The Adventure of Pastoral Ministry?
Ought pastoral ministry to be one of the greatest adventures? Think of it. We are called to shepherd a congregation to participate with what God is doing in the world. We are called to help people attend to God so that their whole lives will be shaped by living under God's reign, praying and living out "your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." We are called to walk along side with others in their journeys encouraging them to be open to the Spirit of God's reconciling, transforming work in their lives. We are called to live in such a way that our speech, our actions, our prayers continually reveal that "Christ is before all things and in him all things hold together" (Col. 1:17) and that God is reconciling all humanity to himself and restoring all creation. Is there any greater adventure?
Someone remarked that adventure is anything that quickens our pulse. Perhaps one of the greatest tragedies of our time is that we as pastors are complicit with living our our ministry in ways which makes it one of the most staid professions around. I'm not saying that we need to go around gladhanding and smiling like used car salespersons, but we need to take seriously that we are involved in an adventure.
Any engagement in adventure involves being prepared, ready for unforeseen circumstances, taking risk, keeping our mind and wits about us, keeping our whole being focused on what we are seeking to accomplish. What makes adventure different from business is that though both adventure and business has some sort of telos in mind, adventure has the real risk of loss of life -- falling off the face of a cliff, sucked under by raging rapids. Though we make every preparation not to lose our life, the risk is there -- and that is what makes it adventure.
How are we willing to risk our lives in pastoral ministry? I confess that too often I have settled for comfort in ministry, when in fact we have been called to adventure -- and to lead others in this adventure as well. "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it" (Mark 8:34-35).
Someone remarked that adventure is anything that quickens our pulse. Perhaps one of the greatest tragedies of our time is that we as pastors are complicit with living our our ministry in ways which makes it one of the most staid professions around. I'm not saying that we need to go around gladhanding and smiling like used car salespersons, but we need to take seriously that we are involved in an adventure.
Any engagement in adventure involves being prepared, ready for unforeseen circumstances, taking risk, keeping our mind and wits about us, keeping our whole being focused on what we are seeking to accomplish. What makes adventure different from business is that though both adventure and business has some sort of telos in mind, adventure has the real risk of loss of life -- falling off the face of a cliff, sucked under by raging rapids. Though we make every preparation not to lose our life, the risk is there -- and that is what makes it adventure.
How are we willing to risk our lives in pastoral ministry? I confess that too often I have settled for comfort in ministry, when in fact we have been called to adventure -- and to lead others in this adventure as well. "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it" (Mark 8:34-35).
posted by Roland G. Kuhl at 4:52 PM
1 Comments:
I think it would be pretty cool to hear why you think there are so many leaders who've settled for safe? What do you think are the things keeping pastors and elders from adventure...from leading??
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