Pastoral Life as Practice
Sometimes people will ask what I do from 9-5 or 8-4 or 11-9 or whatever other hours my day consists of. It's a great question and one I've wrestled with myself. Lately, I've been thinking of the pastoral role as that of a utility player in baseball.
A utility player in baseball doesn't specialize in anything. Check that. A utility player specializes in being good at several things. The best utility player can play shortstop, left field, and first base; he can steal bases, go first to third on most singles, and score on most doubles; he hits for contact, beats out double plays, and drops bunts; he pinch hits, plays a string of games for an injured player then sits on the bench, and is a defensive substitution in the 8th and 9th innings in close games. What all of this amounts to is that a utility must be constantly ready to do any number of these things and in that readiness know his role.
The pastor's life is similar. Just as the utility must spend ample amounts of time preparing for any one of the duties that may be called of him, so must the pastor be prepared to comfort, encourage, celebrate, and advise. S/he must be able to give spiritual, career, and public assistance direction. S/he should know the Scriptures, the newspaper, and the times. Pastors who are worthy of their role know that one doesn't come across these things naturally or overnight. It takes practice, a cultivation of the skills of discernment, spiritual health, and hermeneutics. And in all of this, the pastor must know his/her role to love the people they serve seriously, honestly, and intentionally. Frankly, it takes time.
A utility player in baseball doesn't specialize in anything. Check that. A utility player specializes in being good at several things. The best utility player can play shortstop, left field, and first base; he can steal bases, go first to third on most singles, and score on most doubles; he hits for contact, beats out double plays, and drops bunts; he pinch hits, plays a string of games for an injured player then sits on the bench, and is a defensive substitution in the 8th and 9th innings in close games. What all of this amounts to is that a utility must be constantly ready to do any number of these things and in that readiness know his role.
The pastor's life is similar. Just as the utility must spend ample amounts of time preparing for any one of the duties that may be called of him, so must the pastor be prepared to comfort, encourage, celebrate, and advise. S/he must be able to give spiritual, career, and public assistance direction. S/he should know the Scriptures, the newspaper, and the times. Pastors who are worthy of their role know that one doesn't come across these things naturally or overnight. It takes practice, a cultivation of the skills of discernment, spiritual health, and hermeneutics. And in all of this, the pastor must know his/her role to love the people they serve seriously, honestly, and intentionally. Frankly, it takes time.
posted by Aaron Perry at
11:12 AM
2 Comments:
AP,
Great analogy. And, I wish more pastors were utility players.
On a side note, what do you think about the move to more "specialized" pastors, who only do one thing, dealing with one group of people? I wonder if these have become the superstars who are unable (unwilling?) to do the things necessary to win. Just a thought.
I suppose I would want to distinguish between those who specialize because of gifting (counselors, student pastors, children pastors) and those who specialize because of opportunity (small groups pastors, outreach pastors, executive pastors). (By the way, I think there is some bleed between the groups--for example, some pastors are gifted in ways that an executive position makes sense.)
At times this has to do with "free agency"--hire the best person you can find for this spot, but I think other approaches more team-oriented are being taken. Check out Tim Guptill's blog, kineticleadership.wordpress.com for a recent post on that.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home