Pastor to Pastor: The Minister’s Treasure, Part 4—About Pastoral Theology
William Shishko
Extracted from Ordained Servant vol. 6, no. 4 (October 1997)
Then He said to them, “Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old” (Matthew 13:52).
Among the finest “treasures” a minister has in his books are volumes described as “pastoral theology.” Since our day is a day in which pastoral work is often replaced by administration, and theology is often replaced by sociology, business principles, marketing concepts, and assorted pragmatics we have few contemporary “pastoral theologies” that are worth very much. Lyle Schaller is simply not in the same league as Richard Baxter! This is all the more reason for ministers to enrich themselves with true “pastoral theology” that comes from men who were “in the trenches”, doing the kind of pastoral work that is envisioned in biblical texts like 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12, 1 Peter 5:1-4, and—more extensively—in the Pastoral Epistles. I have found that the times of regular reflective reading of works by seasoned faithful ministers has been among the most richly rewarding of all of my reading in connection with my pastoral work. These volumes give a sense of perspective and a dose of holy reality in the face of so many unrealistic expectations of both ministers and congregations.
The classic volumes, of course, are Richard Baxter’s The Reformed Pastor and Charles Bridges’ The Christian Ministry, both published by the Banner of Truth Trust. Baxter (1615-1691) has been described by Dr. J. I. Packer as “the most outstanding pastor, evangelist, and writer on practical and devotional themes that Puritanism produced.” His preaching and pastoral ministry in Kidderminster, England were used of God to transform the entire community. Obviously much must be done to “contextualize” Baxter for our own day, but this volume of probing, penetrating exhortation ought to be read by our ministers more than once in a ministerial lifetime. Fiery arrows such as this: “Believe it, sirs, God is no respecter of persons: he saveth not men for their coats or callings; a holy calling will not save an unholy man” should be often pricking our ministerial souls. Baxter aims and shoots like no one else does.
Bridges’ volume is marked by far more of an evangelical spirit than is Baxter. Baxter is a stormy low pressure system. Bridges brings in the fresh air of a sparkling high pressure system. Both are necessary for the growth of ministerial fruit. The footnotes on every page of Bridges’ The Christian Ministry are worth the price of this priceless volume. They give you a taste of the finest pastoral wisdom that preceded Bridges (1794-1869). Read Bridges through at least once, and then consult it regularly for encouragement and challenge. His 40+ pages on “The Spirit of Scriptural Preaching” are an especially fine digest. Read a section or two as part of your Saturday evening or Sunday morning preparation for your Lord’s Day ministry. My note under Section VII, “Love, in the Preaching of the Gospel” reminds me to “Read, re-read, and re-read again.” Read it for yourself and you will find out why.
Closer to our own Presbyterian tradition are four fine volumes, two of which have been recently reprinted by Old Paths publications. These two are Pastoral Theology: A Treatise on the Office and Duties of the Christian Pastor, by Patrick Fairbairn (1805-1874) and Pastoral Theology: The Pastor in the Various Duties of His Office, by Thomas Murphy (1823-1900) Fairbairn’s volume is a companion to his excellent commentary on the Pastoral Epistles. There is nothing particularly new here (and a fuller use of Scriptural references would have improved the production), but it is chock full of sage advice and counsel from one of Scotland’s great 19th century Free Church pastors and theologians. I found his section on the advantages of expository preaching (pp. 242-250) to be especially helpful. The distinct advantage of the Murphy volume is that Thomas Murphy served for over 45 years as pastor of a single congregation, i.e. the Presbyterian Church of Frankford, PA (northeast Philadelphia). Murphy represents one of the best of Old School Presbyterian pastors. While I found his style to be somewhat plodding, his material offers superb contact with historic American Presbyterianism. His statement on the importance of the pastoral office (pps. 25-29) is an outstanding reminder of the solemn nature of the Gospel ministry, and his section on “deep earnestness” in preaching (pp. 188-194) demonstrates quite clearly that our Baptist friends do not have a corner on this element of public proclamation of the Word of God!
The other two volumes are harder to acquire, but both are important contributions from Presbyterian pastors of note. William G. T. Shedd’s Homiletics and Pastoral Theology was a standard textbook in late 19th century Presbyterian seminaries. It majors on preaching (as do most of the other volumes of pastoral theology) including some especially helpful material on “Reciprocal Relations of Preacher and Hearer” and “Liturgical Cultivation of the Preacher”. The actual “Pastoral Theology” section comprises slightly over 100 pages of this 429 page volume, but it includes a valuable chapter on catechising. Try to get it through a used book dealer. The other volume (my personal favorite) is William Blaikie’s The Public Ministry. How I wish this outstanding manual of homiletics and pastoral theology would be reprinted! Blaikie (1820-1899), who ministered in the Free Church of Scotland for 25 years before accepting the position of Professor of Apologetics and Pastoral Theology at the New College in Edinburgh, offers a brilliant overview of everything from the nature of and call to the ministry to “Supplementary Hints” on subjects like visitation of the sick, home mission work, and “evangelistic movements.” His advice on everything from pastoral care of the young to fulfilling pastoral engagements and meetings is full of mature wisdom which is as applicable today as it was over a century ago. I have profited immeasurably from everything Blaikie wrote, e.g. The Inner Life of Christ, and The Public Ministry of Christ (which was recently reprinted by Westminster Discount Book Service), but this volume is the richest of all. Again, try to get it from a used book dealer.
All of this is not to slight some more recent contributions in the field of pastoral theology. Jay Adams’ three volumes entitled Sheperding God’s Flock are available in a single edition now published by Zondervan. This is an eminently practical and comparatively recent overview of pastoral life, pastoral leadership, and pastoral counseling. My wistfulness for pastoral work in an earlier, less complicated day makes me prefer Blaikie, et. al. to Adams, but Adams shakes me and makes me realize that I am ministering in the late 20th century! Just be careful to keep Jay Adams’ dogmatisms separate from biblical ones, e.g. his views on Junior Church! I would also give a hearty recommendation to The Elder’s Handbook by Gerard Berghoef and Lester DeKoster (Christian’s Library Press). Don’t make the mistake of thinking this volume is only for Ruling Elders! Its overview on leadership, ministry in special cases, eg. the single parent, the unwed mother, the critically ill, the mentally handicapped, etc., and the meaning of “watching out for the flock” are invaluable. Pastors: Use it for yourselves and for elder training classes. Another very recent contribution is Rediscovering Pastoral Ministry by John MacArthur, Jr. and members of the faculty of Master’s Seminary (Word Publishing). I have not read this thick volume, but its sections on topics such as “The Pastor’s Home,” “The Pastor’s Study,” and “The Pastor’s Prayer Life—the Personal Side and the Ministry Side” will all arouse interest.
Remember that there is no higher calling than that of being a Minister of the Word and a Shepherd of the Flock. May these fine expositions of the practical aspects of that work—written from both pastoral experience and good theology—be used of God to make us all more skillful Reformed pastors in our own day.
Bill Shishko, pastor
OPC Franklin Square, NY
shishko.1@opc.org