One of my responsibilities over the years in the Church has been to examine candidates for ordination, to enquire into their fitness for the Church's ministry and to promote and encourage the continued growth of those who already serve -- including myself.
As we approach Easter and Pentecost, those examinations are already in full-swing again. The Church is looking to discern who among us has been called, equipped and commissioned with such a vocation. Since several of my students and friends are headed long into this process, some reflections might be in order.
In 2001, I was asked to contribute a report on the nature of ordained ministry. My assignment was to write on, "What are ministers for?" I began by deconstructing the question, suggesting that its pragmatism (as I would now put it) is theologically vulgar, and that, in any case, it begs a couple of questions: Namely, that before we can say what ministers are for, we need to know what the church is for; and before we can say what the church is for, we need to know what God is up to. And as what God is up to is nothing less than cosmic reconciliation and renewal, and as the church is called to bear witness to God's great work-in-progress, insofar as ministers are "for" anything, it has to do with helping to align the church with the missio Dei.
I still believe that's true.
So here are 10 theses about the nature of ministry that summarize my thoughts over the years.
1. Ministers should be able to lead and to organize, but they are not called to be managers. Woe unto that minister who would run the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church as a McDonalds!
2. Ministers should be able to conduct worship winsomely and to preach intelligently. Woe unto that minister who would be an entertainer or cheerleader -- or turn prayer into a "resource"!
3. Ministers should be able to listen, empathise, care, advise, and give spiritual direction, but they are not called to be therapists, let alone life-style coaches. Woe unto that minister who would turn out well-balanced citizens who make the system "work"!
4. Minsters aren't called to be casual visitors. They should certainly be sharing in the lives of those in their care -- in the quotidian as well as the critical. They must laugh with those who laugh and weep with those who weep. Woe unto that minister who tries to be "friends" with one's parishioners; you must be "friendly" but not familiar.
5. Ministers are not called to be scholars, but they need to rediscover their roles as community theologians (a teachers, not just "facilitators"). They must ensure that the whole Scriptures are the center of congregational life. Woe unto that minister who reduces Scripture to history or personal devotion, and neglects shaping and transforming character for the Kingdom's sake!
6. Ministers are not called to be scientists or sociologists, but they should be keen observers of, and articulate commentators on, what is happening in the world, to enable their congregations to engage their faith with their life and work, vigilantly discern the signs of the times, and boldly witness to Christ in the polis. Woe unto that minister who preaches more from the newspaper than from the Bible; the newspaper in one hand, and the Bible in the other, to use Barth's image, is the proper way to preach!
7. Ministers are not chairmen of the board, and their ministries should be exercised collaboratively. And ministers should not be doing what others can do; otherwise they disempower them and rob them of their own ministries. Making themselves as redundant and unnecessary as possible, ministers should help people to discover and deploy their own particular grace-gifts, equipping the saints for building up the body of Christ. Woe unto that minister who does everything themselves, who creates a ministry centered around them and not Jesus. Jesus is the Center!
8. Ministers are shepherds -- though many a member would prefer a pet lamb. As they call their flock to new pastures, and to experimental patterns and models of ministry, they are inevitably going to piss off some of the fat sheep. So ministers must expect to be butted. Another zoological metaphor: Ministers should be horseflies, not butterflies -- better to be swatted than mounted. Woe unto that minister who leads without a vision of God's mission; you need courage to survive working in the Kingdom. It's rough sometimes!
9. Ministers represent the local church to the wider church, and vice versa. Ministers should nurture ecumenical collegiality. And if it is said that an ecumenical freeze has set in, Emily Dickinson wrote: "Winter under cultivation / Is as arable as spring". Woe unto that minister who leads a congregation without connections and responsibilities; you're one step away from being cultic!
10. Finally, ministers, remember this: Your congregations are unlikely to resemble the early church in Acts, so whenever you get stressed out, read Paul's Corinthian correspondence -- and thank God for the awkward buggers he has given you to love! Woe unto that minister who expects everything to come up roses; it would be better if you sold Amway. That's easier!