Thursday, April 19, 2007
Being Prophetic
A while back at the Out of Ur blog was a post about the lack of prophetic voice in the church today.
Similarly, if a church structure became safe for a prophet, I am not sure they would have a prophetic voice any more. Jethani suggests that a decentralization of funding might open up doors for a prophetic leader through bi-vocation or the itinerant model. And yet in my experience, itinerant preachers turn into hucksters to pay the bills and bi-vocational pastors always wish they could get to full-time.
The prophetic voice is what it is, lonely, wildnerness bound, prone to being crucified. NOt to mention the most valuable voice in the Church.
Related Tags: prophecy, prophetic voice, institutionalization, seminary, wilderness
While studying for my ordination a few years ago I was required to read Oswald Sanders’ classic book, Spiritual Leadership. I’ve forgotten most of his practical advice about leading a church, but one short section has stayed with me. Sanders talks about the choice pastors face between being a popular leader or an unpopular prophet.Skye Jethani then goes on to describe three ideas about why local churches lack prophetic voice.
The logic seems rooted in the Old Testament differentiation of these roles. The kings of Israel served as leaders over God’s people. They used their power to pull wires and drive the nation forward. The prophets, on the other hand, served as correctors. They came down from the hills to tell everyone what they were doing wrong. And after being rejected, stoned, and thoroughly despised they returned to the hills. Quoting A.C. Dixon, Sanders says, “If [the pastor] seeks to be a prophet and a leader, he is apt to make a failure of both.”
Prior to reading Sanders I had already been wondering why few pastors led with any prophetic energy. Scanning my favorite books on my shelf, typically ones with a provocative challenge for the church, I realized that virtually all of them were written by professors. Few, if any, were composed by pastors. Where were the voices of correction in the local church? Where were the sermons calling God’s people in a new direction? Where was there a pulpit challenging our popular assumptions about church, mission, and discipleship? Reading Sanders helped me see that we’ve driven the prophets out of the local church and into academia.
- Seminaries are not training prophets
- Church structures are unsafe for prophets
- Ministries evaluate size not depth
All of which is very true, and, I think, unchangable. Jethani tries to suggest some answers to these issues, but I doubt they will ever fly. For example, I am not sure prophets can be trained, they are called out. Training is about institutionalization. and as Jethani says
A prophet by definition is going to disturb the status quo, make people uncomfortable, and rock the boat.There is a natural tension associated with the prophetic role that would make such an individual unfit for a system designed to create conformity.
Similarly, if a church structure became safe for a prophet, I am not sure they would have a prophetic voice any more. Jethani suggests that a decentralization of funding might open up doors for a prophetic leader through bi-vocation or the itinerant model. And yet in my experience, itinerant preachers turn into hucksters to pay the bills and bi-vocational pastors always wish they could get to full-time.
The prophetic voice is what it is, lonely, wildnerness bound, prone to being crucified. NOt to mention the most valuable voice in the Church.
Related Tags: prophecy, prophetic voice, institutionalization, seminary, wilderness
