The Church 10: Pastoral Duties, as Richard
Baxter Saw It
In the previous post on the Church (number 9), I made public my musings during seminary graduation. Whatever the point of the graduation addresses to the students year after year, the single message that rings in my head on such occasions is, ‘Be ministers of the Word of God.’ In that post, I mentioned the puritan minister, Richard Baxter. In this post, I would like to mention a few more of Baxter’s points to those who take up pastoral ministry.
In 1656, Baxter produced reflections on
pastoral ministry in a work entitled The
Reformed Pastor.[1] His discussion of pastoral duties comes in
three parts that overlap. They are:
(1)
Teaching
every person, disciplining persons in the church, and uniting with others for
the work of the Lord;
(2)
personal
pastoral care;
(3)
specific
duties of pastoral ministry.
What follows is a brief description of this advice
on pastoral ministry in Baxter’s own words (apologies to readers who are not
acquainted with English in the 17th century, but some help will be
given). Readers may wish to ask two
questions while reading this: (1) What sort of Biblical basis is there for
Baxter’s admonitions? and (2) How might his admonitions helpfully challenge our
understanding of ‘church’ and pastoral ministry today? As the following words are mostly from Baxter
himself, my prose will be placed in square brackets.
1. The Duties
to Teach, Discipline, and Unite for the Work of the Lord
[In his dedication, Baxter lays three
requests or duties before fellow ministers.]
- [Teaching: First, he states that the foremost duty laid upon ministers is to do the work of catechizing (instructing new believers in the faith). This was the focus of the previous blog.]
- [Disciplining:] My second request to the ministers in these kingdoms [of Britain], is, that they would at last, without any more delay, unanimously set themselves to the practice of those parts of Church discipline which are unquestionably necessary, and part of their work. It is a sad case, that good men should settle themselves so long in the constant neglect of so great a duty.
- [Association with Other Individuals, Churches, and Ministries:] My last request is, that all the faithful ministers of Christ would, without any more delay, unite and associate for the furtherance of each other in the work of the Lord, and the maintaining of unity and concord in his churches.
2. Personal
Pastoral Care
[In his Introductory Note, Baxter emphasises
the importance of pastoral care. He does
so with teaching that focuses on Acts 20.28:]
Take heed
therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost
hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased
with his own blood.
[The
Relationship between the Size of a Parish or Congregation and Pastoral
Ministry:] When we are commanded to take heed to all the flock, it is
plainly implied, that flocks must ordinarily be no greater than we are capable
of overseeing, or ‘taking heed to.’ God will not lay upon us natural
impossibilities: he will not bind men to leap up to the moon, to touch the
stars, or to number the sands of the sea. If the pastoral office consists in
overseeing all the flock, then surely the number of souls under the care of
each pastor must not be greater than he is able to take such heed to as is here
required…. And that they had rather prayed the Lord of the harvest to send
forth more laborers, even so many as were proportioned to the work, and not to
have undertaken all themselves. I should scarcely commend the prudence or
humility of that laborer, let his parts be ever so great, that would not only
undertake to gather in all the harvest in this county himself, and that upon pain
of death, yea, of damnation, but would also earnestly contend for this
prerogative…. To this end it is necessary, that we should know every person
that belongeth to our charge; for how can we take heed to them, if we do not
know them? We must labor to be acquainted, not only with the persons, but with
the state of all our people, with their inclinations and conversations; what
are the sins of which they are most in danger, and what duties they are most
apt to neglect, and what temptations they are most liable to; for if we know
not their temperament or disease, we are not likely to prove successful
physicians. (Chapter 2, Section I, The Nature of This Oversight, 2).
3. The Specific
Duties of the Pastor
[Still with Acts 20.28 in mind, Baxter lists
pastoral duties associated with ‘taking heed’ of each member of the ‘flock,’
the church:]
- We must labor, in a special manner, for the conversion of the unconverted.
- We must be ready to give advice to inquirers, who come to us with cases of conscience; especially the great case which the Jews put to Peter, and the gaoler [jailer] to Paul and Silas, ‘What must we do to be saved?’
- We must study [in older English, this word meant ‘work hard,’ not ‘do research’] to build up those who are already truly converted. In this respect our work is various, according to the various states of Christians.
(1)
There are
many of our flock that are young and weak, who, though they are of long
standing, are yet of small proficiency or strength….
(2)
Another
class of converts that need our special help, are those who labor under some
particular corruption, which keeps under their graces, and makes them a trouble
to others, and a burden to themselves. Alas! there are too many such persons.
Some are specially addicted to pride, and others to worldly-mindedness; some to
sensual desires, and others to frowardness or other evil passions….
(3)
Another
class who demand special help are declining Christians, that are either fallen
into some scandalous sin, or else abate their zeal and diligence, and show that
they have lost their former love….
(4)
The last
class whom I shall here notice, as requiring our attention, are the strong; for
they, also, have need of our assistance: partly to preserve the grace they
have; partly to help them in making further progress; and partly to direct them
in improving their strength for the service of Christ, and the assistance of
their brethren; and, also, to encourage them to persevere, that they may
receive the crown….
4. We must have a special eye upon families, to see that they are well ordered, and
the duties of each relation performed….
(1) Get
information how each family is ordered, that you may know how to proceed in
your endeavors for their further good.
(2) Go
occasionally among them, when they are likely to be most at leisure, and ask
the master of the family whether he prays with them, and reads the Scripture,
or what he doth?...
(4) See
that in every family there are some useful moving books, beside the Bible.
(5) Direct
them how to spend the Lord’s day; how to despatch [go about] their worldly
business, so as to prevent encumbrances and distractions; and when they have
been at church, how to spend the time in their families.
5.
We must be
diligent in visiting the sick, and
helping them to prepare either for a fruitful life, or a
happy death….
6.
We must reprove and admonish those who live
offensively or impenitently….
7. The last part of our oversight, which I shall
notice, consisteth in the exercise of Church discipline…. This consisteth, after
the aforesaid private reproofs, in more public reproof, combined with exhortation to
repentance, in prayer for the offender, in restoring the penitent, and in
excluding and avoiding the impenitent.
Conclusion
Baxter’s description of pastoral duties,
given in his own words, may still challenge our understanding of pastoral
ministry. At least, he challenges the
image of pastoral ministry that I grew up with for pastoral ministry. Many of us see the pastor as primarily the
preacher in the pulpit. We know that he
(or she) visits hospitals and has office hours for those who wish to come to
him for counseling or for some other reason.
Some of us know that he needs some business skill to run board meetings
and possibly deal with budgets and buildings.
Yet Baxter’s discussion of the duties of the
pastor places the emphasis elsewhere. In
his discussion of pastoral duty, he does not focus on sermon preparation and
delivery (although he has much to say about this later on). The efforts of the pastor are
focused on preparing people, not sermons.
He sees the pastor as actively engaging his congregation during the
week; he is out and about among them. He
goes to their houses and places of work.
He learns the conditions of each and every one of their souls and
understands the family’s dynamics, and so he is able to teach them individually
and speak to their spiritual needs. He
teaches, exhorts, and disciplines them.
His personal involvement in their lives requires him to have a
congregation of manageable size, and success in ministry is measured in being
able to practice the ministry of soul care, not in how large a Sunday morning
group comes together for a one hour service each week. He is also engaged in connecting with others
in ministry so that the work of his church can connect to the larger work of
the Church. He is not building his own
little kingdom but preparing his congregants to engage the mission of God in
the world today.
Baxter’s description of the pastor brings to
mind the village parson in rural England, and yet, for me, his description is far
from irrelevant to the situation in our own day. It is, just possibly, even more challenging today
than it was in the 17th century.
He offers a vision of the pastor knocking on the doors of his
parishioners, sitting at their kitchen tables, stopping by at work or the
playground. He offers a vision of the
pastor who knows his congregants intimately and who can provide the teaching,
soul care, and engagement in mission that each one needs as a follower of Jesus
Christ.
[1]
All quotes are from Richard Baxter, The
Reformed Pastor. Online (accessed 25
May, 2015): http://www.ccel.org/ccel/baxter/pastor.
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