A Confession: Pastor Scholar vs. Suburban Chaplain

This past week I tried to steal away for a bit of study and writing. I must confess that it didn’t really happen due to church concerns that flooded my inbox. It brought to the surface an on-going passion and struggle of mine that has grown up into a conviction: that to be a better pastor, Jesus wants me to be a faithful scholar.

I can tell you from first hand experience, this idea doesn’t sit well with a lot of people. Scholars are thought of by many as proud and removed from reality. Frankly, neither are necessarily true. To be sure, I’ve met scholars who are both. But I’ve also met plenty of average biblically illiterate Christians who are both! One’s level of education is not determinative of one’s struggle with pride or how out of touch with the way things really work in God’s world.

I think part of the problem comes from failing to understand the pastor’s role in Jesus’ church. Folks today have sought to press pastors into roles well removed from Scripture that I often sum up as “suburban chaplain.” We want pastors to make our marriages better, our kids turn out better, and life easier. We want pastors who start, staff, and run programs for us so that we can merely show up and consume. This is certainly not true of all Christians today, but it is also certainly true of many in my experience.

The Bible has a bit of different take on the role of pastors:

“I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”  - 2 Timothy 4:1–5

“11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, 14 to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,” - 1 Timothy 6:11–14

“1 You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, 2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 3 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. 5 An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6 It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. 7 Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.” 2 Timothy 2:1–7

14 Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 16 But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, - 2 Timothy 2:14–16

20 Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. 21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. 23 Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. 24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. - 2 Timothy 2:20–26

These passages say a lot more than I can cover here. But one thing is clear: pastors are to be deep and engaged students of the Word- hence, scholars. Their scholarship is not to be devoted to the academy, but to the gospel. Their scholarship is not to be for the purpose of gaining accolades but disciples. But they are to be scholars and not “helping professionals” as we are often termed. Christians are people of the book. God could have chosen to communicate with us through different means, but He didn’t. So that means we are people who enter into and thrive in relationship to God through deeply engaging with Him via His chosen means: the Bible.

Pastors like me need to reckon with the priorities of the Master before we listen to the requests of the inbox. I didn’t do a very good job of that this past week. I became the slave of technology and allowed email to rule my time rather than Christ. Time to repent and learn. There are times to turn off the mail program and not answer the emails, calls, etc. in order to focus on the call of the master to more deeply engage in His Word. That kind of work takes seasons of sustained and strenuous mental and spiritual work.

As I wrestled with this during the week, I came across a “scholar’s manifesto” from John Piper. It is a great description of what, I believe, pastors are called to do on a regular basis if they are to be fit for their service to Christ:

Scholar’s Manifesto:

1) To Observe His subject matter accurately and thoroughly
2) To understand clearly what he has observed
3) To evaluate fairly what he has understood by deciding what is true and valuable
4) To feel intensely according to the value of what he has evaluated
5) To apply wisely and helpfully in life what he understands and feels
6) To express in speech and writing and deeds what he has seen, understood, felt, and applied in such a way that its accuracy, clarity, truth, value, and helpfulness can be known and enjoyed by others.

Such sustained, strenuous, spiritual engagement with the Word of God can only benefit the work of the gospel over time. The lack of such engagement will surely turn a pastor’s ministry into a hollow shell that helps no one become a better follower of Jesus. Other immediate “pressing” church questions must be put aside to pursue what should be long-term fruitful labors. Unfortunately, I blew it this past week. But our gracious Father has been nudging me all week towards this realization because He is passionate for me to enjoy and then proclaim His glory. The Spirit’s gift of repentance to me has me already making plans for how to better spend future time in scholarly study. What a good and gracious God we have to give repentance and grace leading to restoration and change- all for the sake of enabling us to passionately enjoy and serve the One being we were made to enjoy in and through all things. In fact, at the end of his letter to Timothy and after the instructions to pastors we read above, Paul demonstrates the true end of pastoral scholarship as he breaks into rapturous and breathtaking praise of the God who reveals Himself through the Word made flesh and the Word of Scripture:


15 … he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.” - 1 Timothy 6:15b-16