Pastoral Timing and Faith-Sized Steps (Letters to a Young Pastor)

Dear ______:

You asked a good question about my advice on being a pastor in dicey political times.

Doesn’t there come a time for being more direct? Don’t you need to speak out against such abominable sins as racism that leads to violence, xenophobia that stops people from loving their actual neighbors, and sexism that excuses abuse?

Yes, of course. My advice was really about the long game. The best time to start preaching the connections between the actions and words of Jesus to our own views on races, religions, nationalities, and genders is about ten years ago.

Once hatefulness toward other people, and whole categories of people, is socially acceptable in politics and society, it may be too late to help mere Christians get the point. This has happened in history. More than once, I’m sorry to say.

To my mind this points to two issues in pastoral life.

Faith-Sized Steps

First, once the time comes to speak directly on such issues, make sure you give the right message to the right people. Most of the time you are called to speak to your own congregation. Know them well and help them learn the way they should go.

Each person in your congregation is on their own step by step journey of discipleship.

• Say you are talking to someone who is at point “A” or “G” or “M” on the ethical journey of living as a Christian in society.
• Say you start preaching about how they need to be at point “X” or “Y” or “Z.”
• Say you give the impression that all real Christians are at “X” or “Y” or “Z.”
• Your listener is likely to hear your words as a political rant rather than helpful preaching.

What if you took another approach entirely?

• Say you are talking to that same person who is at point “A” or “G” or “M” on the ethical journey of living as a Christian in society.
• Say instead of “X” “Y” or “Z” you start preaching about how they need to take one small step to point “B” or “H” or “N.”
• Say you give the impression that every Christian’s journey is made up of what my old pastor called “Faith-sized steps.”
• Your listener is likely to hear your words as helpful preaching — and more likely to take a step in the right direction.

Pastoral Timing

The second issue that every pastor needs to work on is timing. There are lots of valuable biblical teachings that are only useful when they come up at the right time.

The “just in time” delivery model

Some issues need a “just in time” delivery system. A crisis arises, or a new turn of growth happens, and there is a new openness. That is, in life as in school, you have to be asking a question in order to have a place to fit the answer.

So you, as pastor, have to watch for the teachable moment when someone is either asking or open to input.

It happens a lot when people have their first child. Suddenly they actually want to know how to help someone (their own little cutie) grow into a life-giving faith: they are asking “evangelism” questions.

They find themselves open to the idea that having a life-giving faith of their own is crucial for this: they are asking “discipleship” questions.

And there you are meeting with them to talk about their child’s upcoming baptism. Just in time.

The “well-stocked warehouse” model

Other issues need more of a “well-stocked warehouse” model of delivery. Christians need to have the relevant teaching “in stock” well in advance, because once they face the issue they can’t hear.

Take, for example, biblical teaching on suffering. The Bible teaches in various places that suffering can be really helpful in making you grow — that suffering can, paradoxically, lead to joy.

Say the worst happens in the life of a family in your church: a child dies.

What happens if you show up and say “Hey, remember, the Bible tells us suffering leads to joy! You are gonna grow so much from this!”?

They aren’t going to be open to that message. They may never be open to your so-called biblical teaching ever again.

But what happens if in your ordinary preaching and teaching, years in advance, you explored the ways that the Bible talks about suffering, growth and joy.

You didn’t do it in a foolish easy-peasy way. You took suffering seriously. But you were a wise pastor and you helped the congregation consider ways they had seen growth in their own lives through life’s tough patches.

Then, when the worst happens, what do you do?

You cry with them. You be the presence of Christ to them.

If they ask what the Bible says about suffering, and if they aren’t supposed to be joyful, stick for now to “Weep with those who weep.” (Romans 12:15 NRSV)

You already stocked the warehouse. They’ll have that resource when they need it, if they need it.

Discernment

So the hard work of pastoring is discernment.

• You have to know the person you are talking to.
• You have to discern what the next single step of faith might be.
• You have to discern which questions they are asking or open to.
• You have to discern which topics need to be taught far away from a time of crisis.

And I’ll be rooting for you all along the way.

Blessings,

Gary

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