Pastor? Scholar? Why Choose?
Athanasius, Augustine, Calvin, Luther, Wesley, Edwards—men whose enduring legacies have shaped the landscape of contemporary theological thought. Their reflection was deep, their intellect profound, their passion remarkable, and their influence vast. And these great thinkers not only impacted the intellectuals of their day, but were followed and admired by the laity as well. What was it about these men that established them as such significant theologians? What made them so effective in sparking revival, bolstering faith, and reforming the Church?
Though diverse in their theologies, all of these men shared a common and significant mark of distinction—they were churchmen. They were bishops and preachers, pastors and founders of denominations, shepherd of souls. Though not all of them were formally pastors in the sense we understand today, their social, theological, and intellectual life was inseparably woven into the fabric of parish ministry. They were practitioners as much as theologians. Living among the people for whom they wrote and thought, the press and weight of parish life drove the questions that their theology sought to answer. And they were loved by their people because they resided among them, and because the questions that panged the heart of their parishioners, panged also their own. They were churchmen first, and theologians second, and the former gave birth to the latter.
The legacy of such great men teaches us the value of uniting the role of pastor with that of theologian; yet a resounding absence of such a union marks the church today. Our most significant theologians now reside almost exclusively in the academy. To be sure, the rise of the academy requires thoughtful academic theologians who live and move in that environment. But is it best that virtually all of our theologians have moved to the academy? There is a need for a renaissance of the pastor-theologian, pastors who endeavor to do theology from the pastor’s study and not solely the professor’s lectern. Not every pastor is called to a life of scholarship. Nor is every professor called to the pastorate. But many young people today feel the pull between a life of scholarship and the life of the church. It is to our detriment if we force such individuals to choose between these two callings.
The application for this short reflection is simple: if you find yourself to be that unique sort of person who longs to produce thoughtful scholarship on the one hand, and yet feels called into pastoral ministry on the other, don’t choose between the two. Bring these two passions together. The evangelical academy needs you in the church, producing scholarship that speaks immediately and directly to ecclesial concerns. After all, the most significant task of the evangelical divinity school is training future pastors; who better to write theology for training pastors than pastor-scholars?
I’ve got a lot of energy for this, and more to say. Stay tuned. . .
Categorized as: Church, Evangelicalism, From Gerald, Pastor-scholar, Theology
October 29th, 2008 at 3:31 pm
What are your thought on formal education for pastors? If someone is called of God to be a pastor/planter, should they pursue formal seminary education? If the time and money isn’t there for that education, but the call remains, what would you recommend?
Thanks
October 29th, 2008 at 9:16 pm
Your comments echo the longings of my heart! I am a seminary student headed for a vocation in Christian camping (hopefully), but I love the Academy too much to give it up all the way! I want to do my best to stay connected to both worlds because I agree they are equally beneficial. I wish more of my classmates felt the same.
October 30th, 2008 at 10:57 am
What good is call without the tools to fulfill that call? The Holy Spirit works through the Word, which alone is spirit and life (Jn 6.63). The seminary education is necessary for the fact that our busy culture doesn’t allow the kind of focused attention that is needed to become ‘qualified’ for the vocation of pastor (2 Tim 2:2). I’m not saying that it is impossible to become qualified outside of a seminary education, but is it likely? Take history for example: There is so much theological crap shooting out of the mouths of so many false prophets today. Much of it has been said already in the past and we can learn from the victories (and mistakes) of the faithful theolgians on how to deal with these things. It is true that a call is a call and that God makes one ‘qualified’. But just think of how much more of a blessing it would to the congregation or community God will call you to if you have been through intense training and have a solid Scriptural foundation upon which you heal and comfort this world’s sickness and emptiness effecting ‘your flock’.
As far as the financial aspect; there is assistance available. People and institutions of God’s Church love to help out their future pastors.
Just some food for thought. Our Lord’s peace be with you!
October 31st, 2008 at 3:00 am
[...] Why choose between being a pastor and a scholar? [...]
November 4th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
I understand what you’re saying Nick. And to some degree, I agree. But…
In my situation, I’m working full time to support my growing family. I also serve as an elder in the church, leading, preaching occasionally, managing our involvement with close to a dozen missionaries, and serving as elder to the youth and college groups (which means I’m teaching twice a week).
I manage to read a good bit, and listen to about one lecture from a seminary each day. The free ones they offer via iTunes.
I’m learning to preach and teach by practice and experience, not to mention the seminary classes I take online, and the sermons I listen to each week from great preachers like Piper or Sproul or Driscoll.
I’m learning to “pastor” by counseling the young people, alongside my wife, in our body as they struggle with various issues from sexuality to alcohol.
I could replace the lectures I listen to for free with paid classes via distance edu. I could probably make it work financially if my church helped out. But how is that any different than the education I’m currently getting for free?
I constantly share what I’m learning with the other elders and seek counsel from them. To get a seminary edu I would need to spend money that is currently not being spent, and take time away from the ministry I’m already involved in.
I looked into the distance program from RTS, but the money I would spend could be used to pay off my wife’s student loans instead so that we have no debt hanging over us when we go to plant.
November 6th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
[...] From Straight Up, the blog for pastors at Harvest Bible Fellowship Athanasius, Augustine, Calvin, Luther, Wesley, Edwards—men whose enduring legacies have shaped the landscape of contemporary theological thought. Their reflection was deep, their intellect profound, their passion remarkable, and their influence vast. And these great thinkers not only impacted the intellectuals of their day, but were followed and admired by the laity as well. What was it about these men that established them as such significant theologians? What made them so effective in sparking revival, bolstering faith, and reforming the Church? [...]
November 16th, 2008 at 2:02 am
I have been a follower of Christ just shy of four years and there is an ever increasing desire to study scripture and the more I study the more I want to serve. My dream job would would be to Pastor and wish that God would call me to Pastor. I don’t really understand how any one who has experienced God’s grace and accepted Christ as Lord and Savior can go through life with out a passionate scholarly desire. Jesus said whoever has my commands and keeps them, he is the one who loves me. We must study scripture to know his commands. When Jesus went into the desert and was tempted by Satan, he, the Son of God, relied on scripture to deflect Satans attacks. How much more then do I need to know scripture. Jesus said his flock know his voice, how can we know any other way than the study of scripture. Joshua said do not let the scripture depart from our lips. We should all be scholars to some extent. Now I am all fired up. I have to go study…
November 27th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
[...] ::: b l o g • s h o t ::: #3 Gerald Hiestand, pastor at Harvest Bible Chapel and President of the Society for the Advancement of Ecclesial Theology, has just calls men to the pastor-scholar paradigm. [...]