Feature
Seeking Pastoral
Identity
by John E. Johnson
(Continued from page 1)
Moving Toward a Solution
The point of this article is that the roots of pastoral identity are found in the Old Testament offices of prophet, priest, sage, and king. These offices were held by the spiritual leaders or “pastors” of the Old Testament era, each one bringing a unique identity, calling, giftedness, and role.
From these offices the fundamental marks of a minister emerge, guiding him in both his self-concept as well as his day-to-day responsibilities before God. They must be taken together, for they bring out the comprehensive nature of a pastor's calling. (14) To disregard any one of these roles will distort both the identity and the function of the pastor.(15)
“If we are to form a clear conception of Christian ministry, we do not first turn inward and begin in a highly individualistic way to ask how we feel about it this moment . . . nor do we turn to public opinion polls to obtain a proper definition of ministry.”(16) Instead, Christian leaders must look to models in the Bible.
Oden makes a compelling case for Christ as the model for pastoral identity.(17) “If ministry cannot be clearly established as the continuation of Jesus' own intention and practice, we lose its central theological premise.”(18)
On the other hand, Fisher says Paul is the “primary model”(19) for pastoral ministry. While Paul seems a high ideal to emulate, he was still a human being with frailties and limitations. Christ may be the foundation, but Paul serves as the framework.
This article, however, explores the models Jesus brought to fullest expression and that Paul seemingly emulated. As noted, they must be taken collectively, for together they incorporate the whole of ministry. Finding pastoral identity in an Old Testament setting seems logical. As part of the company of the redeemed, the church is a community of faith, a people of God, with the same needs to be mediated from on high. There is the need of a priest to mediate God's forgiveness, the need of a prophet to mediate God's Word, the need of a sage to mediate God's wisdom, and the need of a king to mediate God's rule.
The Nature of the Old Testament Offices
By the time of Luther and Calvin, the three offices of prophet, priest, and king became the central organizing principle of Protestant Christological teaching, the manner in which to describe the ministry of Christ.(20) These also serve as the central organizing structure of the pastoral office.
It seems reasonable, however, to add a fourth office, a fourth distinct class of individuals who minister to the community of faith, namely, the sage. There are several reasons for viewing the wise man as a fourth office. First, the Old Testament viewed the sage on a level parallel with the priest and prophet (Je. 18:18). Like priest and prophet, “wise” was used as a noun to describe a vocational post.(21) “The wise man constituted a third office, using wisdom in harmony with the function of the other two offices.”(22) This is also affirmed by Waltke, who argues that both sage and prophet were “true spiritual yokefellows,” speaking with the same authority and making similar demands on their hearers.(23)
Second, just as Christ is the ultimate prophet, priest, and king, so He likewise was recognized as the sage of all sages (Ma. 12:42).
Third, wisdom is a fundamental thread in the tapestry of Old Testament revelation. To leave out the sage would be to ignore a major part of God's ministry to Israel through His servants. Wisdom was the ethical outworking of the Law. Cook asks, “Have we been so captivated by the traditional approach to the three offices of Christ that we have missed the obvious?”(24) To overlook the work of the sage robs the pastor of an essential part of his identity. Failing to recognize his role as a sage to his people, he trivializes the importance attached to his role as a wise counselor.
Assuming the validity of all four offices, the following summaries serve as a foundation to describe the pastor's identity.
