The Pastor as Public Theologian

I am starting a new book by Kevin J. Vanhooser and Owen Strachan. On the heels of reading Strachan’s book, “Christianity and Wokeness,” I thought I would dive into another one of his books that has been waiting for me in a stack by my study chair. This one is a bit older but already the introduction has me thinking.

The term “pastor” is a metaphor taken from the Latin meaning shepherd. This original metaphor has been overtaken by a host of other metaphors that often leave pastors feeling the enormous pressure to figure out how to operate in a wide landscape of expectations. It leaves me wanting to send a survey monkey link to my congregation asking, "How do you define the role of the pastor?” or “What is it that you think I do?” Vanhooser and Strachen list many of the possibilities. Is a pastor:

CEO?

Theologian or scholar?

Shrewd business man?

Marketing specialist?

Psychotherapist?

Political agitator? 

Revivalist or evangelist? 

“Builder or Architect” of congregations and buildings? 

“Manager” of people and programs?

Negotiator?

Social media influencer?

Diagnostician?

Author?

Team builder?

Professional Christian?

Religious event coordinator?

Story-teller?

Coach?

Social activist leader?

Enigmatic people magnet?

Other _____________________?

Answering this question is essential because it determines how a pastor operates. “It is hard to apply standards of excellence to what pastors do unless we first determine what it is they are (or should be) doing” (Vanhooser). However, the success of pastoral work will be determined by our ability to identify and embrace a biblical vision of this important role rather than blindly grabbing at the diversity of opinions. As we do this we will struggle not to bow to the voice of cultural relevance which uses its controlling influence to demand that we cater to the current felt need (like racism, gender fluidity or politics). We need to understand the grave danger the church finds itself in this ambiguity. A lack of clarity here combined with this pressure can cause a church to drift from its biblical moorings bending to the temptation to draw from other cultural sources outside the Bible to satisfy these voices. For example, consider this quote from Eugene Peterson, 

“The vocation of pastor has been replaced by the strategies of religious entrepreneurs with business plans… I love being an American,…[but] I don’t love the rampant consumerism that treats God as a product to be marketed.”

The defined and undefined vocational role of the pastor is crucial for the church. A wrong vision of the role of the pastor can lead to a diminishing of theological concepts like sin, grace, and God. Therefore, the misdirected pastor can lead a congregation in a direction that is far from a biblical ecclesiastical identity and mission as the blood-brought bride of Christ who is actively taking the Gospel to the world.

Is the function of your pastor clear in your church? Is it communicated anywhere? What does your congregation think your pastor does? Was that clearly stated to your pastor when you hired him or at his last performance review?

It is difficult to nail down a consensus from the list above. The response can become a nuanced hybrid of two or three that will change from congregation to congregation. I have met many pastors and they all have different backgrounds and abilities/giftings that enable them to function differently. However, there needs to be an identifiable role that all pastors fill that no one else can. Biblically, there is a call for pastors/elders to be shepherds. The role of the shepherd is to provide loving care, nourishment, protection, and direction for the flock (1 Pt 5:2, John 21:16, Acts 20:28). We should note that Jesus calls himself the good shepherd and defines the role in contrast to the thief who comes to steal and destroy (John 10). The shepherd spends time and develops trust with a skittish group of animals. Sheep need a shepherd to lead them to places where they can graze because sheep will find a cliff to fall from as easily as finding their next paddock. As my wife, Kristen watches Greg Judy videos on Youtube and I begin to read this book, I am learning the complexity in this biblical metaphor. As I write, I am wrestling to distill my pondering into a calling. Perhaps, you are chewing on it also. It is a great topic to revisit and reflect upon.

I’ll end this post here with the primary pastoral role of a shepherd. I'm particularly interested in how Vanhooser and Strachen develop the communication aspect of shepherding as a public theologian. 

To be a Christian theologian is to seek, speak and show understanding of what God was doing in Christ for the sake of the world (Vanhooser).