Sunday, March 26, 2006
Doing Church
Reformation Theology has a great post this past week on "doing church"
Pastoral authority is earned, and it is granted by those that submit themselves to it. The fear factor that Samson is concerned about should be mitigated by the fact that his flock will call him to account if he fails. A pastor should not have to wait until he stands before the Lord to find out if he did well.
I might have more faith in an institutional grant of authority if the institutions used biblical standards for leadership qualification, but they don't, education matters more than spiritual maturity - politics more than purity.
It should be scary to be a pastor, but it should also be scary to be a parishioner - we are in this together.
Cross-posted at How To Be A Christian And Still Go To Church
Related Tags: pastoral accountability, doing church, Christianity
Alright - so God wants us to participate in this thing called "church." But what exactly is "Church"? What are the priorities in the life of a church?Great stuff, I do have one disagreement with the post though, and that is at the end, and that is his discussion of submission to pastoral authority towards the end of the piece. Now Samson hits the right tone when he insists that such responsibility scares him, that's a great start, but I think more in involved.
[...]
But back to our list (whether or not it is written down, it exists somewhere in our mind) - lets examine it and ask if we put things like prayer, sound doctrine, evangelism, baptism, the Lord's Supper and worship on our top 10 list when we look for a church home? Really - do we? How close to the top of our list is how the church handles the word of God? Is that a priority for us? Where do you think this would rank on Christ's list of priorities?
I believe that consumerism is not just out there in the world; it is right inside the Church. We want to be entertained, we want to feel comfortable. Don't get me wrong - one of the worst sins a preacher can possibly do is to make the most amazing message, "the Gospel of Jesus Christ," sound boring. I believe a boring sermon is a scandal! Yet if someone cannot find contentment or spiritual nourishment in the gathering of the people of God, or in the consistent accurate presentation of the Word of God - if that is not enough... then something is seriously wrong.
[...]
But many pastors, while convinced of the message of scripture, avoid the hard hitting doctrines of God's holiness, wrath and sovereignty because.. well ... if we're honest, we know that some folk will leave if we tell it just the way He said it. But on the other hand, we have no right to adjust or avoid the clear teaching of Scripture. I also believe that the people of God are crying out to hear about God as He really is, and the Gospel as it really is.
I think as pastors we need to face this head on and say, "yes, some will leave," just as some quietly vacated the crowd in Jesus' day when He outlined His demands for discipleship, or pressed home His Father's Sovereign Grace in election (Jn 6:37-66). But that's the point - Jesus didn't preach to please the crowd, but to please His Father. He wasn't seeking to build a popularity base in Israel, but He did say, "I will build My Church."
Pastoral authority is earned, and it is granted by those that submit themselves to it. The fear factor that Samson is concerned about should be mitigated by the fact that his flock will call him to account if he fails. A pastor should not have to wait until he stands before the Lord to find out if he did well.
I might have more faith in an institutional grant of authority if the institutions used biblical standards for leadership qualification, but they don't, education matters more than spiritual maturity - politics more than purity.
It should be scary to be a pastor, but it should also be scary to be a parishioner - we are in this together.
Cross-posted at How To Be A Christian And Still Go To Church
Related Tags: pastoral accountability, doing church, Christianity
