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Has God crucified your ministry yet? It is a pretty in-your-face question for a chaplain, or for anyone in pastoral ministry. But it is one we all would do well to reflect on, according to Andrew Purves, author of The Crucifixion of Ministry – Surrendering Our Ambitions to the Service of Christ.
Purves, Chair of Pastoral Theology at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, has written a short but provocative book that highlights the futility of human-centred pastoring and seeks, with a wellreasoned theological argument rooted in Scripture, to ensure that Christ takes his rightful place at the centre of our service.
Taking aim at the tendency for pastors (and chaplains) to become success-driven and pre-occupied with being effective, Purves argues Scripture has something very important to say to those who fall into thinking "it is up to (me) to actualize and achieve everything in faith, life and ministry." Such thinking, argues Purves, renders Jesus nothing more than a moral influence.
Purves unfolds a biblical approach to pastoral ministry characterized by our participation in Christ. It is His ministry that we participate in, not the other way around. Our ministry is not redemptive, only Jesus' is. What's more, we don't bring Christ with us to the bedside, to the exercise yard or the lounge area, for He is already there.
The impetus for Purves' writing comes out of what he calls "the two seasons of dying" in pastoring – the first soon after college, the second often after a significant period of service. While the first death may relate to unrealistic expectations, the second is much more insidious and subtle. It is typified by occasional statements to oneself such as "Inside I feel I can't bury any more babies, listen to any more divorcing couples … listen to any more cancer diagnoses … The yoke is too heavy and the burden is too great."
Purves argues that both deaths spring from the pastor's sense of ownership of their ministry developing along inherently blasphemous lines until it implodes. Our sinful natures fuel our love of the idea that the success of our ministry hinges on our efforts and our skill level, while the prevailing paradigm for pastoral work and ministry promotes Jesus as a moral influence.
Basing his argument on a number of passages in Paul's letters, Purves laments what he calls "Christological timidity" in pastoral ministry, and referencing Athansius, makes a passionate plea for us to live by the radical statement of Paul in Galatians 2:20, "I, yet not I, but Christ" as we announce the love of God, care deeply for others and bear witness in other ways.
This is a book that has the capacity to unsettle us in our service, force us to reassess our motives and to facilitate the dethroning of idols in our ministry as it points us back to Christ. To paraphrase Purves himself, the book's title tells us much about the journey we are on as chaplains, a journey of ongoing crucifixion, to the glory of God.
Purves, A., The Crucifixion of Ministry – Surrendering Our Ambitions to the Service of Christ. (IVP, Downers Grove) 2007.
Copyright Stuart Adamson 2011
Thanks for this review Stuart. I like what Purves says about "rending Jesus nothing more than a moral influence."
ReplyDeleteBut the idea that "we don't bring Christ with us, He's already there", has never sat well with me. It's like saying, "I see the face of Christ in the poor." If the poor person doesn't know Christ, there's no Christ to see in that person's face.
Yes, Christ is there simply because he is everywhere but if the person I am ministering to is not a Christian, Christ is not there unless I point Him out to the unbeliever in the hope that the unbeliever will then see Jesus and receive Him.
The Christian "brings Christ" because the non Christian is blinded by this world, is serving idols, and has not yet turned to serve the true and living God. And how can they, unless they hear?
If Christ is there already, they don't need me to tell them, but God's normal way of bringing people to know Christ is for them to hear, by those those who have been sent.
Yes, I agree that the Christian brings faith and witness into the encounter where there may otherwise be none. In addition, the Holy Spirit is present in the chaplain in a way that He would not otherwise be. But Purves does encourage his readers to seek to discern how the Spirit is active in the life of a person already. I think this is to mitigate against the tendency he has noticed in pastoral visitors of thinking that "it's all up to me" - the very attitude, when taken to the extreme, that a "Jesus as moral influence" mindset.
ReplyDeleteJust saw the photo. Am now deep in theological reflection.
ReplyDeleteThanks guys - great review and helpful discussion. The issue of Christ 'being there' is a very real one (I see it most frequently in marriage prep - reminding couples that what we do is only a pale reflection of what is already true in the great marriage to come when we arrive at the marriage feast of the bride and the lamb). The truth that Christ is there and has provided all the answers but that we need to bring that life changing word to bear on their lives. Great tension but always enjoy hearing it discussed. Again, thank you.
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