A recent Wall Street Journal article noted a comment from the recently Senator from Massachusetts. Discussing his victory in the long held Kennedy seat, he commented, in essence with, "The people are not stupid."
I was thinking about this since. If that can be said by a man about the citizens of a republic, what would say about the people of the church? The saints are born of God, indwelt by the Spirit, objects of grace and the active working of Christ in them.
Eugene Peterson, a favorite author of mine, notes:
. . . the congregation is not stupid and lumpish, waiting for pastoral enlightenment. Condescension in pastors is even worse than hostility. No, the congregation is topsoil--seething with energy and organisms that have incredible capacities for assimilating death and participating in resurrection. The only biblical stance is awe.
One of the great temptations of pastoral ministry is to treat the congregation, the members, as "stupid". We may not use those words, but we act like either they are slow to grasp truth and need constant prodding or nagging, or they are children and we pastors are fathers who must care for them. Both bear bad fruit -- both create a clergy/laity division which, it turns out, is not just a Catholic problem. Both can lead to a spirit of distrust and excessive carefulness in how pastors shepherd their flock.
I have known both temptations. I still do. More often than I like to admit, I am tempted to impatience. This is rooted in incredible self-righteousness. I think I am better than they. I have the same temptation with my wife -- and I have known it with my children. My wife helps me when she reminds me of how slowly I have responded to her needs over the years. When I think of how dull I am, I am more amazed at God's patience with me.
But there has been change and progress in how I see the people I serve. God has shown me that the people of the church are a rich gift to me as a pastor. As Peterson says, the proper stance before them is awe. They are born of God!
Classic models of ministry called for pastors to be with their
people during the week. The goal was to know the flock, to love them,
to serve them well. There was great wisdom here.
I am not denying my responsibilities as an elder but I think I can say that I have learned more from the people I have served than anyone else. For a thousand hours in elders meetings, one hour with one of the flock has often been more instructive. Sometimes just a comment explodes within.
They are neither trained theologians nor do they aspire to the office of an elder. They have not been equipped with exegetical methodology. But they have the Holy Spirit and they love Christ. Over the years their comments and observations have shaped me deeply. This has not been just in matters of personal character but in ministry wisdom, counsel for leadership, and observations about the church.I want to do a series of posts on this. I have some specific stories. People see more than you think and their counsel may be wiser than you expect.
It's great to hear about this from the elders' side. I wrote a post addressing this from the congregation's side here: http://www.pillarontherock.com/2010/02/stop-acting-like-your-church-is-stupid.htm
Posted by: PJ King | February 27, 2010 at 02:35 PM