Flannel Christian: Pastoral Ethics – Evangelical vs mine
* Instead of avoiding the wrong kind of people…
- Embrace them. Set clear boundaries for professional and ministerial relationships, surely, and avoid situations that could lead to confusion or misinterpretation by others, but be an edifying force for those in need. Those needs may require professional help, and a minister should be self-aware to know when a problem is beyind their ability to handle. But a minister shouldn’t sit in an ivory tower away from the real hurts and desires of people. Confronting parishoners’ inappropriate projections or desires can be edifying in the faith, too, and we shouldn’t shirk from that responsibility. Jesus sent himself to the least desireable people in his community, those most in need, those with whom association was seen as defiling and risky. As Jesus’ disciples, we are called to no less.
The post quoted above is a response to Mark Driscoll’s post here.
This is a pretty well-thought out post responding to Driscoll’s step-by-step to keep pastor’s from falling to sexual temptation. It’s definitely worth a read.
I liked Driscolls comments even though they were provocative and I agree with you that despite the risks, involvement and committment are the very heart of a caring gospel.
One idssue that the emerging church does need to heed is the wrongness of the traditional church’s pastoral model. Pastoring should be a more disributed function in the body.
The adulation and hero worship of ’successful’ pastors is what makes them particularly vulnerable to attack and perhaps also to temptation.
Sam Carr
November 8th, 2006