I think there is a danger for American Evangelical pastors, in general. That danger is one that can be produced by growing comfortable; by assuming that what they are doing is “Christian ministry,” while all along what they are actually doing (with all of the good intentions in place) are accommodating to lazy American cultural norms. Here’s what I mean: I mean that for American Evangelical Christians (and thus Pastors), in general; what counts as pastoral ministry may or may not be what counts as “Biblical” or even better “Christian” ministry. The Apostle says:

¹¹ So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, ¹² to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up ¹³ until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

And another Apostle says:

¹⁸ But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

Both of these passages of Scripture presuppose something in their admonition and teaching; that is, that God’s people are growing. That they are being pushed and stretched, expanded beyond their baby pablum for meaty weighty things (cf. Hebrews 5 — 6 or I Peter 2.2); some might call this Sound Doctrine (cf. I Timothy 4.6) [I intend to develop what “Sound Doctrine” might entail in one of my next few posts].

I think my concern is that American Evangelical pastors have somewhat succumbed to the expectations of our American culture in their sermon preparation. Beyond that, I think American pastors have a false sense of what “doing pulpit ministry” entails; and I think the former and latter are related issues. A good teacher will always be aware of his audience, and as a result this teacher will tailor the “way” (but not the “what”) they attempt to teach (to grow, edify, stretch, and expand) their students (or congregants, as the case may be). But you will notice what I just presupposed; I presupposed that the Teacher/Pastor is the one who shapes the questions that will be addressed, not the students or the culture (and it should be added, it is not even the Teacher/Pastor who shapes the questions he will be communicating, but instead it is The Pastor, Jesus Christ, who imposes his own categories and questions upon the Teacher/Pastor that said Teacher will then relay to God’s people). On top of this, the Christian pastor has the added weight of mediating the Gospel of Jesus Christ to God’s people; for the purpose of edifying until we reach the unity of the faith.

What I see happening, in general, is that American Evangelical pastors are allowing their people (who are products of “their” culture — and we all are, of course to some extent) to dictate the questions that the pastor will seek to attend to in his sermons and Christian education provided at the church. The general consequence is that the pastor abdicates his role as the pastor/teacher to his students, indirectly, by allowing “their” predispositions and cultural shape to dictate the kind of ethos and pathos that the American Evangelical pastor seeks to accommodate in his teaching. What this leads to is a spiritual atrophy wherein the “pastors’ people” are not challenged to grow, and thus they are not edified in a way that will progress them towards the “unity of the faith” (which will only be fully realized at the consummation).

I think a suggestion for correction here might be that the American Evangelical Pastor, in general, needs to take his role even more serious than he already does. That he needs to constantly be involved in critical self-evaluation through prayer, study, and reading Scripture (in the fellowship of other Pastors/Teachers and people in the Church who are so motivated); so that he can actually be someone who stretches instead of atrophies). I think people in the church need to grow, and in order to do that they need to be challenged; not, probably, with 500 level seminary course-work, but at least with 100 level Bible College concepts. Why can’t pastor’s teach their people from the pulpit to study their Bible’s for themselves? Why can’t pastors teach their people theological words and grammar from the pulpit (these words aren’t intended to impress people with vocabulary, instead they signify rich theological and biblical concepts)? We need to push forward, God’s people deserve to be challenged (even intellectually, so called).

My next post will deal with what Sound Doctrine might entail.