The Pastor and the Virtue of Learning

Restoring Reading, Writing, and Rhetoric to the Longevity Structure of Pastoral Ministry

This essay is adapted from a talk delivered to the 28th Assembly of the Athanasius Presbytery in Pensacola, Fl. in April 2023

Pastors, to borrow the language of St. Paul, strive to excel in building up the Church (I Cor. 14:12). Among those crucial elements of a pastoral autobiography is the foundation of learning.¹ We are to study to show ourselves approved so we may be furnished unto all good works (II Tim. 2:15). When learning ceases, pastors suffer a decay of enthusiasm in their pastoral ministry. In fact, pastors cite the lack of interest in learning as a reason for leaving the ministry or changing professions.

I am not arguing for overindulgence in intellectual pursuits seeking the narcotic of public acclaim. Neither is our interest in accumulating encyclopedic knowledge to bolster our reputation among parishioners. The Apostle claimed no fame but the fame of King Jesus (Gal. 6:14).

We are not after the intellectualization of ministry; instead, the pastor learns to translate his knowledge into daily self-sustaining practices for the people. We advocate for pastoral learning primarily to communicate truth effectively to the people. As John Frame notes, theology is the application of the Word by persons to the world and all areas of human life. The ministry is a calling to application, not intellectualization.