Gary Neal Hansen's Blog, page 50
July 30, 2015
Letters to a Young Pastor: A Reformed Approach to Divine Guidance
Dear ______: Yes, I agree, it would be awfully nice if God would speak up more often and give direct answers to our questions — like whether you are called to ministry. Most of us want guidance. We all face serious struggles and deep confusion at times. And it isn’t like God doesn’t care about […]
July 28, 2015
Keeping Our True Orientation to Communion (Heidelberg Catechism, Q55)
Last week I posted that the church is most the church when it is in worship, on Sunday morning, receiving the Lord’s Supper. My friend and colleague Chris James left a thoughtful reply disagreeing with me. I see his point. Isn’t this actually the problem in mainstream Christianity? We neglect the mission of God in the world because we are […]
July 23, 2015
Letters to a Young Pastor: Hearing God’s Voice
Dear ______: Sorry. I didn’t mean to imply that you had all those problems yourself. What I wanted to say is that God’s call requires more than woundedness. So, sometimes you think you hear an actual voice telling you that you are called. That is more than woundedness! But let’s think about it. When I was […]
July 22, 2015
Church and Community: What Are You Aiming to Be?
There is a huge amount of energy right now around��creating new worshipping communities. That’s good: Like all living things, the Church��needs to grow or we will die. But all that ferment��should prompt some questions: What makes a “community” a “church”? What are we aiming to be? I’ve blogged off and on about the many forms […]
July 16, 2015
Letters to a Young Pastor: The Wounded Healer?
Dear ______: I’m glad to hear that you are enjoying Henri Nouwen’s books. When I suggested you spend part of your pre-seminary time reading some theological works, this is just the kind of thing I had in mind. His books are full of gracious wisdom for thoughtful and spiritually rich discipleship. But I have to say I’m […]
July 14, 2015
Why the Cross? (Heidelberg Catechism Q39)
We Protestants tend to be pretty focused on the Cross. We hear Paul saying that he wanted to know nothing among the Corinthians but Christ, and him crucified (1 Cor. 2:2). We transmogrify it to mean we should preach nothing but the Cross, even on Christmas (when the Cross was thirty years in the future) […]
July 9, 2015
Letters to a Young Pastor: Is Your Inner Sense of Call Enough?
Dear ______: I’m very glad to hear that your friend said she could totally see you as a pastor. That is something very important in discerning whether you are called to ordained ministry. In my tradition we call that the “external call.” When other people affirm that ministry is a good choice it is the second half of what you need. […]
July 7, 2015
How to Renew Your Church: A Page from John Calvin’s Playbook
I took another trip in the time machine recently. I went back to Calvin’s Geneva again. Okay. Not really. It was a Skype call with a friend from seminary: the Rev. Jerry McKinney. I interviewed him for a class I teach on forms of Christian community. But I’m telling you, the story of Jerry’s pastoral ministry is […]
July 2, 2015
Letters to a Young Pastor: On Gifts and Passions
Dear ______: Yes, as you say, it does sound like I’m saying seminary is for everybody. Not every seminary is for everybody, of course. But a solid education in the Bible, in the Church’s history and its teachings, and in how to approach the tasks of ministry that take disciples into God’s mission is a […]
June 30, 2015
What’s the Big Deal About Pontius Pilate? (Heidelberg Catechism Q38)
When you set out to comment on a centuries-old document, sometimes your topic is at the heart of your passions. Sometimes, not so much. You just have to deal with each bit, even if it is outside the range of your interests. Or your confidence. Or whatever. I know this: I’ve been blogging my way through […]
