Many people believe they are a biblical scholar and theologian. Of those within the church, there are some who believe the pastor, in their opinion, is neither.
ELCA/ELCIC Lutheran pastors attend 4 years of seminary, studying hermeneutics - exegesis, homiletics, ancient Hebrew & Greek, process vs. systematic theology, etc. Some wonder why a BA in Religion studying world religions, ethics, liberation theology and so forth is helpful. To be a competent pastor includes being a working theologian and Biblical scholar - along w/spiritual guide, counselor, CEO of disciples. You are there at hospitals and homes when people die, you officiate at funerals and baptisms as well as marriages. You walk with people as they journey through difficult and vulnerable periods of life – unemployment, divorce, illness, and the like. There are many rewards but also many stumbling blocks.
On a recent Sunday some parishioners questioned my theology & biblical scholarship right before worship service began. This happens numerous times over a call, especially one that spans a couple dozen years. We all take criticism in the workplace. For pastors the repercussions can be: parishioners will or will threaten to withhold financial support, stop volunteering, leave the church, and so on. Some will try to make church a “hostile worship environment.” I’ve found myself to be the target of anger, the recipient of contempt, dealing with people as they triangulate their fears and concern while having to remain compassionate and objective.
As a pastor you are called to forgive anyone who repents but some parishioners don’t in kind. Since congregations are family systems, you need to be well versed in systems theory and how it applies to the local parish, how to remain non-anxious in an anxiety laden situation. You have to be prepared to pray in all circumstances, discern how to give vision and mission for people in both a local and global scope and motivate them to give themselves over to love of neighbor, strangers and enemies, all while modeling these behaviors yourself in a healthy manner. This is only a partial list of what a pastor routinely encounters in her or his call. Pastors perennially rank in the top 10 of white collar most stressful jobs.
People inside and outside of the church have certain notions of what pastors do and don’t do, what they know and don’t know, how they should perform their “job” (it’s a call, not a job).
I’m called to Word & Sacrament ministry. I serve the “Good Shepherd” so in a sense, I’m a sheep dog of faith. While Lutherans hold to the priesthood of all believers – we’re all disciples/apostles – as pastors are called to be shepherds/sheep dogs, we have been trained so to speak, we have a certain skill set. However, as I was reminded yet again last Sunday, some believe we pastors don’t know what the h-e-double hockey sticks we are doing. I offer this:
I took a physics course in high school. It doesn’t make me a physicist.
I took a computer course in high school. It doesn’t make me a computer programmer.
I took math through high school and my 1st year of college/university. It doesn’t make me a mathematician.
I was a cook at a couple of restaurants. It doesn’t make me a chef.
When people read the Bible it doesn’t make them Biblical Scholars.
People develop their own understanding of the cosmos, universe and the divine, i.e., faith. It doesn’t make them theologians.
I’m a pastor. It doesn’t make me an adversary.
Just some perspective.
