The other day
I was reading about a survey in 1994 of eight hundred pastors, lay people and
professors asking what the top priorities should be for training people to be
pastors. Their responses were as follows:
Priorities Lay People Came up With:
1. Spirituality
2. Relational Skills
3. Character
4. Communication Skills
5. Theological Knowledge
Pastor's Priorities:
1. Relational Skills
2. Management Skills
3. Communication Skills
4. Spirituality
5. Theological Knowledge
Professor's Priorities:
1. Theological Knowledge
2. Character
3. Leadership Skills
4. Communication Skills
5. Counselling Skills
Now I will attempt to crawl up into
the heads of 800 people I do not know and explain their answers for your
benefit and enjoyment. Perhaps instead of a boring analysis, let's imagine a
short conversation between these three groups.
Lay Person (LP): I think you guys should get right with
God before all else. You know, like being a 'man of prayer' and all that. I
need someone to show me the way not just talk about it. Ministers should live
holy lives and have a passion for Christ.
Pastor: That's a great idea. But I've already done that. Now I
really need to spend time figuring out how to lead you people. Honestly, it's
like herding cats!
Prof: Hmmm, spirituality. I approve of that, but it really
isn't my department. I'm sure that someone else at the school will help these
young ministry students develop their ________ (fill in Latin phrase that means
'spiritual life' like modus
operens or something fancy
sounding).
LP: Um, OK.
Prof: What they really need is a strong theological base. What
does it matter how great a preacher you are if you are preaching heresy?
Pastor: Right. Theological base. That's what you guys gave me
instead of telling me how to handle angry deacon Dave and his disappointment
that I was not exactly like the founding pastor. New ministers need relational
skills first, otherwise they will get creamed when they get into the real world.
LP: Maybe poor old Dave wouldn't be so mad if you were more
spiritual and attentive to people’s needs!
Prof: Ho, ho, ho. That kind of practical knowledge is so simple
it bores me just listening to it. The church will teach you all of that.
Pastor: So you guys are not the ones teaching me this? I thought
seminary was training me for the ministry?
LP: Us? We are supposed to train you how to lead us? Actually that explains a
lot.
So, the ‘lay people’ seem to think that a
pastor's primary duty is to be close to God. That may or may not be the best
priority for training pastors but it sure makes you think. Somehow, maintaining
my walk with God as a ministry tool was never emphasized in seminary or at
conferences. Becoming a better leader was the focus so I read ten books on
leadership for every one on spirituality.
It
turns out that staying close to God isn’t just a factor in a minister’s
effectiveness. Paul Tripp in A Dangerous
Calling sees losing one’s identity as a worshiper of God
as a key factor in pastoral burnout. But
this is getting a bit long, so perhaps that is for another day.
The
survey was reported in Kenneth Bender's The
Role of the Pastor, 70.
