There it was, idling
softly in the parking lot, with the pastor’s name and newest book title
emblazoned large--in bright yellow letters--across either side. Being
advertised on that conspicuous rolling billboard was a “special evening,” (no
doubt repeated dozens of times in select cities across the nation) with the
newest “it” pastor.
His similitude to a rock
star was highly intentional. Autograph sessions would soon follow as well, of
course.
You may not recognize him
as a pastor at all at first. It will take a moment for the fog machine
to clear up, as he takes center stage. But soon enough you will be able to identify
him clearly: he’s the guy wearing the sneakers and the torn jeans, possibly
even a hoodie and a snap-back too. He doesn’t carry a Bible under his arm—that
would send the wrong signal—he carries his tablet computer.
He is the “cool pastor,” the
next big thing.
He didn’t come to your
city for a show? No problem. He’s building a satellite campus in your suburb
next. In fact, there are already dozens of wannabes cropping up in churches
near you. They are the next generation. The hipster pastors.
But this whole celebrity minister
phenomenon has me wondering: isn’t “cool pastor” an oxymoron?
Don’t get me wrong. There
is nothing wrong with being current. There is nothing wrong with using modern
communication tools. There is nothing wrong with speaking in a relevant way to
current trends, both societal and cultural.
But the closest thing to
the pastoral job description in the Bible is found in 2 Timothy 4:1-5,
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who
is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom:
preach the word; be ready in season and out of season;
reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound
teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers
to suit their own passions, and will turn away
from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the
work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
No mention of having
panache or chic jeans there. If anything, it sounds decidedly arduous. Difficult.
Even subversive.
If I can be completely
honest, there was a time in my life when I craved to be considered a “cool
pastor.” In the early years, as the morning dawned on my pastoral vocation, I
honestly believed it was possible to walk in both worlds, that is to say, the
world of cultural approval and the world of Biblical fidelity.
More and more, however, I
am not sure this is even desirable.
I am not suggesting that
pastors return to monkish albs or don black robes exclusively. (Full
disclosure: I do own a robe, but I haven’t worn it in over five years). I am
however convinced that my desire to win cultural approval as a minister
must die and die soon!
Our current fascination
with our pastors’ book sales, name recognition value, and proliferating multi-site
video venues ought to be considered a dangerous trend. Never before in the
history of Christendom has a pastor’s reputation been graded by any other
factors than his doctrine and his personal ethic. Today, we would add his fans.
No, my highest goal as a
pastor is not to secure the greatest number of Twitter followers, but rather to
model one man: our Lord Jesus Christ. His message must be my own. His methods must
be sufficient for me. His majesty must be my highest end.
Though Jesus attracted a
large following at times (Matthew 19:2; Mark 4:1; John 6:2) there were other
moments when His doctrine and His fiery preaching sent men running in the opposite
direction (John 6:66). If we should ask whether our Lord was more often
cultural or countercultural, the preponderance of the Gospel materials emphatically
suggest the latter.
I am sure there will be
some who will appeal to texts such as 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 to justify the
coolness factor as the necessary “cross we must bear” to make the Gospel
intelligible in a modern context. They will argue that this is how we “become
all things to all people, that by all means we might save some.”
But isn’t it ironic how those
who use that Pauline text to defend a dogged pursuit of “relevance” end up
making the Gospel less relevant to their hearer’s salvation and
sanctification? At the very least, interpreting 1 Corinthians 9 as a
methodological “free pass” makes light of the historical context surrounding
the tensions between the Jewish and Hellenistic Christians to whom Paul
ministered.
To assume the role of the
pastor is to assume the role of the prophet. I do not need to dress like John
the Baptist, but I had better be ready to preach like him as well as to be
treated like him. The pastor must more frequently confront a
god-forsaken culture than conform to it.
Whether or not I am even aware
of it, the subconscious and non-verbal communication that I put out is as instrumental
in articulating the Gospel as the words I preach. Unfortunately, the more
conspicuous the “show” surrounding my sermon, the less magnanimous the Gospel appears
in juxtaposition. It is obscured by bright lights and video clips, high-wires
and hair gel.
I will never forget the
moment I met John Piper, although I doubt he could possibly remember it. His
brown belt didn’t match his black shoes, and his well-worn slacks and tweed
jacket wordlessly whispered, “This world has nothing for me!” He wasn’t the
least bit slovenly or unkempt, but his entire demeanor adorned the very message
He preached: Jesus Christ is supreme above all things.
Here is the bottom line.
The unbelieving world will always do “cool” better than the Church. When the Church
adopts coolness and relevance as its corporate values, it slavishly agrees to
follow, lagging always one step behind the world. (This is why Christian music
always ends up ripping off the sounds and styles of their secular counterparts,
while Christian film often has a cheesy “cringe factor”).
The church is not called
to be the caricature of modern culture; it is called to be the critique
(even the foil) of that same culture. When we explicitly model ourselves on the
unbelieving world—whether its art, architecture, or ethos—we are implicitly and
foolishly endorsing it.
As a pastor, I cannot
afford to act so foolishly.
-Matthew Everhard is the
Senior Pastor of Faith Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Brooksville, Florida.
He is the author of Hold Fast the Faith: A Devotional Commentary on the Westminster Confession of1647 (Reformation Press, 2012). He blogs regularly at
Whitefieldsprayer.blogspot.com.
Good stuff.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThat is good!
ReplyDeleteGreat post.
ReplyDeleteExcellent and timely word. May our pastors be more about faithfulness to Christ and contentment with where he has called them than the fleeting pleasures of fame and fortune.
ReplyDeleteGood words!
ReplyDeleteThe Church is scratching the ears of the culture and calling it success. The Bible is twisted to fit the so called wisdom of man. It seems that pastors are caught up in a mad dash for numbers and at the expense of the purity of the Word. When will this end?
ReplyDeleteWhatever happened to, "He must increase…I must decrease."
ReplyDeleteSheesh.
Well said
ReplyDeleteGreat word! Needed. Btw, it's 2 Timothy, not 1. I knew what you meant though.
ReplyDeleteAn excellent summary. I have never understood how the Bible teaches that Christ died, "that He might deliver us from this present evil world" and yet contemporary Christianity tells me that I must become like it. Let the world have their forms and values. We have our own. Could you see Noah or Paul strumming an electric guitar or drinking a beer in order to be "cool?"
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ReplyDeleteThough such comments could be read as jealousy, I recognize them as wisdom in a culture gone "fame crazy." There's no reason to think that pastors are immune... no reason at all (spoken by a retired pastor).
ReplyDelete"The pastor must more frequently confront a god-forsaken culture than conform to it." Nicely put. Also, even as a 25-year-old, I had to Google "snap-back," so, ironically, you're cooler than me.
ReplyDelete