The Contemplative Pastor

I have long admired Eugene Peterson. The former pastor, professor, and translator of The Message has a way of speaking truth in the most subtle of ways. Peterson's primary vocation was as a pastor. His knowledge of pastoral ministry and his insight into the demands and joys of pastoral ministry is in many ways unmatched. Perhaps his experience and knowledge is so significant because he is able to use the precision of a surgeon's knife to trim the dead parts of the pastor's heart so it can beat as God intends.

I have not read everything by Peterson, but I'm working on it. A book I ordered a while back from a second hand book website was sitting on my shelf in my office when I was looking for a different book for a quote last week. As my eyes scanned the shelf, they fell on The Contemplative Pastor. I pulled it off the shelf and considered re-shelving it right away, because it wasn't on my list. Yes, I made the discipline to sketch out a reading list at the beginning of each year to help guide my reading time. I'm a bit of a nerd with it, I sketch several titles under different headings and genres. When I complete the book, I note the date of completion on the list. I also write a few sentences or a paragraph in the back of each book as a summary of what I thought of the book. I told you, I'm a bit of a book nerd. I add some books to the list through the year, but I try to stick to the list as much as possible. I had two other books by Peterson on my list, so I thought, I don't need to read that one right now. I thumbed through it for a minute and decided I'll read a few pages and see if it grabs me. Well, it did.

The world is at a standstill because of Covid-19. Last week was Holy Week. I was feeling overwhelmed by the reality of doing ministry in this new paradigm while also trying to be the husband and father God has called me to be. If social media posts and conversations I have had with other people over the last few weeks are any indication, most people regardless of their vocation are struggling with caring for family, doing their jobs, and practicing self-care and well-being. So when I read Peterson's admonitions to pastors to stop, slow down, and look at the world God has made and see where he is at work all around us, I knew this was a book that I needed to read now.

Peterson chooses three adjectives to help redefine what being a pastor means: unbusy, subversive, apocalyptic. I won't spoil the whole book for you, but if you are in ministry, please take the time to add this book to your reading list. You will be stretched and challenged in your own faith and your vocation as a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

There are several quotes I could share with you, but I've chosen to share two from the Foreward and one other.

So the task is not to get God to do something I think needs to be done, but to become aware of what God is doing so that I can respond to it and participate and take delight in it (4).

My job is not to solve people's problems or make them happy, but to help them see the grace operating in their lives (5). 

The cure of souls, then, is the scripture-directed, prayer-shaped care that is devoted to persons singly or in groups, in settings sacred and profane (57).