pastor || writer || speaker
Following his reflections on the shortcomings of modern pastoral ministry in regard to prayer, Eugene Peterson turns his attention to how a pastor develops the life of prayer. In a world of quick fixes and shortcuts, Peterson's starting advice on prayer is perhaps more necessary than ever: "Be slow to pray" (43). Why should we …
Continue reading "Praying by the Book [Working the Angles with Eugene Peterson, part 5]"
This past week, Judah Smith, pastor of Churchome (formerly 'City Church') announced via Twitter that the church's latest "site" would be through an app on your smart phone. You can read an article about it here: "Judah Smith Launches Church 'in the palm of your hand.'" This move, listed as on of the locations on the church's …
For the majority of the Christian centuries most pastors have been convinced that prayer is the central and essential act for maintaining the essential shape of the ministry to which they were ordained. With this strong word, Eugene Peterson begins his exploration of the first of the three angles of pastoral ministry: prayer. Peterson suggests …
Continue reading "Recovering Prayer [Working the Angles with Eugene Peterson, part 4]"
In his attempt to recover the essence of pastoral ministry and help pastor's hold onto their essential vocation, Eugene Peterson takes an image from an unlikely source: mathematics. I have found a metaphor from trigonometry to be useful in keeping this clear; I see these three essential acts of ministry as the angles of a …
If we are to hold onto our identity and calling as pastors in North America, then we must resist the consumer-driven impulses that have infested our culture and even the church. We must become, as Eugene Peterson suggest, more than religious shopkeepers who keep the budget growing, the building improving, and the congregation busy. We …
Continue reading "Learning to Pay Attention [Working the Angles with Eugene Peterson, part 2]"
Matthew Erickson 