Not Quite Prime Time

Despite all the televangelist bashing, I’m not ready to give up Christian television. As the Good Book says, there’s a time and place for everything. Those power preachers can have Channel 72 at 4:30 in the morning. What I’d like to see is some good Christian programming on prime time:

A drama featuring a sharp-looking team of Christians in a tough, southeastern resort city who race around proclaiming the gospel and working for peace and justice: “Miami Virtue.”

A sitcom on the life and times of Methuselah: “seven hundred and thirtysomething.”

A futuristic science-fiction drama about two well-meaning pretrib Christians who hit the wrong button in a time machine and come out in the middle of the tribulation, having missed the Rapture: “As the World Burns.”

A documentary on being slain in the Spirit: “Happy Daze.”

A game show starring a guy named Judas Iscariot: “Let’s Make a Deal.”

A somewhat irreverent cartoon series featuring a very strong but naughty boy: “The Sampsons.”

Then again, maybe America isn’t ready for that prime-time lineup, even during sweeps week. Until it is, consult your local listings. Check the 4:30 A.M. time slot.

EUTYCHUS

Of all my pleasant memories from the Middle East, few are as important to me as Makhmud the shepherd. We became friends over several summers as he brought his large, broad-tailed sheep to graze near the site where we were excavating biblical Dothan. He embodied both the role and the character of a shepherd, caring for his flock as has been done for millennia in that part of the world.

He had a teachers’ heart; he did not mind the hundreds of questions I asked about such things as how he knew the needs of each sheep, what food was best, and how he dressed their wounds.

I even convinced him to give me his staff, a very personal object. (A shepherd might be as attached to his staff as a Westerner to his comb or toothbrush.) But this staff is not just a personal item, it symbolizes his life; it is his basic tool. About four feet long with a large knot at one end, this oaken treasure sits in my home office, where it is a constant reminder of the shepherd’s world, a real world in which Makhmud’s skills and character helped me understand the biblical concept of pastoral ministry.

Sadly, the local church reflects a very different picture. Congregational expectations grow, our common life and faith diminish, authority of every kind is questioned, and career pressures mount. As a result, pastors veer from preaching, prayer, and pastoral care and attend instead to meetings, memos, and money. If they don’t quickly learn the ropes as managers, program developers, and administrators, it may be a short stay.

Two questions: First, do we understand and follow the biblical model of pastoral ministry? Second, what can the congregation do to ensure the nurture, care, and longevity of its shepherd?

Jeremiah 3:15 notes the pastor’s authority, character, and skill.

“I will give you shepherds …,” Jeremiah begins. A pastor is first of all called—it is God who appoints the shepherd. The inward prompting of the Spirit, verified and confirmed through the community of faith, causes the pastor-in-the-making to say, “Here am I—send me.” The church must be careful not to reverse the process—it can encourage candidates and confirm a call, but it is the Holy Spirit who ultimately identifies shepherds for the flock.

“… shepherds after my own heart …,” Jeremiah continues. This is the character of the true pastor. The shepherd’s heart breaks for those who suffer. Just as Jesus was “moved with compassion” for the hurting world, our pastors must bring a compassionate heart to their task. The joy of ministry will flow naturally from this love. No wonder we hear congregations speak of a “pastor’s heart.”

“… who will lead you with knowledge and understanding.” The true pastor will be competent to declare the truth of the gospel through preaching, teaching, and pastoral care. But knowledge has a necessary companion—understanding, awareness of the meaning of one’s experiences and the significance of one’s ministry setting. This dimension leads pastors to exercise a literally hands-on ministry, at birth, baptism, marriage, and death, as they share the spiritual and physical sense of touch throughout the life cycle God has created for us.

This is the model: called, compassionate, and competent. But how to keep going under stress? How can the congregation nurture the pastor, ensuring a mutually rewarding sharing of gifts over an extended period of time?

Shepherds must be given time for spiritual reflection, physical relaxation, and renewing of relationships. Personal spiritual formation is a lifetime process, for both pastor and laity; an unbalanced life will soon not be worth sharing.

Each afternoon, I saw Makhmud and his flock rest in the shade of an olive grove. A time of rest and solitude balanced the rigorous daily trek over rough terrain. Makhmud set a good example for the local church pastor, so that as shepherds of God’s flocks, they can be both willing and eager to serve those entrusted to them (1 Peter 5:2–3).

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