My Opinion of the "Pastor Model" of Church Leadership

Most of the pastors I know (and I was one for almost 40 years) are great hearted, spiritually determined people, who truly believe that they have been called by God to serve. And most bust their backsides to do so, to the point even of sacrificing almost all their time, energy and jeopardizing their health and, sadly, their marriages and families in the service of God's people.

The sad thing is that such a responsibility is not put on any person by any command, example or principle of the scriptures these men and women so revere. The pastor model is not "biblically based" and, indeed, has proven to be the antithesis and even oppositional to the "one another," "every member a minister" model commended and commanded by NT scripture.

I realize that many will disagree with me and you are free to do so. However, serving in variously named leadership roles for four decades in churches ranging in membership from 20 to 1500 Christians, trying as hard as I might, preaching as directly as I could, encouraging as positively as I was able, I never once observed more than a small percentage of members who found ways to use their gifts for the good of their faith community.

The problem, for the most part (but not without exception), is not that the pastors want power and are unwilling to relinquish control. The problem is also not that the members want to be spiritually lazy and irresponsible (again, not without exception). The problem, at least in my experience and opinion, is that the vast majority both pastors and members have bought into a leadership/membership model, that is, regardless of titles, a clergy/laity model. And that is a model that infantilizes most of the members and burns out all but the hardiest and most determined of pastors.

Can we break ourselves of our addiction to the pastor model? I believe it is entirely possible, but I will leave that for further posts.

Removing the Stumbling Blocks: Old Testament Quotations in the Fourth Gospel’s Crucifixion Narrative (John 19:16b–42)

Here are some quotations from my most recent Biblical Studies paper. Please remember that I am coming from a place where I have chosen to believe the overall testimony of the early Christians who claimed that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God (John 20:30–31). But that, for me, does not mean that I accept every word of their testimonies as historically accurate, in the modern sense of "historically accurate" but rather in ways that are consistent with the practice of ancient historiography. Also, please keep in mind that I think the Gospel of John is an extremely cleverly crafted narrative which presents a very strong case for believing that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God.

NOTE: FG = Fourth Gospel (i.e., the Gospel of John).

"The Gospel of John (FG) is differentiated from the Synoptic Gospel accounts in a number of areas—content, emphasis, chronology, vocabulary, stated purpose, etc.—but what also distinguishes it is the quality of its narrative. The grammar and vocabulary are fairly basic, so much so that the first translations which beginning Koine Greek students attempt are from either the FG or John’s first epistle. However, all things that make a narrative truly remarkable and memorable can be found in the FG. The purpose of a narrative, whether factual or fictional, is to tell a story in such a way as to capture and hold the readers’ attention in order to inform, educate, inspire, motivate and/or, even, entertain. Certainly, for many readers, the FG does all that."

"I have often compared the FG to a very carefully crafted summary by a defence lawyer who is trying to convince the jury of the innocence of his client. That lawyer would choose the pieces of evidence he/she feels best supports the case and then craft them in such a way so as to create the most compelling case. In the end, the jury will decide whether or not the defendant’s lawyer was successful. In the case of the FG, each reader is a jury member who will either choose to acquit or convict Jesus of his opponents’ claims: that he has falsely claimed to be the Messiah, the Son of God."

"Therefore, to understand both the meaning and function of the OT quotations in the FG, the narrative itself is the most important context to consider. We have stated that the author himself exegetes scripture in ways that are consistent with Second Temple Jewish exegetical practice, which “attempted to contemporize the Scriptures to make them relevant to the concerns of the first century.”The concern of the FG was to craft a narrative of Jesus’ life and ministry that would overcome barriers to faith in Jesus as the Messiah. Of particular concern to the author is the “stumbling block” of believing in a humiliated and human Messiah/King. Therefore, the FG highlights the theme of Jesus’ kingship throughout and specifically uses the OT quotations in the crucifixion narrative to show that Jesus’ humanity and his humiliation were completely consistent with God’s predetermined messianic plan. According to the scriptures, the Messiah had to suffer tortuous humiliation and death. If the author’s use of the scriptures is accepted, then the stumbling block to faith is removed and honour can be given to Jesus as “the Messiah, the Son of God.”

"Scholars are agreed that the FG utilizes OT quotations as a major part of the process of legitimizing and authenticating the words, actions and events of the narrative. However, these OT quotations do more, especially with regard to creating and fashioning the identity and character of Jesus. Yet, as Susanne Luther discusses, the use of OT quotations in the FG do not necessarily validate the narrative as an historically accurate picture of Jesus or even authenticate the reality of the events chosen for the narrative. The author uses and adapts existing traditions and text sources in order to achieve his stated purpose. However, in doing so he probably raises questions among, at least, some of his readers regarding the actual historicity of his portrayals of persons and events.For many, however, even for those recognizing the author’s innovative use of the OT quotations, John 19:16b–42 is a unique presentation among the Gospel accounts, and demonstrates the power of a cleverly crafted effort to remove the stumbling blocks to faith in a crucified Jesus."