The Lord Needs Bulldozers

“St John the Baptist Preaching to the Masses in the Wilderness,” Pieter Brueghel the Younger

Brethren, the time has come, once again, for the Church and her preachers to take heart and play the part of men in the face of the world’s whirling winds.  We will need the steadfastness of John.  Congregations need pastors who will dare to preach to them, not merely opine.  Pastors who, like John, will look their people in the eyes and tell them the truth about sin, faith, death, sex, marriage, faithfulness, virtue, and truth; who will call sin “sin,” and point sinners to Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away their sins; the Lamb hidden for them to eat in the bread and the chalice.  We need the ministry of John, that the Church dare to stand apart from the world for the sake of the world; to look, speak, and act differently from every other place in the world for the sake of engaging the world with a Gospel not of this world.  We all need Pastor John’s preaching in our lives, to bulldoze our idols and make plain to us our priorities.  To call us out into the wilderness to repent and believe our Baptism.  To give us a joy for which we will gladly lose our heads.

Joshua Hayes, Gottensdienst 24.4

Pride of Office and Humility of Person

Great care is needed by those who are under-shepherds of God’s flock  to balance pride and humility.  The below, from a paper entitled “Duties of the Pastor: Expectations and Evaluations” recently presented by Pr. Bryan Wolfmueller, addressed that concern in an engaging way.

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The vocation of pastor, then, is simple, but this does not mean that it is easy.  The Scriptures warn us of the difficulty.

The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.  (1 Timothy 3:1)

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.  (James 3:1)

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account.  Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.  (Hebrews 13:7)

I’ve wondered if the Lord has arranged the work of the pastor to ensure nobody is actually good at it.  Simply considering the way personalities work faces us up to this.  The guy who likes to spend hours concentrating on study of ancient texts normally does not like to stand in front of people and talk.  The guy who likes to sit in meetings and make sure everything is arranged just right normally does not like his evenings interrupted with emergencies.  A pastor is required to be an introvert and an extrovert, creative and disciplined, a good listener and a good speaker and a good writer, a logical thinker with great emotional empathy, holy and relatable.  In other words, no one is good at it.

Wrestling with this difficulty works itself out in a handful of different directions.  There is a pride of office and a humility of person that is often confused.  The pastor who understands rightly the great authority of his office becomes proud of his person, and subsequently receives any compliment or criticism into his person.  On the other hand, there is the pastor that knows his shortcomings and his inability to bear the office with the dignity it requires, and reacts by reducing the office to something more manageable.  Both are wrong.  The Scriptures would call us to a pride of office and humility of person, taking the teaching and work seriously, but not ourselves.

This is why St. Paul’s discussion of sufficiency comes up so often in the discussion of the work of the pastor:

Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God.  Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit.  For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.  (2 Corinthians 3:4-6)

Shepherds, You Have One Job

Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.  By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.  (2 Ti 1:13-14)

Here is the simple truth: either you are a sheep or you are not a Christian.  God sends pastors because whether the people are easily led or not, they are most certainly easily misled.  Apart from Christ and His death we are all easy prey for wolves—often because we admire the wolves and despise the weakness of God in the flesh on the cross.

The Lord sends shepherds to lead His flock to green pastures.  The flock is led by the Good Shepherd’s voice, not by the pastor’s voice.  If we have heard a thousand sermons about how sheep are stupid and stubborn animals, we should also know that the ranks of shepherds, in the real world, have never been filled with braniacs or men of valor.  In fact, young boys like David could easily shepherd his father’s flocks.  Here is the point: what our pastors are sent to do, a boy … could do.

But, in fairness, the same could be said of what it takes to be a marine.  We might remember that the word infantry comes from the Latin word for “children.”  Foot soldiers, infantrymen, were those who were too inexperienced to serve in the cavalry but were good in absorbing spear thrusts and cannonballs.  What does it take to be a good marine or infantryman?  Do what you are told.  Follow orders.  Be faithful.  Do not sleep on your watch.

And yet, we know that no matter how simple it might be in concept, marines and good infantrymen are few and far between.  So are good and faithful pastors.

Pastor David H. Petersen, Gottestiendst, 2013:3

Copy That!

In radio speak there is a phrase, “Copy that!” to inform the broadcaster that you received the message.  Maybe that should be used by church leaders in response to God.  What do I mean?

There is a prescribed ancient practice that should be undertaken when recognized for spiritual oversight of a local assembly.  As Moses addresses the people of Israel before crossing over into the land of promise, he gives instructions to kings recognized over the people.  As first order of business upon coronation, the king

shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests.  And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel.  (Deut 17:18-20)

This is a remarkable requirement: the king is to make his own copy of Torah to read and study.  Moses’ instruction appears to state that “he king himself copy the covenant out by hand to impress it more deeply upon his memory.”*  Israel, as a nation called of God, was to be distinct from other nations in its administration,† therefore the administrative head needed to be on top of what He requires.  Since the king was not required to understand the minutia of Levitical practice, only the book of Deuteronomy would need to be copied, as it sufficiently summarized all the Lord required of the his people.

Of course, we cannot directly equate the king of Israel to the pastors or overseers of a local assembly, but the practice of hand-copying a document would cause the message to be instilled into the copier’s life.  There is no way the message could not have an affect.  Our overseers (plus deacons and any other teachers) should do the same.

You may ask why I would want a New Testament leader to write out the book of Deuteronomy.  First, the Pentateuch is the foundation of the Bible.  If our leaders do not know those five books intimately, they do not understand the purpose of the church as the Body of Christ and how it functions.  Those books are basic.  Second, I do not trust those in position to study it on their own, or if they do, that it be done properly.‡ Although these men may be otherwise trustworthy, they are still susceptible to sin and skirting sound doctrine.

This is a taxing requirement, but God’s people are to be led and served by those who can rightfully handle the word of truth (2 Tim 2:15), shepherd the flock of God (1 Pet 5:2), and speak/serve in the strength as God supplies (1 Pet 4:10-11).  They need to know the basics of the Bible, and such a practice would help.


*  Raymond Brown, The Message of Deuteronomy, 180 .  He continues that this may simply be ordering the ruler to makes sure scribes create a copy for him, however the force of the language seems more pointed.
†  J. G. McConville, Deuteronomy, 295.
‡  I am not being negative but understanding how the latent sin nature interferes with our intentions.

Pastors Are to Act Like Fathers, not Rock Stars

You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers.  For you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.  (1 Thess 2:10-12)

The way [Paul] makes distinctions shows us his precision in writing.  He did not say, “We appeared blameless to everyone,” but “to you believers;” and he added God's testimony, since only visible things are obvious to men, but to God also what escapes the notice of men.  Once again he developed another metaphor, likening himself to a father to bring out in further ways the affection he has for them.  Now it was very suitable for him to employee the three verbs: exhorted, encouraged, and charged.  It is necessary not only to offer consolation to the downhearted but also to put fear into those addicted to sloth with the reminder of threatened evils.  “I did this,” he is saying, “to urge you to choose a life appropriate to the God who called you and promised the kingdom of heaven.”

Theodoret of Cyrus, "The First Letter to the Thessalonians"

Keep Giving Me Christ Crucified

For the under-shepherds of Christ's sheep performing their duties while dealing with their own flaws—the vestiges of the sin nature—I pass along this encouragement found at Ad Crucem to remain faithful in service according to God's word.

So, pastor, I plead.  In the middle of all the noise and thankless underpaid chaos that your life can be, give me forgiveness.  Give me the Gospel.  Give me Christ.  I can not tell you it will make your life any easier or even that I will complain any less about carpet color.  But I need it.  And I think you do too.  So give me Christ.  Tell me of the splendor of a king dying a criminal’s death being the best news I have ever heard.  Do not worry about boring me with repeating it: just keep building it up.  Let me sing of mercy shed on me, let me hear the words, "given for you."  Help me fix my eyes on Christ.

And since I may forget later, thank you for doing the often thankless job of preaching Christ crucified for sinners, a stumbling block to Jews, folly to Greeks, and the aroma of death to those who are perishing—but to us life, hope, and peace.

Pastors, Return to the Scriptures

• Psalm 77:11-15
• I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
•         yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
• I will ponder all your work,
•         and meditate on your mighty deeds.
• Your way, O God, is holy.
•         What god is great like our God?
• You are the God who works wonders;
•         you have made known your might among the peoples.
• You with your arm redeemed your people,
•         the children of Jacob and Joseph.  Selah

In the introduction to the Large Catechism, Martin Luther rails against pastors who are "altogether shameful gluttons and servants of their own bellies who ought to be more properly swineherds and dog tenders than caretakers of souls and pastors." (2)  Sadly, this malady continues to the present day.  In the past, I have called out or linked to blog posts of local assemblies who are being led into tomfoolery rather than sound biblical teaching.

Luther, in his inimitable style, offers a solution to these goatherds:

[O]h, that, instead thereof, they would only, morning, noon, and evening, read a page or two in the catechism, the prayer book, the New Testament, or elsewhere in the Bible, and pray the Lord's Prayer for themselves and their parishioners, so that they might render, in return, honor and thanks to the Gospel, by which they have been delivered from burdens and troubles so manifold, and might feel a little shame because like pigs and dogs they retain no more of the Gospel than such a lazy, pernicious, shameful, carnal liberty!… Therefore I beg such lazy paunches or presumptuous saints to be persuaded and believe for God's sake that they are verily, verily! not so learned or such great doctors as they imagine; and never to presume that they have finished learning this, or know it well enough in all points, even though they think that they know it ever so well.  For though they should know and understand it perfectly (which, however, is impossible in this life), yet there are manifold benefits and fruits still to be obtained, if it be daily read and practiced in thought and speech; namely, that the Holy Spirit is present in such reading and repetition and meditation, and bestows ever new and more light and devoutness, so that it is daily relished and appreciated better, as Christ promises, Matt. 18:20 "Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them." (3, 9)

If only pastors continuously return to the font of wisdom from which they fed as growing believers, they might not become full of themselves and be self-deceived into believing they can do a new thing for God.

Pastoral Humility

Every man desiring to be an overseer in the local assembly would do well to understand the spiritual humility necessary for the work.

Since then I knew these things, and that no one is worthy of the mightiness of God, and the sacrifice, and priesthood, who has not first presented himself to God, a living, holy sacrifice, and set forth the reasonable, well-pleasing service, and sacrificed to God the sacrifice of praise and the contrite spirit, which is the only sacrifice required of us by the Giver of all; how could I dare to offer to Him the external sacrifice, the anti-type of the great mysteries, or clothe myself with the garb and name of priest,

• before my hands had been consecrated by holy works;
• before my eyes had been accustomed to gaze safely upon created things, with wonder only for the Creator, and without injury to the creature;
• before my ear had been sufficiently opened to the instruction of the Lord, and He had opened mine ear to hear without heaviness, and had set a golden earring with precious sardius, that is, a wise man’s word in an obedient ear;
• before my mouth had been opened to draw in the Spirit, and opened wide to be filled with the spirit of speaking mysteries and doctrines; and my lips bound, to use the words of wisdom, by divine knowledge, and, as I would add, loosed in due season;
• before my tongue had been filled with exultation, and become an instrument of Divine melody, awaking with glory, awaking right early, and laboring till it cleave to my jaws;
• before my feet had been set upon the rock, made like hart’s feet, and my footsteps directed in a godly fashion so that they should not well-nigh slip, nor slip at all;
• before all my members had become instruments of righteousness, and all mortality had been put off, and swallowed up of life, and had yielded to the Spirit?

Gregory Nazianzen, In Defense of His Flight to Pontus, 95*

* I took the liberty of setting out each of Gregory's points for easier reading.

A Code of Ethics for Pastors?

That's right: the National Association of Evangelicals has put forth a Code of Ethics for pastors, signed by prominent church leaders with an invitation for other church leaders to sign.  Why?  What has caused these men to abandon the sufficiency of Christ and the scriptures to do all that has been taught, manifested, and promised through divine revelation?  How is it that evangelicals think so little of the means of grace and discipleship our Lord Jesus taught to the twelve that they feel compelled to supplement the integrity of God's word and the working of the Holy Spirit with a statement that states what should be learned by anyone as the normal Christian life, much less one by one who is an overseer and elder of God's people.

Evangelicalism as a movement must be on its last legs to continually stoop to lower and lower standards.  This is a sign the abject failure of the past decades of varying theological philosophies and endeavors plied in God's name but not according to his word.  I thoroughly understand why men, women, and families have abandoned it for the Church of Rome or Eastern Orthodoxy.  Evangelicals have a culture that has swapped entertainment for worship and so diluted the Law and Gospel that pastors seem more like carnival sideshow barkers than proclaimers of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Do I sound upset?  I am.  This comes after listening to a series in which an otherwise good pastor forced what he wanted to say on scripture passages regardless of the context.  That fueled a fire, and this NAE thing really set me off.

How about we teach the Bible better?  Maybe that will help.

Nicaea - Canon 15

  On account of the great disturbance and discords that occur, it is decreed that the custom prevailing in certain places contrary to the Canon, must wholly be done away; so that neither bishop, presbyter, nor deacon shall pass from city to city.  And if any one, after this decree of the holy and great Synod, shall attempt any such thing, or continue in any such course, his proceedings shall be utterly void, and he shall be restored to the Church for which he was ordained bishop or presbyter.

Leading up to this council, some church leaders had begun moving from one locale to another without sanction for various reasons—some altruistic, some not.  The council recognized that such movements were counter-productive and attempted to stem the practice.  Citing that the bond between a church and its leader was akin to marriage, they viewed it as an act of spiritual adultery.  There were legitimate cases that seemed to require a move.  In such both the sending and receiving churches would agree with the blessing of fellow overseers.  However, over time this canon was entirely disregarded.

Though having fallen into neglect, the intent of this canon has direct application for today in relation to the modern pastorate.  A typical scenario has the following elements:

1.	A man filled with desire to do something for God
2.	He attends seminary full-time (or as near to possible) in order to finish quickly
		a. Neglecting his wife and possibly children
		b. Ruining his health
3.	He graduates with little practical experience.
4.	He travels about candidating at various churches looking for the proper fit
5.	A church issues a formal call
6.	If accepted, the man actively pastors at that church for an average of 4-5 years, gaining much-needed experience
7.	Either the church or the pastor determines the fit is not correct
8.	Start over at step 4 and repeat until retirement or death

The differences between the early and modern church are quite stark.

Local Emphasis – When Paul and Barnabas ministered returned from the outer reach of their missionary trip, they stopped to see the new disciples and "appointed elders for them in every town" (Acts 14:23).  From the beginning oversight was from within the local church and not an act of superimposing another spiritual authority on top of the local church.  After the first apostles died, this pattern continued as churches aged and new ones were begun.  All believers were expected to be actively discipling with a natural outcome of growth both in the giving and receiving of sound doctrine.  As younger men aged, those who exhibited Christ-like character, wisely used the scriptures, and cared for the local church were recognized and acknowledged as new overseers.  Bringing in an outsider was the exception rather than the norm.

Today the opposite is expected.  Out of an initial church plant, few if any are properly discipled, and those who have an acumen for the Lord's things are encouraged to attend Bible school and seminary, but rare is the case that such a person will return to the commending church.  More commonly, the seminarian forges into other territories seeking to make his own way leaving the home church with unfulfilled hopes.  Even more likely than this is the church which has nobody with a penchant for the ministry.  In both cases there will eventually need to be someone to shepherd the church.  The job posting is placed, applicants are interviewed, and someone is hired to do the work of the ministry.  Even if the hired preacher is not forced out by internal strife, people will not consider themselves accountable to God for the work he gave them to do (Eph 2:10) or the call to grow in grace (2 Pet 3:18), rather wallowing in a sanctimonious or self-pitying mire.

Permanency – In the early church, those in oversight generally stayed in one place unless forced to do otherwise.  There is scant evidence of any elder in the apostolic church moving from one city to another, though a case might be made for Aquila, the believer from Rome (Romans 16:3-5) who with his wife Priscilla found themselves in Corinth because of persecution against the Jews (Acts 18:2).  The names of Irenaeus, Tertullian, Cyprian, and Ignatius come readily to mind as those who stayed to mind the flock without thought of moving away.  Though the latter two  were forced because of persecution to leave their posts, neither had a desire to leave the flock unattended.  As the Nicene canon intended, the overseer was to be a permanent fixture of his church.  The bond was between spiritual shepherd and sheep was meant to be as fixed as the Lord Jesus' own (John 10:12).

This element is more rare today.  Either the pastor or church can terminate what is in essence an employment contract.  As long as the terms of employment are met, the contract remains in force.  If either fails to maintain the terms or wishes to renegotiate, either party is allowed to sever relations.  On the surface this seems quite clinical, and it is.  The correct bond never truly exists between the overseer and the people.

Perhaps now is the time for the church to correct this faux pas and reinstate the need for sound, godly leadership as the natural growth product of consistent discipleship.

Potpourri

I considered using Hodge-Podge or Miscellany in the title, but my word choice had a more refined air about it.  Anyway, I offer the following bits for your pleasure.

The Pastoral Touch of Jonathan Edwards: Three Examples by Jeff Lacine – I was touched by Edwards' pastoral heart. Honestly, it took me by surprised.  That shows how unaware I am of his life.

Discount Books – If you happen to be in the vicinity of Notre Dame University, there are good discounts being offered for some titles. Check it out.

Pastoral Formation in Theological Education: Retrospect and Prospect by John Kleining – The author itemizes concerns for the Lutheran church in Australia, many of which relate to denominations and local churches in the U.S.

• The disappearance of the family altar and of sound Lutheran spirituality from members
• Pastors who have been taught to offer inept psychological counselling rather than spiritual care to their members and people in need
• The prevailing Pentecostal-Protestant theology that teaches the real absence of Christ and separates the Spirit from the word
• The spirituality of neo-Gnosticism with its contempt for the created order and the body, a spirituality that sanctions abortion, euthanasia, divorce, and homosexual intercourse
• The managerial approach to church leadership and organization with its reliance on psychological and sociological data as a modern kind of divination
• The view that success in the ministry of the gospel can be assessed by a pastor’s performance rather than by his faithfulness in receiving and delivering divine gifts
• Theology and practice that is “Unitarian” rather than truly Trinitarian with a proper understanding of the order of relations in the Trinity and the cooperation of all three persons of the Trinity in dealing with us
• The growing disillusionment of the Lutheran churches in Africa and Asia with the Lutheran World Federation and their need for theological help in countering the challenges of Pentecostalism, secularism, and Islam
• The resurgence of Islam and its spread in the so-called Christian West with its promise of law and order and its charge of sacrilegious immorality against the church

He goes on to note several points to turn the tide at the seminary level.  I especially enjoyed number four:

4. We should teach our students how to use God’s efficacious word in the divine service and in pastoral care.

Practice and promote the sufficiency of scripture.  What a thought!

Should Pastors Be Salaried?

A blog I follow, Early Church Studies, has linked to a 1997 piece by Darryl Erkel entitled Should Pastors Be Salaried?  The author makes a solid case that believers in the New Testament church did not regularly pay those in positions of spiritual leadership.  And those who, like Paul, might be able to demand remuneration actively eschewed the notion so that the gospel would not be hindered.