The lost art of teaching in pastoral ministry
Pastors are called to teach. “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations,” Jesus commanded his disciples before ascending to heaven, “baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Mt. 28:19-20) We bear the sacred call to do many things: care for souls, manage the church’s finances, maintain the building, complete denominational paperwork, and visit people in the hospital. While the importance of these tasks is undeniable, without teaching, the pastoral call is lost. Dallas Willard spoke about this call:
The pastors are to be the teachers of the nations. They are the ones who have the knowledge from God. Knowledge of what is right and wrong and what is good and bad has now fallen away from our culture in general. It will not be recovered unless the pastors take their stand in their community as the teachers of their community. Now this may sound very audacious, but Jesus has assigned that role to us. We are to make disciples...That is the solution to the human problem both for time and for eternity. It takes a special effort on the part of the pastor to assume that role.
Without teaching, a part of our calling is diminished, and the world pays the price. However, confusion over this task is likely to grow in a world increasingly shaped by endless information, digital landscapes, and artificial intelligence. In responding to our call to be teachers, we may be tempted to educate about everything rather than focus on the ways of God. The information age will entice us to convey messages we were never intended to deliver.
Navigating ministry challenges in the digital age
This digital landscape requires many of us to feel as though we are required to be biblical scholars, theologians, therapists, CEOs, and stand-up comics all at the same time. And, as too many of us learn, if we aren’t good at each of these tasks in an increasingly proficient way, then we can expect the wrath of God’s people on Sundays. Rather than resisting the pressures driven by the marketplace of consumer Christians, we give in, offering our insights and hot takes on everything. Soon, we become nothing more than drive-through vendors of religious information. “Since the needs seem legitimate enough, we easily slip into the routines of merchandizing moral advice and religious comfort,” incisively writes Eugene Peterson. “Before long, we find that we are program directors in a flourishing business.”
Why humble pastors make the strongest leaders
To be a pastor is not to be a know-it-all. Nor is it to be an ego-enhancing opportunity where we use our power and pulpit as a means of bolstering our sense of knowledge and insight. Nor is it to be an extended exercise in using our spiritual authority to “win” the culture wars. The true purpose of pastoring is to minister first to God, then to minister to people on God’s behalf. As Warren Wiersbe would once famously write, “The purpose is not to win an argument but to win lost souls to Christ.” Jesus didn’t tell Peter to conquer the sheep and lambs. He told them to care for and feed them (Jn.21:15-19).
This does not mean we are called to be stupid or ignorant. Quite the opposite. We are to work hard, study, and prepare ourselves. As Paul writes to Timothy, “ Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” (2 Tim. 2:15) But it also does not mean that the pastor should lead out of their own wisdom and eloquence. “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel,” Paul would write, “not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.” (1 Cor. 1:17) In between these two is the call. We must be studious and hard-working, ready to offer a reason for our faith. But, simultaneously, do so with a broken and meek heart.
This means we can be bold in proclaiming Christ and his resurrection. But, about all the rest, feel a sense of confidence in not being know-it-alls.
I wish I had known this earlier. Years ago, a young man in my congregation asked to meet for coffee. During our meeting, he asked me what he believed the Lord was leading our church to do. He wanted to know what my “fresh vision” for the church was. At the time, young and eager to prove my worth, I felt compelled to conjure up a vision for him on the spot to protect my ego from being bruised. So I lied to him, all in the name of wanting to appear as if I had it together. I allowed the pressures of expectations to make me pretend I knew what I was doing.
But, of course, I had forgotten what my Bible had taught me.
“A broken and contrite spirit I will not despise.” (Ps. 51:7)
“In your weakness, I am strong.” (2 Cor. 12:10)
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened.” (Mt. 11:28)
After I reflected on my friend’s questions about the church, it dawned on me that his questions were fair and legitimate. The problem wasn’t his desire to understand my vision. My problem was that I felt like I had to fill the silence of my vision with words. That isn’t our task. We don’t have to fill the silence, the void, the ignorance. We can’t produce God’s voice. And if we try, we are in bad company.
In this know-it-all culture of digital arrogance and artificial intelligence that rightly has “artificial” in its name, the Christian leader of today needs to lead out of a different spirit. We must learn to “feel the emotions” of not being enough and “take the risks of amateurism,” writes Wendell Berry. Embrace the feelings of being a pastor who doesn’t know everything.
Pastors, we must remember, are called to teach. But the best teachers are never know-it-alls.
Citations
1 As quoted in a talk entitled “A heart-felt word to pastors and leaders,” which can be found online at https://dwillard.org/resources/articles/a-heart-felt-word-to-pastors-and-leaders
2 Eugene Peterson, Under the Unpredictable Plant: An Exploration in Vocational Holiness (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1992), 172–73.
3 Wiersbe, Warren W. The Bible Exposition Commentary—New Testament, Volume 2, (Colorado Springs, CO: Victor, 2001), 413-414.
4 Berry, Wendell, Citizenship Papers (Washington D.C.: Shoemaker & Hoard, 2003), 39.