Too Many Prophets, Not Enough Pastors
A little over a year ago, a regional gathering of ministers hosted a guest from a nearby Christian university. He was asking questions about their well-being in the face of unprecedented pressure from both the pandemic and political fighting. The mood was grim.
The guest asked the collection of two dozen pastors, “How many of you have publicly advocated that people vote for or against [the sitting president]?” No one raised a hand. He then posed a second question: “How many of you have been accused of engaging in partisan politics?” Every minister raised their hand. Despite trying to avoid taking a stance on the upcoming election, every pastor in that meeting had received criticism from church folks faulting them for supposedly waging partisan politics from the pulpit. They felt despondent in the face of those charges.
Preaching the gospel of Jesus is a difficult task, especially right now. When one preaches the grace of God made visible in Jesus Christ, that preacher is engaging in a prophetic and even a political act. It’s prophetic in the sense that it calls people from their myopic view of the world. It beckons folks toward a God who radically upends human divisions to bring peace, well-being and prosperity on all levels.
But the gospel of God’s grace made visible in Jesus isn’t just prophetic. It’s also political. It proclaims that the political powers of this world often have it wrong. It calls people to a way of living that is at odds with partisan wrangling. The message of Jesus is indeed political in that it demands that we examine how we think and live.
As a result, I’ve come to an interesting conclusion: the church right now needs more pastors, not more prophets. The work of a pastor is to nurture, to patiently teach, to encourage. This quiet, behind-the-scenes work isn’t especially sexy or social-media-friendly, but I think it’s super necessary – especially in today’s environment. I have three reasons for this idea.
First, the message of Jesus is prophetic enough as it is. Ministers must obviously retell that message in a faithful manner. That act of proclamation is prophetic enough on its own. Given the difficulty with hearing who Jesus was and was really about, the story doesn’t need much additional help beyond that.
We don’t need more church leaders who take stands against this or that current issue. Instead, we need more church leaders who are teaching Jesus and making disciples. We must allow people the chance to be formed, seemingly “on their own” (in the Spirit!), as they learn what it means to follow Jesus.
Second, the church is responsible for carrying out God’s prophetic work today. This work is not often well suited for solo ministers standing and waging war against their society or even against their church. We don’t need more preachers who stand on their own against injustice or wokeness or whatever the issue du jour. Instead, we need Christian communities who together stand for the things Jesus stood for.
Simply put, there are too many prophets today. So many self-professed prophets have claimed to know the truth about everything from elections to social justice to COVID. They have spoken for or against so many causes that people are treating all prophetic messages like the fearmongering words of Chicken Little.
What might wake people from their psychosis is to see something different. Instead of an individual posting or speaking “their truth,” how about an entire Christian community dedicating themselves to caring for people the way Jesus cared for people? This work of compassionate love is a prophetic ministry, and it is best done in the context of and in concert with a community of believers all pulling in the same direction.
Third, most people desperately need pastoral care right now, even if they don’t realize it. Folks are exhausted. The normal rhythms of rest and renewal are out of balance. Even in the best of times, most operate with little margin. And in more difficult times like now? Mental health, physical health, and relational health are all struggling.
Given this reality, church leaders ought to heavily lean into the need for pastoral care. Now is not the time for fighting over banners in front of the church building. Now is the time for accepting and living into the peace of Christ. This starts by caring for our church members. And then caring for our neighbors. No matter what we may have done or said over the past couple years, this is the moment for the pastoral gifts of church leaders to shine.
At that ministers’ gathering some time ago, the ministers expressed sadness over their inability to see people face-to-face. Not only did they sense that their church members needed it, but they needed it as well. Those with pastoral gifts need to use their gifts.
Some churches may feel as though they are lacking pastoral gifts. A single minister cannot meet the needs of an entire congregation. Just as Moses wished that all the people of God would prophesy, we need to wish that all the people of God today would pastor one another. The “one another” texts of the New Testament call us all toward this ministry.
This is a hard moment in the life of most churches. In such a season, we don’t need more prophets. We need more pastors. Oh, that all God’s people would be pastors!
