A Blog someone must write
Readers of this blog will know that some of the pieces I write would be deemed "controversial." I don't want to write them, but just as Jeremiah discovered a fire within his bones to speak out, so do I.
At root of my sorrow and complaints is a worldliness in the church. We are called to be in the world but not of it, not like it. But today, in so many ways, the church has aped the world, to her great loss and witness, and to the dishonour of her Head.
No, not in doctrine, of course not, that's far too obvious. We're as orthodox as a prophet from heaven when it comes to doctrine.
But in church practise, we're worldly, by which I mean we do things in the church just as the world does them. We have absorbed the practices and priorities of our surrounding culture.
And one of the ways we've aped the world is to be found in the desire of pastors to climb the ecclesiastical ladder.
Just as in the work place someone might expect to be promoted as time passes by, so pastors expect to climb an ecclesiological ladder as the years roll by.
Let me explain some of the rungs on this (mythical) ladder and explain why we should do everything in our power to avoid getting near it, let alone climbing it - especially if we are just starting out in ministry.
The bottom line is that you need to get your name known, you need to become famous. All the steps below will help you out....
Just as in the world, you will receive an automatic leg up the first few rungs if you have letters after your name. If you've studied at prestigious universities, you'll also get automatic promotion. (Neither of these scholastic criteria fits a man for gospel ministry, but its the way the world works and hence, inevitably these days, the way the evangelical church also functions.)
Next, hob-nob with some of the big wigs in your evangelical circle. Big smiles when you see them at conferences, perhaps try a little flattery here or there?
If you can, get a selfie with them. (But just remember, that in a decade's time when that big shot has fallen - and there's a pretty good chance many of them will fall, since only One Man can handle power and fame - you'll have a lot of photo-editing to do).
Next, try to get on the board of some evangelical parachurch outfit. This is a good feather in your hat and prepares you for the blurb you may need for your next step...
...which is to write a book. This will get your name even further known and when big-shots pat you on the back via their book recommendations, it's all go, go, go.
If you're low on the formal qualifications front, at this point, and it's hindering your opportunities, a MSc here or PhD there might help you out. (Failing that, try writing a "paper" or an article for some religious publication.) The sacrifices you'll have to make in shepherding God's flock by these distractions are well worth the honour coming your way.
All the while increase your social media profile in any way you can find.
Next, try and get yourself as a conference speaker; now we're talking. However, unless you've pressed the flesh for a decade before this, you'll get nowhere, so make sure you pay attention to all the previous steps.
Finally, you will arrive at the top of the ecclesiological ladder, feted, dined and wined by all your fans.
Only one day to discover, perhaps not until the Last Day, that tragically...
...the Ecclesiological Ladder was a Mirage
There is no ecclesiological ladder! The Emperor has no clothes! There is only one Judgement seat that matters, only one Judge whose opinion is of any consequence. And it's not the opinion of any branch of evangelicalism, nor the opinion of any denomination or grouping.
Only in the world to come when The Books are opened and the secrets of men's hearts are revealed will anyone know the value of any earthly ministry.
And then we shall most likely discover that those the evangelical world most feted today don't even get a mention, ("Dr XYZ? Never heard of him") while the unknown sister or brother serving incognito in an unknown congregation will take top prize.
(BTW: if there is an ecclesiastical ladder in this world it's invisible because it works upside down. The greater the Christian, the more unknown, despised and rejected they are. Down is the Jesus way Up.)
The alternative to Ecclesiastical Ambition
The alternative to ministerial ambition is quiet disciplined anonymity. Don't worry a hoot what others think about you. Don't seek fame. Keep your head down, forget numbers, avoid the itch for publicity, serve the sheep God has given you faithfully.
And remember that the only court that matters is in the future and in heaven: so labour to receive the Great Shepherd's well-done.
Painting: AI, "draw a male church minister climbing a ladder to heaven" (I am not impressed by the religious garb AI has dressed the guy in)
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