In these two chapters from This Odd and Wondrous Calling, Lillian Daniel and Martin Copenhaver reflect on the two most obvious things a church pastor does -- preaching and pastoral care (visiting the sick). If you questioned average folks on the street about what a pastor’s work is, they’d probably be able to name these two things. For authors Martin Copenhaver and Lillian Daniel, these tasks live at the heart of their ministry.
Indeed these two ‘tasks’ are integral to pastoral ministry. They are where a pastor meets the people of a congregation in particularly intimate ways --while sick, or during a sacred conversation while worshipping God. They write about how the rest of their work informs these tasks: “In meeting with couples in crisis, I realize that my own reflections on marriage are being shaped and enriched in ways that undoubtedly will make their way into my preaching. In the administration meeting where we agonize between two important budget items, my thoughts on stewardship are being shaped. Later when I read a text for the week, all these experiences will be part of what ends up on the page,” Daniel writes on page 225.
None of what they say is particularly surprising, for those of us engaged in pastoral ministry, at least. I find it interesting that their reflections do not mention how these tasks relate to being religious leaders. By making a pastor’s work center in Sunday morning or hospital visits, Copenhaver and Daniel might have inadvertently diminished the call of the pastor and, indeed, all Christians. Jesus certainly preached and taught and healed the sick. But, none of those things were ends unto themselves. Those things were done in order to transform lives, to give people a sense of purpose and value that came from God, nowhere else.
Preaching and pastoral care are mere tools in the toolbox. These tasks facilitate holy relationship, allowing the pastor to be both a comforting and challenging presence to members of his or her congregation. Over time, the relationships that are built allow pastor and congregant alike to grow spiritually in ways they could never do alone. Hopefully that personal growth transforms them into new people, allowing them to transform the world.
Nicole Havelka
associate conference minister for youth and young adult ministries
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