Hirelings and Shepherds

Almost as soon as I posted my last blog (The Call to Ministry), I saw this beginning to a different blog, from one of the pastors of a well known mega-church, titled, “It’s Not A Job When It’s Ministry”:

“At the time, I was president of a successful company that was a piece of cake to manage. My life was quiet, comfortable, and easy. I wasn’t looking for a change. Why give up CEO status to be an executive pastor at a church?

For me, the answer was simple (if not easy): God called me out of a job and into ministry.

The difference between job and ministry represents the dividing line between hirelings and shepherds: those who work because they get paid by the church, and those who work because they love the church. A job is a paycheck. Ministry is a calling.”

It was almost immediate affirmation of what I had just posted. The phrase “full-time” is not used, but the associated implication comes through loud and clear - you can’t be in a secular job and do ministry. Even worse, if you are in a secular job you are just an “hireling” and can’t be a shepherd. And, of course, there is the “calling.” Apparently God could not call this man to minister in his secular job, because that is not really possible, so he was called out of his secular job into “ministry,” which of course means he was called to be a pastor (remember in Christian language “minister” and “pastor” are synonymous).

Maybe I am being hypersensitive, but this reeks of holy arrogance. Even the title of the blog post carries the implication that “I am doing something special and really spiritual and if you are not a “minister”, then you’re not.” I am sure that is not the intent, and I would guess that the author of the blog does not even see it because it has become such a commonly accepted way of talking in Christian circles. But I believe words and phrases have subtle ways of shaping the way we think and behave. When we are careless with our words it shapes how people think and respond to us, even when we are not fully aware of it.

I do not deny that some are given special gifts and are called to do special jobs. Ephesians 4:11 says, “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers...” But it is important to read on to verse 12 and 13 so we understand why Christ gave some to do those jobs, “...to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” That sounds a lot like doing the work that some would call “ministry.” In fact, it could be, and has been argued, that if pastors are simply doing all the ministry, they are not really doing their job. Their job is not to simply “do ministry,” but to train others to do ministry. In fact I have heard some pastors say that, ideally, they should work themselves out of a job by training those in the congregation to do their job. And that is where the disconnect often comes.

How does the author of this blog train another man, who works in a secular job, to do ministry? Does he encourage him to quit his job? Does he tell him to wait for a calling? Does he tell him to go to Bible school? If he does not do  any of those, how can this pastor tell the man to do “works of service” by staying where he is, when the pastor did not see that as an option for himself?  

In fairness, the blog is really about treating the position of a “minister” like it   is just a job, and it is a warning against a lack of understanding that it is about so much more. But I would contend that the same mindset should be true of any job. Although the passages do not directly talk about our jobs, we are quick to apply 1 Corinthians 10:31 and Colossians 3:17 (and rightly so, I believe) to our jobs and and everything else that we do to give them purpose and meaning:

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:17)

The reality is, that if we can’t apply those concepts to our jobs, then we are truly wasting our time by being in those jobs, because nothing else matters. If my actions, if the things that I do, do not bring glory to God, than those actions are worthless. If I am spending 40 hours a week or more doing something that is completely worthless, then I should quit. God’s glory is far too important for me to spend so much time dishonoring God. So, we must believe that our lives can glorify God in our job and we must also believe that we can carry out the great commission in our jobs, otherwise we are tragically wasting our lives. 

It may seem out of place to quote Rob Bell at this point, but whether you love him or hate him, Bell makes some terrific observations that are worthy of our attention. In Velvet Elvis, Bell says this:

“...it is impossible for a Christian to have a secular job. If you follow Jesus and you are doing what you do in his name, then it is no longer secular work: it is sacred. You are there; God is there. The difference is our awareness.”

On this point Rob Bell is right on the mark - for a Christian there should be no secular job. In fact we should all be ministering and evangelizing and acting as God’s ambassadors in our job, regardless of the line of work, as well as in our neighborhood and most importantly in our church. Doing the work of ministry is not reserved solely for pastors and missionaries. Some are paid to do those things more exclusively, but it is the call of every Christian to do those things, wherever they find themselves. And yes it is a calling. It is not a calling that we need to agonize over, spend time fasting and praying about and/or wait for some sign indicating that this is what we should do. All that is required is a little time in scripture. 

“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle: be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

Ephesians 4:1-6

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.”

2 Corinthians 5:17-20

We are all called to be and do many things that fall under the category of “ministry” and it does not require special revelation beyond the scriptures given to us. It is clearly taught to us throughout the New Testament. The idea that we need to be “called” is a topic for another post, but I believe we often use the idea of a “calling” as a way of sounding more spiritual. I do not deny that some have special callings on their lives, but it is a mistake to believe that this is God’s normal way of telling us what to do. A calling is an exception. God communicating to us through the Bible is the norm.

So here is the bottom line to all my ranting and raving. Words and phrases have meaning, both obvious and implied. Words and phrases have subtle and not so subtle ways of influencing the way we believe we should respond and act in given situations. If you don’t believe that, try doing a little study on language and culture. Study linguistics. If you don’t believe there is importance in words and phrases, then stop worrying about the meanings of Greek and Hebrew words in the Bible and variations in different translations. What we say and how we say it, matters, and we should be careful about the messages we send when we use our “Christian” language. If we truly believe that we are all called to serve God in forms of ministry, regardless of our situation in life, then we should stop using language that implies that ministry is only reserved for the chosen few.