Amen, John Stott: “In our day, in which there is much confusion about the nature and purpose of the pastoral ministry, and much questioning whether clergy are primarily social workers, psychotherapists, educators, facilitators or administrators, it is important to rehabilitate the noble word ‘pastors’, who are shepherds of Christ’s sheep, called to tend, feed and […]
Archive of posts tagged defining ministry
Counsel to the Hot-Headed
In general, the church in America today is in great need of renewal. There is plenty to lament, and there is much work or reformation to be done. However, one major hindrance to such renewal work is well-meaning but hot-headed laborers who too easily think that offending church members is the primary mark of faithfulness. […]
Herbert’s Poetic Portrayal of Pastoral Ministry
I’m continuing to glean from the reading of George Herbert’s The Temple, an amazing collection of poems describing the Christian life. His poem, “Aaron,” is a compelling, honest portrayal of the challenge of pastoral ministry. Herbert poses the problem of the reality of the preacher’s sinfulness and the holiness of God. How can a sinful […]
Pastors, Believe!
This column by Peter Leithart is a powerful call for pastors to believe in the effectiveness of God’s word, to be reminded of the spiritual realities at work in what they do. Leithart specifically is saying pastors need not entering the realm of politics in order to impact the world. This is true, but don’t […]
“Your souls, more precious than thousands of worlds”
How should a pastor think of the members of the church he serves? Too often today church members are thought of as customers or potential workers. This is not the scriptural pattern; nor is it the practice of our forebears. Just today I came back to “The Glory and Ornament of a True Gospel‐constituted Church” […]
No “Safe Distance” Ministry
A main theme of this blog is the necessity of pastors knowing their people in order to be able really to pastor them. A colleague of mine, Justin Barnard, recently pointed me to Henri Nouwen’s In the Name of Jesus as a source making a similar point. The following excerpt is a powerful summary of ministry […]
Pastor of a Church vs. Just a Preacher
“He who can only generalize in the pulpit, but has not ability to individualize out of it; who cannot in some measure meet the varieties of religious perplexity, and deal with the various modifications of awakened solicitude; who finds himself disinclined or disabled to guide the troubled conscience through the labyrinths which sometimes meet the […]
