The
Unnecessary Pastor, a book written by Eugene Peterson and Marva Dawn, is an
exercise in understanding what it is that pastors are called to, and what we
are not called to. The underlying premise is that the function of a pastor has
been hijacked by a culture that has infiltrated the church and re-appropriated
to be what the surrounding culture wants or needs the pastor to be. Throughout
the book Dawn and Peterson utilize the pastoral epistles as well as large
swaths of text from Ephesians and Romans to attempt to understand Paul’s
perspective on pastoral ministry. Rather unsurprisingly, the reader comes to
understand that the role of pastor has jumped off the rails to the point that
we have become rather unnecessary to our congregations, and that what have been
truly called to in Christ is rather unnecessary to a church culture that is
more like the surrounding society than like the community of God.
The book starts with chapters
regarding the unnecessary role that the pastor has come to fulfill in our
culture and a reiteration of what pastors have been called to. Dawn underlines
the helpful aid of liturgy and tradition as a point of re-establishing our call
to life in ministry. I think their point is that pastoral ministry begins as
the life of a Christian. In many ways, the ordination vows we make are not
drastically different than what we might expect from anyone in the laity. And
this is one of the points Peterson makes throughout the book, that in many
ways, the clergy get bogged down by their tasks and their misappropriated tasks
and it is left to those in the laity to reappropriate their expectations of the
pastor.
Throughout the book Dawn reiterates
these foundations of Christian life as a way of focusing the pastor to
concentrate on his or her role as a Christian first and foremost. The concept
of liturgy, the aspects of doxology, the reality and truth of the powers and
principalities that derail us, the necessity to be transformed and the identity
of community are all vital aspects and components of pastoral ministry, but
more than this, they are vital aspects of the life of a Christian.
Simultaneously Peterson addresses the Scriptural examples
and instances where leadership and pastoral work is spoken of. Peterson
observes the position of Paul in Rome, and his relationships with Timothy and
Titus in their various ministry experiences and contexts. Paul provides the
perspective of someone with a great deal of experience, a voice of longevity
who has been involved in a community for quite sometime. His relationship with
both Titus and Timothy presents a situation of an older experienced man offering
advice to two younger men entering into ministry contexts that are quite
different from each other. Whereas Timothy is entering into a community that is
already well established, into a well refined community and developed culture,
Titus is entering into a community of fresh believers who have little cultural
background with which to make contact for the Gospel. Both situations present
exciting opportunities for these two young ministers, while at the same time
presenting numerous hurdles which will need to be addressed. More than this,
these are two completely different proponents of the faith that need different
types of encouragement and motivation.
Consequently, Dawn and Peterson have provided a very
well-rounded book for anyone considering ministry or currently involved in
pastoral ministry for a number of reasons. First, the attention to Scripture
and close careful reading of the text is so very refreshing. It does not feel
as though Peterson is trying to shoehorn the text into a specific direction he
thinks the church should be moving towards. It certainly seems as though he
allows the text to speak for itself, while providing the necessary aspects
needed to understand the text. There are no current cultural practices that he
attempts to establish in favour of the Gospel. No 8 step program, or
reconditioning of how the reader should approach the text or their task in
ministry, other than thoroughly explaining the areas of ministry that seem to
have been hi-jacked by the surrounding society.
Secondly, Dawn’s presentation of the elements of the faith
and common pitfalls that are often encountered throughout ministry environments
do not seem to be contextually specific. Concerns over the powers and
principalities that seek to devour and derail the pursuit of ministry
excellence are real threats that crop up in every situation. Whereas some
authors attempt to provide some dangers that may occur in a specific ministry
situation such as in an urban or rural context, the various aspects that Dawn presents
are concerned with the bigger picture.
One of the critiques of the style of the book perhaps, was
that it was a little difficult to follow. In some instances I simply did not
understand the flow of the chapters and the reason why they were presented in
the way they were. This is a small complaint however, and I fully expect that I
will return to this book throughout the time God gives me in ministry.
Dawn, Marva J., Eugene Peterson. The Unnecessary Pastor: Rediscovering the Call. Vancouver: Regent College Publishing, 2000.
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