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Living Theologically

theology and the Christian life

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Mike McGarry

Mike is the Founder/Director of Youth Pastor Theologian, where he currently writes and speaks to serve youth pastors. Visit youthpastortheologian.com to learn more about YPT and read his blogs and books, or to learn more about bringing Mike to speak at your church, retreat, or conference.

Fear & Pastoral Visition

During my final year in seminar working towards completing my M.Div. I was interning at a church where I was asked to make regular pastoral visits to the elderly folk at the assisted living home next door to the church. As someone who has always gotten along well with “old people” this shouldn’t have terrified me as much as it did. I knew many of them already and chatted easily with them before and after Sunday worship. I truly cared for them and wanted to know how I could serve them and minister to them.

And while that last sentence is true, I was so terrified of being asked a question I didn’t know how to answer that I often found myself neglecting those pastoral visits. In fact, this is still an area of my ministry that I struggle with. Those who know me may be surprised to find that I am, by nature, an introvert (yes, I know it’s suddenly trendy and cool to claim being an introvert… when and how did that happen!). I’ve learned to be more extroverted and outgoing for the sake of ministry, but the fear of speaking with people whom I don’t know well continues to strike fear into my heart.

A friend from church sent me a link to the following blog post about “The Lost Work of Pastoral Visitation.” There is much in the article to commend (although I do confess skimming over a few paragraphs), but the following portion in particular struck me for what should be obvious reasons:

We hear much today, and rightly so, of churches committed to simple means of grace. I suggest that if your ministry does not include systematic family visitation, you are neglecting an important means of grace. I challenge you to rethink your ministerial philosophy. If you have not been doing regular pastoral visitation, I encourage you to repent and seek God’s grace to start immediately.

In whatever capacity you serve in your church, I encourage you to prayerfully consider working towards re-claiming this important ministry. It may not be something that comes naturally to you, it certainly isn’t for me either, but if we are not willing to obey this important area of pastoral duty then perhaps there are other questions we ought to be asking…

  • If a pastor completely neglects pastoral visitations, what does that say about his desire to see his congregation grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ?
  • How does the pastor raise up and train others (particularly Elders and Deacons) to conduct pastoral visitations?
  • Why do you believe pastoral visitations have become so rare in the church today?
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Trinitarian Authority & Submission

I had a short but interesting discussion the the man who leads our church’s prison ministry today. He referred to the mutual submission within the Persons of the Trinity as a model for how we all should relate to and submit to one another in the Church.

He’s definitely right, and it’s not a new thought to me. The servanthood and submission we see between God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit is astonishingly glorious. And yet, while we need to learn and be humbled by this, we also need to resist an anti-authoritarian mindset that insinuates leadership and authority are bad.

Afterall, the Trinity is not the Brother, the Brother, and Holy Spirit. Scripture affirms the Father and the Son. Jesus himself says, “I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me” (John 8:28). There is authority, there is submission, and yet there is equality.  This is something worth chewing on as you consider the church, leadership, and ministry.

What implications do you see the Trinity having for Christian leadership?

What theological nuggets am I missing as we consider the authority and submission between the Persons of the Trinity?

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A Biblical Foundation for Life

How we live matters… Deeply.

It matters so much it has eternal ramifications. What we do really truly matters.

I have always loved the book of Ecclesiastes because it has such a simple way of putting life into perspective. “Meaningless, meaningless, everything is meaningless” is a common refrain throughout the book. Lovely, right? How encouraging and uplifting. I don’t like the book for its positive effects; I appreciate it for it’s word of caution. I often find myself reading through Ecclesiastes on my birthday, helping me to remember how easy it would be for me to waste my life… Afterall, who wants to live a meaningless life?  Not I!

The Hebrew word (hbl) that’s translated as “Meaningless” is a word that more literally means “vapor, breath, vanity.” I don’t want my life to be as significant as my breath on a cold morning.  I want to build on a foundation that is secure and enduring. Thankfully, the author of Ecclesiastes wants the same for me, and he urges his readers thus, (Ecclesiastes 12:1, 13-14)

Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, “I have no pleasure in them…. The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

I choose to build on God’s revealed Word, for it is the only inspired and authoritative Word of God given to man. By it we discover who God is, who we are, what God has done, what He is going to do, and what He expects of us.  Holy Scripture is the only sure foundation that I trust to build on. This doesn’t mean it’s the only book I read or consider, but it means all others are measured by that Book.

If God has spoken, I want to make sure to listen.  As this blog gets under way, I hope you’ll listen along with me…

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