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Post Seminar Project

Integrative Essay

Rev. Kris Leland Snyder, DM 800, June 2014

Several challenges have reshaped the American religious landscape. Of these challenges

two in particular have begun a reshaping of pastoral ministry and how people of faith

interact with clergy called to serve the church. Identified and shared by other professions

trust and cultural value shifts have brought many clergy to reconsider vocational fit and

calling.

Noting these challenges in his work, Building Cultures of Trust, Martin Marty articulates

this challenge. “Seeing trust restored in congregations or denominations where there has

been a crisis of trust - usually over sexual matters, but sometimes financial or theological

matters - contributes to a spiritually rich and vocationally rewarding outcome.” 1 This

crisis of trust furthers the reality that clergy in American are facing many external and

internal challenges. Sexual identity and function within the family context, theological

shifts that have reinterpreted long held beliefs and practices, and the overall de-churching

of America has lead to a greater crisis for pastors. The spiritual riches and strength can

be achieved and experienced by both pastor and congregation – yet not without great

work, determination, and trust.

Americans are hungering for a place of trust and a culture that extends values of

belonging, nurturing, and hope in something greater than themselves. “…the vast

majority of Americans are at least to some degree involved with religion, including its

                                                                                                               1  Martin  E.  Marty,  Building  Cultures  of  Trust  (Wm.  B.  Eerdmans  Publishing,  2010),  75–76.  

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institutions, in both positive and negative ways.”2   This involvement is calling forth

leaders who can embody trust, speak truth and hope, and guide through their vocation a

faith that responds to the challenges of a modern American context.

Martin Marty’s articulates well the challenge and failures of many religious institutions in

dealing with dialoging, engaging, and bring people together in faith. “Openness is

necessary because trust always involves risk, and the one who trusts or is to be trusted

has to be open to risk. Meanwhile, the element of purposiveness seals the matter of

trustworthiness.”3 Do leaders who preach the Gospel, tend to the sick and dying, and

teach the catechism have the openness necessary to gain the trust of those seeking hope,

healing, and salvation? This question involves an examination of the challenges, failures,

and needs of clergy and hopes both pastor and congregation have in addressing the needs

currently articulated by our American context.

Clergy who have the trust of others serve well when they are confident in their beliefs,

practices, and identity. “When a leader is confident, he can show confidence in others

who have had a similar engendering experience: "I have great confidence in you" (2 Cor.

7:4). Paul thus speaks not only of confidence but of "great" confidence, and not because

he and his readers are physically near each other, where they could count on each other's

presence and power.”4 This conversation of trust between pastor and people can be life

giving if fed and nourished by prayer, the Word, Sacrament, and confidence that is

recipicol.

                                                                                                               2  Ibid.,  86–87.  3  Ibid.,  295–296.  4  Ibid.,  683–685.  

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Primary to the crisis is the evidence that a greater percentage of clergy are experiencing

vocational burnout, moral and ethical failures, and evident trust issues within the contexts

they are serving and their perspective church bodies. The identity of who exactly the

pastor is within the faith community has long suffered challenge, yet today this crisis has

experienced greater emphasis as congregations have been ravaged by matters of

theological integrity, moral and ethical applications of the scripture in response to

cultural shifts in beliefs and practices, and the over arching suspicion of those who serve

in public office.

As those who serve as ordained pastors tackle the challenges of the post-modern

American context they must reckon with the need for trust. “Trust-relations that are

closest to home, I have argued, demand and deserve closest attention - for a number of

good reasons.”5 Martin Marty calls forth a challenge for pastors facing crisis in their

vocational callings to return to this central relationship of trust – reestablish it as a core

functional value within the community of faith.

Along with trust the ability for pastors embody the sacred task of listening and becoming

reflexive in that task anchors ministry. Too often pastors master skills in preaching,

administration, and other commonly held tasks but neglect to tend to, nurture, and listen

to those whom they are pastoring. “It is as we listen to ourselves in the context of the

God who made us and knows us that we discover our deepest identity, not ‘I alone’ but ‘I

in him’…”6 The scared task of listening, retaining the story of God’s people in a

particular place, and communicating Gospel to such persons becomes a skillful practice

for the pastor.

                                                                                                               5  Ibid.,  2043–2044.  6  Anne  Long,  Listening.  (Daybreak,  1990),  5.  

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So within the reality of building and maintaining a balance of trust yet being

communicative to the culture we minister within lies the crux of the problem for pastors.

Pastors are faced with the moral realities of doing what is right, what adds value to

persons of faith, and how to effectively communicate the Gospel to a growing number of

persons that are even hostile to the hope that Christ offers. The hurdle for many churches

including my current context is how do we meet the needs of those outside of the church

experience, those who have walked away from the faith, and the many families who

struggle with the cultural context we exist in.

The problem of focus for my current context is two fold: First and primary is how do we

as people of God define, identify, and uphold the office of pastor in a changing context.

Because within the congregation we have varying experiences with some families who

have transferred in from a Lutheran Church Missouri congregation that closed and those

who established the congregation the task of identifying the pastor and his or her role is a

mounting task. Second, with the realities of denominational changes – the congregation

resigning from the roster of the Evangelical Lutheran Church and joining the North

American Lutheran Church – the expectations, definition, and understanding of the

pastoral vocation receives yet another transformation.

Pastoral identity and function within the local congregation needs to be something that

both pastor and people readily acknowledge and have the ability to speak on the same

terms concerning role definitions, expectations, and absolutes. “Paying attention to the

sights, sounds, smells, and tastes related to group life will give the pastor a fuller and

richer understanding of the complexity and variety of cultural stories within a

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congregation or community.”7 A pastor who serves his congregation well reads,

understands, and gives value to the sacred stories of the congregation. These stories

shape the past, challenge the present, and give meaning to the future. Yet these very

same stories about the identity of the pastor, the role of the congregation in the task of

ministry, and the function of the church as a whole lead many pastors to burnout. This

burnout stems typically from the pastor assuming the sole task of pastoral care provider

and the lone wolf Gospel proclaimer for the church.

This task of knowing the congregational story engages the people of God in investing in

the pastoral office as well. “Allowing people to tell their stories of life in this

community, including the good, the bad, and the ugly, is a critical pastoral task that can

help people heal and free them to move on with strength and vigor.”8 Mary Moschella

addresses well the missed opportunity pastors face when they do not know the stories of

the people they serve. This lack of investment on the part of the pastor can lead to

greater challenges and perhaps a shorter term of commitment on the behalf of the pastor.

Furthering this is the reality that longevity in ministry to a particular church is something

that sustained churches in the past and something they often hope for in each new

placement.

In my current context as parish pastor to Our Saviour’s Lutheran several factors have

brought complexity to the office of pastor. Having the availability of a long-term

pastorate may be a hidden desire of the church, yet it is something that they have not

experienced over their lifespan. Even from its inception the congregation survived on

                                                                                                               7  Mary  Moschella,  Ethnography  As  A  Pastoral  Practice:  An  Introduction  (The  Pilgrim  Press,  2008),  10.  8  Ibid.,  36–37.  

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short-term pastorates, college professors from Wartburg College, and a few pastors who

remained at the longest 8 years. Additionally the past decade brought the use of interns

and a supervising pastor from a neighboring larger ELCA church. Consistent pastoral

oversight, lack of someone in the pulpit who brought familiarity and warmth to the

Gospel proclamation, and an earnest longing for someone who invested in the community

has brought the church to its current status of crisis in the office of pastor.

The challenges facing Our Saviour’s Lutheran in Ackley provide evidence to a widening

challenge in Protestant churches throughout the United States. These challenges are

symptomatic of a growing identity problem over who the pastor is, what they are to do,

and how they are to function within the context of the faith community. Expectations as

well challenge the function of pastor. Lack of collective identifications of who the pastor

is leads to role confusion. There may be some generalizations concerning the pastor and

what he or she may do but the overall identity of the pastor, the role he or she may have

in the church and community, and what should be expected of such a leader. These

generalizations serve to in some instances weaken the Biblical definitions of the pastor

and further the confusion that exists.

Where do we gain our understanding of the office of pastor and how this person functions

in the church? Our faith heritage would offer much guidance in this. Extensively first

with Martin Luther and then through the efforts of others such as CFW Walther we gain a

clearer picture of God’s intent and design concerning the office of pastor and who ought

to fill that position. “The pastor exercises the same office that Christ exercised as his

occupational vocation on earth, but that does not confer on the pastor a more godly nature

or status; like all sinners pastor stand worthy before God only because the forgiveness of

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sins bestowed through Jesus Christ.”9 Because Lutherans stand amongst other Christians

in the vast diverse religious landscape found in America blurring of who the pastor is or

ought to be can occur. The idea that pastors are somehow elevated to a position that

stands outside of the example of Christ should concern Lutherans, especially those

congregations that have openly welcomed divergent leadership styles found more

commonly in corporate America than in the pastoral office.

Robert Kolb offers guidance in our attempt to clarify who the pastor is and how he or she

ought to function by stating, “…Luther believed, pastors truly maintain and defend their

office not by insisting on their prerogatives as officeholders but simply by practicing and

exercising their office with genuine care for and willing service to their people through

exercising the power of God’s Word as God designed its use among the people.”10 The

projection of non-native images of the office of pastor by the American context has

continued to erode and challenge Lutheran ordained ministry. The pastor stands not as

one outside of the priesthood of all believers but within the ranks of those called to love,

serve, and obey the Lord of the Church. He or she shares the mirrored task of being the

kind and Good Shepherd in like manner to Christ.

Others are noticing the dangers that come for Lutheran congregations that embrace and

suggest an image and function of the pastor that stands outside the confessional identity

shaped throughout church history. “A functional view of the ministry specifically

endangers the quality of theology in the church: it opens the way to an improper reliance

on personal skills and attributes; it could describe Christian faith as an item of job

                                                                                                               9  Robert  Kolb,  “Ministry  in  Martin  Luther  and  the  Lutheran  Confessions,”  in  Called  and  Ordained  (Minneapolis:  Augsburg  Fortress  Pr,  1990),  49.  10  Ibid.,  51.  

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competence, and it could encourage the idea that pastors are employed to do the

congregations work.”11 Such is the norm in many Lutheran congregations in rural Iowa

as many have accepted and adapted the practice of ministry to fit a functional view. I

would even further suggest that because of a survival mindset congregations have

increasingly placed the success or failure of the church on the ability of the pastor to be

and do the entire work of the church. Ministry as a shared or communal experience

under the guidance of a pastor has been replaced in many contexts allowing this

functional survival mindset to take hold.

Returning to and abiding by Luther’s understanding of the office of Word and Sacrament

ministry brings hopeful expectation and new life to pastors experiencing times of

challenge, doubt, and despair. “Ordained ministry for Luther was focused on fulfilling a

specific task on behalf of the people of God. Namely the proclamation of the saving

grace of Jesus Christ.”12 This proclamation takes place in and through several articulated

tasks that should be identified and understood by both pastor and congregation. Teaching

the word, preaching and proclaiming, baptize, consecrate and administer the sacraments,

bind and loose sins, pray for others, sacrifice, and judge all doctrinal spirits.13 There

stands a delicate balance between over spiritualizing the call to serve as pastor and seeing

it as a functional task that brings good order, sound teaching and guidance, and provides

validation for the Christian disciple.

                                                                                                               11  Nathan  Castens,  “Ordained  Ministry  in  the  Christian  Priesthood:    The  Dialectical  Nature  of  Lutheran  Theology  and  Practice  of  Ministry”  (Doctorate  of  Ministry  Thesis,  St.  Paul,  MN:  Luther  Theological  Seminary,  1984),  139.  12  Karen  Geisendorfer-­‐Lindgren,  “Preparing  for  Call:    A  Theological,  Historical,  Spiritual  and  Practical  Resource  for  Clergy  in  Pastoral  Transittion  within  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  in  America”  (Doctorate  of  Ministry  Thesis,  St.  Paul,  MN:  Luther  Theological  Seminary,  2001),  32–33.  13  Ibid.,  32.  

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The awareness of pastoral identity and trueness to the call to serve as implementer of

Word and Sacrament ministry means the pastor must gain an applicable understanding of

how this role in shaped in the context of the church. “Ministry implies an awareness of

the church, the community of persons faithful to the Gospel and individually and

collectively also engaged in ministry.”14 More than a functional awareness it becomes a

living out of the vocational role of Jesus as the confessions teach us to be in the place of

Christ as ministers.

There is some caution advised when we examine the role of pastor in the congregation as

well. Special attention must be given so the pastor does not assume the whole of the

ministry task or embrace a messianic identity that no person could live up to or sustain

for any length of time. “The clergy represented God. God as pure, compassionate, and

always available – so must the clergy person.”15 Such beliefs run counter to the actual

and confessional identity of the pastor as prescribed by the reformers.

Following the Biblical example of Christ and His guidance to St. Peter in the Gospel

pastors are called to feed the sheep and tend to the care of those who are under Christ’s

lordship. The conversation shared by Peter and the Lord mirrors the demands or calling

God has placed on those who hold the pastoral office. “When they had finished

breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than

these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my

lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to

him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to

                                                                                                               14  Castens,  “Ordained  Ministry  in  the  Christian  Priesthood:    The  Dialectical  Nature  of  Lutheran  Theology  and  Practice  of  Ministry,”  13.  15  J.  Fred  Lehr,  Clergy  Burnout:  Recovering  from  the  70-­‐Hour  Work  Week-­‐-­‐  and  Other  Self-­‐Defeating  Practices  (Prisms;  Minneapolis:  Fortress  Press,  2006),  52.  

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him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he

said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know

everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”16 It is this

feeding with the Word and Sacrament and tending with the pastoral heart that brings

about the very presence of God.

Proper identification and function of the pastor has met certain challenges in a post-

modern context that sees less value in an ordained clergyperson serving in a leadership

role. “…we discover that the churches we serve are sometimes part of the problem, for

they too easily get entangled in the entertainments and consumerisms of the world…We

can easily give in to our culture’s cravings for happiness and miss the true Joy of genuine

faithfulness.”17 American consumerism and entertainment evangelism leaves many

churches in a constant struggle for gaining new members and maintaining a high level of

functioning for the pastor. This in the end also allows unrealistic expectations and non-

native Lutheran understandings of the office of pastor to emerge. The pastor is seen as

something outside of the normative expectations of preaching, teaching, administrating

the means of grace, and embodying the Christ who has called him or her.

The mounting challenges to the pastoral office and lack of clarity concerning role

definitions leads many serving the church to abandon ministry altogether. “Because the

pastoral identity of the clergy is so closely bound up with their public ministry, disrespect

                                                                                                               16  “John  21:17,”  ESV  Bible,  n.d.,  n.p.  [cited  24  October  2014].  Online:  http://www.esvbible.org/John+21%3A17/.  17  Marva  J.  Dawn,  The  Sense  of  the  Call:  A  Sabbath  Way  of  Life  for  Those  Who  Serve  God,  the  Church,  and  the  World  (Grand  Rapids,  Mich:  W.B.  Eerdmans  Pub.  Co,  2006),  3.  

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for the latter is felt as a kind of threat to the former.”18 The crisis of role identification

leads pastors into accepting other roles that stretch the traditional roles often associated

with pastoral ministry. Previous generations may favor a strong pastoral presence and

readily identify with such, however as Christian churches face increasing challenges

within a crowded context confusion over the pastoral role will continue to erode the

confessional understanding of who the pastor was intended to be.

In the context of my ministry the listening part of the pastoral office has suffered much

neglect over the past several calls. The value of truly listening and valuing the

congregational story, the individual stories of the members of Our Saviour’s Lutheran,

and how each shape the future of God’s people in Ackley. “Listening, like any

worthwhile ministry, is tiring. It calls for concentration, commitment, faith, a putting

aside of one’s own preoccupations.”19 Certainly with the other demands present in

pastoral ministry listening can take a back seat or seen as a task best suited to those who

are trained specifically in Christian counseling fields. Concentrating on the task of

listening means availing the skills found in the confessional office. When we like others

become still and know God’s presence and provision we lead others to slow down and

hear God’s voice.

What often is lacking in the initial call process and interview is the dedicated

ethnographic discovery advocated by Mary Clark Moschella. “Most people long to be

heard. The aim of pastoral listening in ethnography is that the speakers and the group

                                                                                                               18  James  I.  Packer,  “Self-­‐Care  for  Pastors:  Riches  from  the  Anglican  Devotional  Tradition,”  Crux  39,  no.  4  (2003):  2.  19  Long,  Listening.,  67.  

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become empowered…”20 Specifically, does the nature of the call process and work on

the congregational profile allow for the candidate to hear the many voices of the

congregation? In the case of Our Svaiour’s Lutheran the answer would be found in the

process that lead me to serve as their pastor.

First serving as pulpit supply during a time of transition, then as interim, and finally as

their contracted pastor under a 20 hour per week call has lead many to some elements of

role confusion. In such a limited time call pastoral listening can be a challenge given the

other demands of worship preparation, sermon writing, catechism instruction, and

visitation. It is our confessional tradition that reminds us that even in a shorter time call

the responsibilities of tending to the flock remain the same. This in itself will bring about

clarity for pastor and people. “In accepting his call the pastor assumes responsibility for

the spiritual welfare of the congregation’s members. In addition, he promises to reach

out with God’s Word to the unchurched. In calling a pastor, the members on their part

promise to accept him as the one who will serve them with God’s Word in whatever

pertain to faith and life. They expect him to help and guide them in matters spiritual,

religious, and moral.”21 Becoming a steward and caretaker of spiritual welfare extends

into the preaching office, the confessional, worship, and catechism instruction. A

realistic challenge then is to remove through careful guidance to remove the unhealthy

role identifications that have challenged the office of pastor – namely those often lead to

a more egocentric pastoral ministry.

                                                                                                               20  Moschella,  Ethnography  As  A  Pastoral  Practice:  An  Introduction,  141.  21  Armin  W.  Schuetze,  The  Counseling  Shepherd  (Milwaukee,  Wis:  Northwestern  Pub.  House,  1988),  2.  

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This examination leads to the clearly state the image of the pastor, how that person

functions in a small community such as Ackley, and how a faith group such as the North

American Lutheran Church intends to evangelize the community in real and tangible

ways. “The image of the pastor as a human being projects is important. Is he

compassionate? Concerned? Approachable?”22 The compassionate, concerning, and

approachable shepherd can lead many to Christ and validate the ministry of the faithful.

However, as has been the case for several years – the perceived neglect of the office of

pastor, the detached and unattended to needs of the congregation, and the challenges of

leaving the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America have certainly left many to become

discouraged.

Past images of the pastor being the sole leader in the congregation and administering all

work of the church including her mission have brought many challenges to previous

pastors. Pastors quickly fall into this congregationally defined role full of unrealistic

expectations. This leads quickly to the pastor feeling overwhelmed and longing for

members to assist with the mission of the congregation. “Pastors were less likely to

burnout in churches where members were growing in faith.”23 What determines growth

in faith? When a congregation such as Our Saviour’s Lutheran takes up a survival

mindset to incur the changes in pastoral leadership and the challenges of evangelizing a

dying community growth can be stifled.

Robert Preus views the spiritual and challenging wilderness journeys of congregations

and pastors as God’s opportunity to wrought change and bring about a discovery His

                                                                                                               22  Ibid.,  4.  23  J  Stephen  Muse,  “Clergy  in  Crisis:  When  Human  Power  Isn’t  Enough,”  J.  Pastor.  Care  Couns.  61,  no.  3  (2007):  184.  

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divine grace. “Can and ought a pastor view mental breakdown or nervous exhaustion as

a chastening from a loving God calculated only to bless and bring the pastor (and

congregation) closer to him? The answer must be a resounding ‘yes’ Yes if the pastor

believes in a loving God who sent His Son to be our Savior.”24 The natural call for

pastor and congregation is bring the things of God – namely the Sacraments and Word –

closer to the people of God. The movement of the pastor is to advocate for this to occur

weekly in the divine service and throughout the daily lives of the faithful by prayer,

praise, and outward acts of service that are model primarily by the pastor.

What the church long for is the reemergence of an authentic shepherd leadership that can

gently lead the faithful and gather the lost sheep that have strayed from the flock.

Perhaps idealistic such an image is comforting to many in rural congregations who from

the very beginnings of their faith experiences acknowledge how such leadership enabled

them to be and do the work of ministry. However caution should be given to balance

such a role with others that advocate discipleship and doing the work of evangelism as a

shared task for both pastor and congregation. While the temptation to allow culture and

other factors to determine the role of the pastor and his/her function in the faith

community we would be wise to speak clarity into this. “When a breakdown of trust and

empathy has occurred in science, religion, or some other realm, a new and unwelcome

character often appears on the scene in the form of the fanatic.”25 The fanaticism would

invite elements of business leadership and movement towards a more egocentrism that

                                                                                                               24  Robert  D  Preus,  “Clergy  Mental  Health  and  the  Doctrine  of  Justification,”  Concordia  Theol.  Q.  48,  no.  2-­‐3  (1984):  122.  25  Marty,  Building  Cultures  of  Trust,  2078–2079.  

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has no lasting value when considering the office of pastor. No servant is greater than his

or her Master – that is Jesus Christ the great Shepherd.

Working with the congregation to reengage ideas, expectations, aspirations, and

understandings of the office of pastor and how that person should and ought to function

would be an important task. In the local congregation the assessment and implementation

of such a project would allow the voice of the congregation and individual members to

surface and lead to a great awareness for both pastor and congregation. “In ethnographic

listening, we want to emulate this empowering approach to listening as a key component

in pastoral leadership by taking seriously the voice and the insights of the people we are

called to serve.”26 Listening to then empower the people of God to then possess skills

such as discipleship, Biblical literacy, and practical application of key concepts in daily

life should give challenge and direction to the pastor.

Processing the understandings, perceptions, and hopeful expectations that members have

for their pastor and the ministry of the church can be life giving. In my current context

the challenges of meeting budget and facilitating pastoral ministry on a limited budget

have brought about a more survival mindset for the congregation. “The process of

naming one’s current situation and worldview may give rise to deeper knowing and the

longing for change.”27 If we acknowledge that we are in a context of declining

population and members naming this as a reality it begins the longing for changed. Being

real with the challenges we face and not longing to be or do ministry in a manner that

inconsistent with our identity must be realized.

                                                                                                               26  Moschella,  Ethnography  As  A  Pastoral  Practice:  An  Introduction,  151.  27  Ibid.,  152.  

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The greatest challenge for Our Saviour’s and other like sized congregations is to move

the focus from trying to be akin to programmatic or larger congregations and become the

church God intends for us to be. That intended congregational nature given by God

centers around font and table, pulpit and confessional office. It involves the pastor being

the caring shepherd, the attentive caregiver, and the guiding image of God’s grace.

Building on this is the concept of trust that comes through caring conversations about the

function and role of the pastor. “With so much at stake, and since there is rich promise in

conversation and what it implies, it is important to develop an understanding of this form

of human exchange as an agency for constructing cultures of trust.”28 When pastor and

congregation understand expectations, previous role definitions, and the needs they have

for pastoral leadership real change and evolution can occur in the faith community.

Beyond the nurturing that occurs within the context of the congregation the use of an

elder pastor relationship with a neighboring pastor could be effective to illicit change in

the definition, role, and function of the pastor. “We shall also need, as suggested earlier,

a wise senior partner or supervisor who will help us look at what we meet in the listening

relationship in such a way that we can become more effective.”29 As in previous calls the

mentoring relationship with an elder pastor allowed me to listen to the story of the

congregation, assess more correctly the needs of the parish, and discern the movement of

God in a particular congregational setting.

The overall goal of investing in role identification brings a wealth of growth to the

congregation and additionally its future pastoral leaders. Considering the existence of

short term pastorates, declining membership trends, and the relative small nature of the

                                                                                                               28  Marty,  Building  Cultures  of  Trust,  2108–2110.  29  Long,  Listening.,  68.  

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North American Lutheran Church the investment of time to explore pastoral identity and

function would do us all well.

The emergent church movement has challenged the confessional church and its very

identity, function, and ability to reach people where they are. “The core characteristics

of the emergent movement: identifying with Jesus, transforming secular space, living as

community, welcoming the stranger, serving with generosity, participating as producers,

creating as created beings, leading as a body, and merging ancient and contemporary

spiritualties.”30 The return to the pastor as Shepherd mirroring Christ in function and

form becomes a place of beginning. Additionally finding tangible and successful ways of

integrating the old and the new could work to attract families who see the church as

distant, irrelevant, and absent in overall human experience.

The attempt here is to clarify the muddy waters concerning the identity of the pastor, who

that is to be, how they are to function, and how God uses such men and woman to be

agents of God’s grace. Personality characteristics aside the identity of the pastor is a

public role that is set a part for those called by God, enlightened by the gifts provide to

carry out such work, and affirmed by the congregation. From the beginning of the call to

its conclusion both pastor and congregation work to identify core needs, restate the basic

functions of the pastor, and how God uses the balanced relationship of pastor and people

to do the work of evangelism.

                                                                                                               30  Tony  Jones,  The  Church  Is  Flat:  The  Relational  Ecclesiology  of  the  Emerging  Church  Movement  (Minneapolis,  MN:  JoPa  Group,  2011),  4.  

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Sources Consulted Castens, Nathan. “Ordained Ministry in the Christian Priesthood: The Dialectical Nature

of Lutheran Theology and Practice of Ministry.” Doctorate of Ministry Thesis, St.

Paul, MN: Luther Theological Seminary, 1984.

Dawn, Marva J. The Sense of the Call: A Sabbath Way of Life for Those Who Serve God,

the Church, and the World. Grand Rapids, Mich: W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co, 2006.

Geisendorfer-Lindgren, Karen. “Preparing for Call: A Theological, Historical, Spiritual

and Practical Resource for Clergy in Pastoral Transition within the Evangelical

Lutheran Church in America.” Doctorate of Ministry Thesis, St. Paul, MN: Luther

Theological Seminary, 2001.

Jones, Tony. The Church Is Flat: The Relational Ecclesiology of the Emerging Church

Movement. Minneapolis, MN: JoPa Group, 2011.

Kolb, Robert. “Ministry in Martin Luther and the Lutheran Confessions.” Pages 49–66 in

Called and Ordained. Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress Pr, 1990.

Lehr, J. Fred. Clergy Burnout: Recovering from the 70-Hour Work Week-- and Other

Self-Defeating Practices. Prisms. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2006.

Long, Anne. Listening. Daybreak, 1990.

Marty, Martin E. Building Cultures of Trust. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2010.

Moschella, Mary. Ethnography As A Pastoral Practice: An Introduction. The Pilgrim

Press, 2008.

Muse, J Stephen. “Clergy in Crisis: When Human Power Isn’t Enough.” Journal of

Pastoral Care & Counseling 61, no. 3 (2007): 183–95.

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Packer, James I. “Self-Care for Pastors: Riches from the Anglican Devotional Tradition.”

Crux 39, no. 4 (2003): 2–13.

Preus, Robert D. “Clergy Mental Health and the Doctrine of Justification.” Concordia

Theological Quarterly 48, no. 2–3 (1984): 113–23.

Schuetze, Armin W. The Counseling Shepherd. Milwaukee, Wis: Northwestern Pub.

House, 1988.

“John 21:17.” ESV Bible, n.d. No pages. Cited 24 October 2014. Online:

http://www.esvbible.org/John+21%3A17/.