Let me start with the caveats. By pastor-theologian, I don’t mean a pastor-scholar who has one foot in the academy and one foot in the church. I don’t mean a pastor-pundit who regularly comments on the news of the day from a Christian perspective. I don’t mean a pastor-writer who publishes articles, blogs, and books. All of these examples can be a type of pastor-theologian, and in that sense they can all be good and necessary. As someone who dabbles in all of the above, I’ll be the last person to say we have no need of pastors who are involved in scholarship, punditry, and publishing.
But that’s not what I mean by pastor-theologian. What I have in mind is simpler, more explicitly biblical, and therefore more important. When I say we need pastor-theologians in the church, I mean that every pastor must conduct his ministry with an eye to declaring theological truth, diagnosing theological error, and discipling his congregation to be theologically informed and articulate.
A BIBLICAL VISION
This vision of pastoral ministry is not the pipe dream of Reformed eggheads. It is the kind of pastoral leadership set forth in Scripture. For starters, consider that “pastor” is just another word for “shepherd.” Shepherds were rugged individuals
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