The Sovereign Grace Pastors College class of 2021!
“So, what did you learn at the Pastors College?”
This is the question I (Taylor) get all the time now that our family’s back. And it’s a good question! After 10 months of living in Louisville, KY and concentrating on various aspects of pastoral ministry, I should have something to say! Right?!?
Well, I usually don’t have the luxury of doing the play-by-play while slurping coffee before the Sunday service or while corralling the children to TGCkids. But, I’d like to share some of the top takeaways in this blog post.
As I thought about it, I realized that my experience at the Pastors College is unlike any seminary or leadership training I’ve ever seen. Like a diamond in the rough or a star on a clear, black night, contrast often accentuates beauty. So, I thought it might be most helpful to highlight what I learned by way of contrast.
I Did Not Learn…
...Bible Trivia
Gaining knowledge is a favorite pastime in our culture. We’ve all played trivia games before. Trivia is defined as pieces of information of little importance or value. There are many things we can learn, but to what end? While at Pastors College, the goal was to study scripture, not for the sake of accumulating trivia, but for something much different.
One of the most powerful refrains we heard in our classes with Jeff Purswell, dean of the Pastors College, is that God’s revelation is intended for fellowship. This means that God reveals himself so that he can be known! He reveals himself so that we can be in a relationship with him! Scripture points us to Jesus Christ as the access point to enter into God’s presence. This is why Jesus rebukes the Pharisees saying, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me” (John 5:39). We don’t read the Bible to know trivia, we read it to know the God who loves us. This is why we have Jesus’ wonderful prayer that accentuates the goal of our knowledge - “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3). There’s still a LOT I don’t know about in the Bible. But I do know the most important thing - it’s intended to point us to Jesus who reconciles sinners to God.
...Speaking techniques
William Jennings Bryan once contrasted the people's reactions to the Roman Cicero and to the Greek Demosthenes. In ancient times both were considered capable leaders, orators, and statesmen. But there was an important distinction between the two. Bryan said, "When Cicero spoke the people said, 'How well Cicero speaks.' When Demosthenes spoke his hearers cried, 'Let us go against Phillip.'" Both apparently won that which they wanted most. Cicero won applause and attracted men to his own brilliance, but Demosthenes inspired men to action—to start fighting for his cause.
In a similar way, the Pastors College focused our attention on the biblical goal of preaching. Preaching is not intended for soapboxes, hobby horses, trending social commentary, and political boxing matches. Faithful preaching aims to reveal God’s intended message from the text. It is intended to draw our attention to Jesus as the centerpiece of our hope, as Jesus makes clear in Luke 24:27 - “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” Preaching is not a means to draw attention to ourselves, but to draw attention to our great God!
...Ministry first
My dad left ministry when I was a little kid because of a false dichotomy. He was pushed to choose between “the ministry” or his wife and children. There was a “ministry first” mentality in the leadership that fixated on growing programs at all costs. This unbiblical mindset often left big buildings, dying marriages, and neglected kids. Thankfully, my family escaped before getting swallowed up. The ministry-first mentality is not what we learned at Pastors College.
In contrast, we were encouraged to pursue godly character - starting with our own souls (1 Timothy 4:16) and then moving to our marriages and children (1 Timothy 3:2-7). I can’t count the times I was told, “Don’t neglect the things that qualified you in the first place.” We were challenged to know, love, and lead our wives. We were charged to bring up our children in the love and discipline of the Lord. I am grateful for being directed toward these biblical values in marriage, family, and the church.
...Business leadership principles
It’s popular to think of a local church as a non-profit business with ever-growing infrastructure and programs. So, it makes sense to draw the connection of pastors to CEOs, managers, and entrepreneurs. But the biblical vision for pastoral ministry is not derived from Fortune 500 companies and life coaches. Rather, the vision is drawn primarily from the agricultural world with shepherds taking care of sheep.
There are a few things that were striking to me about this correlation. One is that shepherds are committed to laying down their lives for the sheep. Sheep are living creatures, not lifeless business assets. So, shepherds spend time and energy helping, loving, and protecting the sheep. A good shepherd intimately knows the sheep. Likewise, a good pastor is immersed in the lives of the church members. He is not primarily a manager, but a compassionate source of comfort, protection, and help. Another striking aspect of the pastor as shepherd is the fact that the sheep do not belong to the shepherd. A pastor is entrusted with the responsibility for a portion of the flock of God. 1 Peter 5:4 shows that Jesus is the Chief Shepherd. So, a pastor has delegated authority and is responsible to care for those whom Christ has purchased with his own blood. Far from savvy business principles, Pastors College directed my attention to the glorious privilege of loving, living, and laboring for God’s flock.
There are many more I could add to this list...but this is a start.
I’m still amazed to have the privilege of going to the Pastors College. Now, I’m amazed to have the privilege of serving this church family. We’re looking forward to growing and learning together.