In fairness it is not often encouraged, especially in resume writing. Yet, the attributing of the numerical growth to himself does seem grossly apparent. There is the typical assumption that increase in numbers means health. The worst part to me is the idea that since his goals have been met and exceeded he is ready to move on. God seems to be significantly absent. And, what does it suggest about pastoral ministry if the goals can be met and then you move on? Isn’t the primary goal the oversight of souls? Can this be “met”, completed, this side of eternity? Of course the suggestion to the receiving church that they will be a good “challenge” is an interesting use of condescension in order to woo a church!

May the Lord deliver us from this sort of attitude and deliver His church from would be pastors with this attitude.

Mark Bustrum, author of the want ad in the previous post, has posted a useful reflection on Barry Maxwell’s posts on pastoral ministry which I recommended previously. Profitable thoughts.

Theras and His Town, Caroline Dale Snedeker
(1924; reprint, American Home-School Publishing, 2002), pb. 237 pp.

We read this book last school year as we studied Greece and Rome. The idea of the book is to tell a story which provides a contrast between life in Athens and life in Sparta. The story works well and does provide a good look at life in these two key Greek city states.

However, I was really surprised by the religious statements in this book. Having found this book in the Veritas Press catalogue, I expected either a Christian world view or something less explicit. However, various times statements were made, as obvious asides to the modern reader, condoning the polytheism and idolatry of the Greeks. For example when discussing Athena, at one point the author cautions us (particularly the children) not to judge the character too harshly for worshipping a statue. She explains that all the people in Athens prayed to Athena and then writes:

And often they prayed to Athena so truly and thought her so good and kind that their prayers reached to the true God over all. (45)

I was totally caught off guard and shocked- to so easily disregard the exclusivity of Christ! It did provide an opportunity to clarify with my boys. This kind of sentiment appeared with some frequency. One might choose to use this book for some history, but would need to know in advance so as to edit or be ready to correct. In all, there are a number of good books in this area so that this one can be bypassed.

One of our most useful resources for recommending good books is actually the free catalogue available from Veritas Press. Veritas lists books recommended for use in classical education. We find it useful in our work of classical home education, but I have often recommended as a good resource for parents in various settings. Many of the books I review on this site have been read in our family because we found them in this catalogue. We have found that some books they like have not been all that good in our opinion (you can find those opinions on this site). Still, this is a very useful (and free!) resource broken down in age ranges.

One idea that needs to be reclaimed in pastoral ministry is the benefit of being rooted in one location for a long time. As we resist the ideas of “climbing the ladder” and embrace truly biblical values for pastoral ministry, surely this becomes a goal for us- to continue with a specific people shepherding them over generations.

I just came across an essay by Geoff Thomas which addresses this. It is entitled, “Find a Place to Settle,” and is contained in Dear Timothy: Letters on Pastoral Ministry, ed. Tom Ascol (Cape Coral, FL: Founders Press, 2004). In this quote below Thomas provides an extended quote from Dr. James Stalker on his experience watching a man who had had such an extended ministry.

“It was my happiness, when I was ordained, to be settled next… to an aged and saintly minister. He was a man of competent scholarship, and had the reputation of having been in early life a powerful and popular preacher. But it was not to these gifts that he owed his unique influence. He moved through the town, with his white hair and somewhat staid and dignified demeanour, as a hallowing presence. His very passing in the street was a kind of benediction, and the people, as they looked after him, spoke of him to each other with affectionate veneration, children were proud when he laid his hand on their heads, and they treasured the kindly words which he spoke to them. At funerals and other seasons of domestic solemnity his presence was sought by people of all denominations. We who labored along with him in the ministry felt that his mere existence in the community was an irresistible demonstration of Christianity and a tower of strength to every good cause. Yet he had not gained this position of influence by brilliant talents or great achievements or the pushing of ambition; for he was singularly modest, and would have been the last to credit himself with half the good he did. The whole mystery lay in this, that he had lived in the town for forty years a blameless life, and was known, by everybody to be a godly and prayerful man. He was good enough to honour me with his friendship; and his example wrote deeply upon my mind these two convictions – that it may sometimes be of immense advantage to spend a whole life time in a single pastorate, and that the prime qualification for the ministry is godliness.”

The man to whom he was referring was a certain James Black of Dunnikier and little more than that paragraph of Stalker’s is known of the man or even the place where he labored. Dunnikier is too small to appear in any British atlas. Black was one that army of holy men who have served the Lord in obscure communities modestly and humbly for no reward other than the immense privilege of having so great a Master as our Christ. (pp. 363-364)

May we see more of this sort of ministry. This is what I was referring to previously when I referred to simply walking among our people in holiness ministering the word of God in word and deed.