One of my favorite memes to view are the “You Had One Job” fails. But in reality many of the mistakes probably happen because the person doesn’t have one job but many jobs. Distraction, business, or a lack of focus is likely the culprit in most of these fails. I think of this with pastoral ministry sometimes. In reality we have one job; namely, point others to Jesus. Everything else either flows from this, is periphery to that, or is a distraction from this.
I have been reading The Sacred Wilderness of Pastoral Ministry lately and it’s been really impacting me. I had read it a few years ago and it was good. Now that I’m in a lead pastorate it’s balm to my soul—and also punching me in the teeth. David Rohrer, the author of that book, uses John the Baptist as a model for the essence of pastoral ministry. We’ve got one job to do—point to Jesus. But he also notes that this prophetic calling will at times be a double-edged sword:
People often respond to our preaching by either treating us like we are the Messiah or blaming us for thinking that we are the Messiah. When the Word hits its mark, people feel it and choose either to embrace it or to start an argument with us in an attempt to avoid it. Yet irrespective of the nature of their response to the Word, we need to greet their reaction with the same message. We need to continue to point to God and give witness to the truth that we have been sent to proclaim. (Rohrer, 111)
This is incredibly difficult to practice (at least it is for me). But it also incredibly freeing. I have one job to do and it’s the same job regardless the response. Rohrer goes on to outline two wrong responses the pastor can have to this truth. First, we can avoid the truth. “I avoid the conflict because I know I don’t have the power to resolve it”. (122) We pastors like to, and are often told to, spend our time on the things which we can actually control. But perhaps it’s the opposite—or at least different. We spend our time pointing. Whether that leads to mess or health. Maybe less time should be spent on trying to fix and manage and clean up things for the glory of God and more time spent on bare proclamation which often creates more of a mess.
The second temptation isn’t to avoid the truth but to grab a sword and take up the posture of the warrior. We become confrontational and all about the conflict. We now pursue winning (for God’s sake, of course). Rohrer has some wise words for the warrior within us:
When we pastors have thought through the theology behind what we want to do in ministry and have come to the conclusion that a particular program or ministry is the right way to accomplish God’s purposes in the world, we tend to be a bit dogmatic and rigid about our conclusions. We may have good reason to dwell in this place of certainty about our conclusions. We might be able to frame a perfect biblical justification for our choices. We might, in short, be ‘right’. Yet when proving ourselves right becomes the primary objective of our conflict, we have crossed the line into narcissism and demonstrated our lack of trust in the ultimate victory of God. (Rohrer, 125)
To focus on our one job doesn’t necessarily make life easier, it just makes it clearer. And when we neglect this one job we end up missing out on seeing God work. As I’ve interacted with Rohrer’s work it has been both convicting and freeing. My eyes have been, frankly, opened to all of the ministry that I’ve done in the flesh and by my own hands. But my heart has been freed to release “my ministry” into the hands of God.
I’m just a pointer. You might not like me because you don’t particular care for Who I’m pointing at. Or you might want to give me accolades for pointing to the right One. But in the end, I’m a pointer. Nothing more. Nothing less.
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