Good News?
Most Pastors Are Terrible at Our Vocation...*
How would you feel if a prominent person in your profession said that an outside person with no known training in your field was better at your job than you could ever hope to be? Let’s say you are a plumber and a well known plumber stated that the dog walker on his street could fit a pipe better than most plumbers. How would you feel? Hurt, offended, discouraged, or even angry?
This week, the denominational magazine of the Church of the Nazarene shared a sermon through their podcast. That sermon was promoted as addressing “the violence experienced in America this past week and expresses his heart for communicating God’s goodness in a broken world.” That headline doesn’t really match the content of the sermon, but that is the least of the problems. You see this pastor of a large multi-campus church in the Church of the Nazarene (COTN) made the following claim:
“Charlie was what I would call a modern-day evangelist. If you don’t know anything about him, look up some videos. He could explain theology like nobody else, as a 31-year-old.
I’ve heard him share the Gospel more clear and definitive than most pastors could ever do."
Regardless of what anyone thinks of Charlie Kirk, he was not a trained theologian, nor was he a pastor. He was a Christian in the broad sense of Christianity and a political activist; many of his views were centered in a Calvinist and patriarchal expression of Christianity and in Nationalism. That theological context does not match up well with a Wesleyan-Holiness theology. But worse, the claim that most, not some, but most pastors could never share the Gospel as well is a slap in the face to pastors everywhere. It is also a ridiculous claim for a member of clergy in the COTN to make. It is not a simple process to be ordained as a Deacon or Elder in the Church of the Nazarene. You are examined by women and men on an annual basis, you must meet certain educational requirements, and demonstrate the gifts and graces of ministry through a call from God.
I listen to a lot of sermons because I enjoy hearing various voices and the art of preaching is one in which diversity is beautiful. I can tell you that almost every single sermon I listen to is soaked in the beauty of the Gospel. The words and images shared are literally dripping with the Gospel. I even believe this of those with whom I have deep disagreement. I have heard Gospel truth from those I criticize and I am willing to embrace the fact that Gospel is preached.
To be certain I did not misunderstand I reached out to the pastor whose sermon was shared. I asked if he truly believed his words about sharing the Gospel. I was disappointed again because he said yes. He even went so far as to claim that Calvinists present the Gospel more frequently than Wesleyans in general. Statements like that make me wonder what someone means by the Gospel. Because if it the Gospel is Good News, then when we share the Good News given us by God, is that not the Gospel? I suspect that in this case the Gospel is a Calvinist understanding of a specific formula rather than scriptural Good News because that seems to be popular these days.
I will name some names of pastors I have heard Good News from. Don’t be shocked by the names you see of those with whom I have disagreed. The Good News is the Good News and when we trust the Spirit of God, we share Good News. Maybe it is prevenient grace, but I think most pastors cannot help but to share Good News. I have heard Good News from Shawna Songer Gaines, Tara Thomas Smith, Tara Beth Leach, Brian Zahnd, Tin Gaines. Christine Hung, Albert Hung, Dwight Gunter, Scott Daniels, Jared Henry, Brad Paradee, Steve Fountain, Tasha Alison, John Hannah, Angela Stephens, Angie Wilson, Christy Willams, Jeffery Brown, Daron Brown, Rich Cook, Justin Warren, Ken Dove, Mike Jackson, Jonathan Trees, Jacobi Campbell, Mark Robison, Terry Hedges, Jenn Geiger, Hunter Cummings, Bob Hunter, Caitlin Tyler, Micah Mortimer, Elijah Friedeman, Steve Hoskins, Duane Harris, Matt Taylor, Brent Neely, Nicholas Carpenter, Kevin Angel, Bruce Barnard, Carla Sunberg, Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Tripp Fuller, Tom Oord, Brian Powell, Mike Suits, David Graves, Brent Peterson, Diane Leclerc, and countless others. I will put any of these people up and challenge someone to prove they are not sharing Good News in a majority of their sermons.
Not all the pastors on this list will agree with one another or are endorsed by me, but trust that they desire to share the Good News regardless based on my own personal experience. We may not always get it right, but that’s not really the point. Most of this list won’t have the distraction of considering how a closing church might be added to our church as yet another satellite, but I can guarantee that each and every person on this list prays fervently that the messages they preach are infused with the Good News of Jesus. Your own mileage may vary, but I stand with the scores of pastors whether paid, unpaid, large church, or small church who faithfully preach the Good News. Especially when it is difficult and when you are not certain that your peers trust that you are faithfully following your call.
How did we get here? The root cause so to speak is that many of our laity and clergy in America are influenced and discipled by Christian and other influencers. There is a steady diet of bite sized content which may sound deep, but is usually empty words. It is the struggle many pastors feel; how do we invite into deep discipleship with Jesus when the wider Christian world is mining for clicks and monetization? In any pastor or theology group online you are more likely to hear about Alyssa Childers, Mike Winger, Sean McDowell, and other social stars than Wesley, Wynkoop, Dunning, etc. I don’t have much of an answer because that popular method of engagement does not fit personal and communal discipleship, so emulating it only makes the problem worse.
Not ironically, comments were quickly disabled on the Facebook post for this podcast. I believe strongly in free speech and diversity of opinion so I don’t want the podcast deleted or removed. Open conversation would be good, but much like with influencers, we are spared from the rigors of debate. I also think of all the sermons preached this past Sunday, was this really the best one to share about God’s goodness in a broken world? I heard some that were much better, more infused with humility and vulnerability, and did not insult fellow clergy.
Good news! At least I get lifelong learning credit for hearing how pastors can never share the Gospel as clearly as a political influencer. But is that really good news?
*Not really, but it seems some think that way…
Thank you for saying this.