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The Unnecessary Pastor |
The Unnecessary Pastor
Marva J. Dawn and Eugene Peterson.
Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2000
Overview
Two widely respected authors seek to explore the heart of pastoral leadership. The title of the book is a clever play on words. The authors do not propose that pastors are worthless or irrelevant, but that pastors are unnecessary in three particular ways:
- Unnecessary to what the culture presumes is important: persons who are models of goodness and moral order in the community.
- Unnecessary to what pastors feel about themselves: persons who serve in vital roles as linchpins holding congregations together.
- Unnecessary to what congregations insist that we must do and be: experts who help them stay ahead of the competition. They want pastors who lead. They want pastors the way the Israelites wanted a king.
The authors attack these common paradigms by beginning with the argument that the gospel of Jesus Christ is profoundly countercultural. They point to the fact that Jesus Himself proclaimed the truth that the sin-soaked, self-centred world is doomed. As a result, pastors ought to be committed to keeping the proclamation alive and to looking after souls in a soul-denying, soul-trivializing age:”
According to the authors, this means the task of pastoral leadership is more radical than most pastors realize. The cultural forces in the world are determined to domesticate pastors and turn them into merely nice people, replicas of our cultural leaders, seeking after power and prestige. Pastors are lured into becoming kindly religious figures, men and women who dole out inspiration and encouragement.
The purpose of the book, therefore, is to reconnect pastors with the authoritative biblical and theological texts that will train them as countercultural servants of Jesus Christ. The authors claim that pastors need to be free of the Egyptian slavery to culture and free to serve our wilderness world in Jesus’ name. Pastors need to be vigilant against letting ordination develop into subtle roles of managing projects and functions, and so depersonalise the very people Christ commanded us to love.
Marva Dawn’s contribution is based on insights from the book of Ephesians. She identifies key instructions to churches seeking to live faithfully against societal pressures. Eugene Peterson focuses on the Pastoral Epistles, drawing on scriptural images to enable every pastor to create an authentic pastoral identity.
Positives about the book:
- The authors clearly demonstrate that the apostle Paul, Timothy and Titus never allowed their pastoral ministries to be defined by culture, ego, or their congregations.
- The book provides a wide range of insights to enforce the truth that pastors require a believing and obedient relation with God’s love for the world and Christ’s reconciling work in the world. Both authors are committed to the challenge of developing true Christian community.
- The book contains sharp reminders of the need for pastors to clarify their vision of Christian leadership. Many pastors need to be awakened to the dangers of succumbing to the pressure of fulfilling false expectations for charisma and success.
- Overall, a well-written, hard-hitting and timely challenge for pastors to rediscover their Call.
Reviewed by
John W.Kirkpatrick
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