I am only now thinking more carefully about potential titles for my doctoral project. The title above is probably a small reflection on the many reflections and readings I’ve had in the last few months. The title will likely be edited, but what it brings to mind is my desire to provide a model that brings to the forefront a way of thinking of pastoral ministry. It combines the tangible dimension of pastoral care which is caring for souls (Baxterian) and doing it with a smile on your face (Peterson).
Too much pastoral work is done with a sense of fear. This does not set the stage for long-term endurance. The concept of longevity is rarely discussed in pastoral theologies but needs to be grasped, especially by those new to the work of the church. Questions like, What does longevity look like? What can we learn from those who walked faithfully the life of the ministry? Are we capable of determining our limitations? Why have so many forsaken the pastoral call? Why have congregations destroyed pastors? What allowed pastors to be easily manipulated? are to be contemplated, but are often replaced with questions pertaining to numbers and strategies for growth, etc.
The question of longevity deserves attention. There are, of course, extraordinary situations in which ministers step down, but ordinarily, pastors step down for a host of self-imposed afflictions. I believe that is certain lessons are learned, they can provide a better perspective in the years ahead. The matter of longevity is not a matter of how not to suffer, but how to suffer well and with a purpose in pastoral work.
Another trend is how pastors contemplate the role of their families as secondary or a necessary evil to the primacy of their own flock. When Paul speaks (I Tim. 3:4) of managing our households well as a qualification for the pastorate, he uses it as analogical. The oikos is a picture of the ecclesia. Too often pastoral theology is done backward. The reason the oikos is first is that it is a group of individuals we can guide with greater firmness; an institution where the head of a home can direct with imperatives and love; a place where our shepherding muscles are flexed. It is more manageable. The precise connection is that pastors are only accountable to those acts in church life that are ordinarily under his care. He is not responsible for things outside his authority. Therefore, the house functions as a daily mini-pastoral training seminar. if the oikos is not functioning in some kind of order, it’s unlikely the ecclesia will.
Finally, the title above provides the impetus and the motivation behind the work. If pastoral work is burdensome, it will not endure. We need to be driven by joy instead of survival instincts. For a minister to thrive in the pastoral field, he needs to plant sees with joy knowing that his labors are not in vain,
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