Bucer #1 - Christ In Charge

Martin Bucer produced his handbook on pastoral theology, Concerning the True Care of Souls, in 1538, noting the contemporary 'Deplorable and Pernicious Sate of Religious Schism and Disorder' and expressing a desire to 'Return to True Unity and Good Christian Order in the Churches'. In other words, the contemporary church was in a Right Old Mess due primarily, as Bucer saw it, of a lack of a clear understanding as to who was to have authority (if at all) over the church.

On the one hand, the government of the traditional church in Rome accused the Reformers (or Lutherans) of overthrowing an ecclesiastical order established by God by their insistence that Scripture Alone should the guide of true faith and, as such, had separated themselves from the true Body of Christ. Alternatively, certain sects of the Radical Reformation criticised those leaders of church reform who wished to hold onto any ordered system of church government, stating that since the Gospel called individuals to a personal faith and repentence it would be inappropriate to place any human constraints on the expression of such a personal faith. Bucer himself denounces both positions, making it clear that he was neither a slave to tradition or a minimalist. He believed that Scripture clearly taught the need for ministers to be set apart for the good order of the gathering of believers in particular places. But what exactly was their role to be?

The early chapters of Bucer's work are devoted to constructing an ecclesiology in which the temporal Church is under the direct and personal rule of the resurrected Christ. Those who have been set aside for leadership of the community of faith (whether in the areas of instruction in the Word or the service of good works) must not assume for themselves what rightly belongs to Him. Either an over- or under-developed ecclesiology will ultimately fall into this error. In Bucer's mind Jesus is not absent or distant from our communal life, but is personally and actively involved in our church governance through those whom the Spirit has set apart. The issue, naturally, is that because Jesus is spiritually rather than bodily present in our gatherings and sacraments that the temptation arises for us to either a) rule in His absence, or b) deny His claims of authority. It also prompts the temptation for church rulers to claim credit for what Christ is actively accomplishing in the life of His Church. However:

All power and the whole work in this matter belong to Christ our dear Lord; but ministers are his instruments, through whom he effects and fulfils this work of his in his elect. (chapter 3)

This is a sobering thought, particularly when we consider the many aspects of our contemporary church culture on which the Scriptures are silent (home groups, online evangelism, etc). In ways that both the Apostles and Reformers could never have forseen the Word of God continues to go out into the world and new ministers are raised up. Yet we here in the 21st Century should have confidence that where His people are gathered Christ rules not mystically but through the (mostly unlikely) people that He has chosen.

Choosing My Own Adventure

For all those who feared I had been a victim of Spontaneous Combustion or had fled to Mongolia in fear of debt collectors...I'm Baaaaack! Well, not really. Things are different now. New house. New furniture. New community. New responsibilities...

Aye, there's the rub. No longer a carefree student of theological matters where those with higher qualifications than mine prescribed suitable reading material for my fertile brain in the manner of an apothecary handing over a bag of leeches. The temptation is to rest on the laurels accumulated over the last four years, looking down like Mister Toad on the grand old men of Oxford. However, since it is quite clear that I do not know all there is to be knowed, an alternative must be found.

Now that I have officially started my ministry in the Anglican parish of Rosemeadow/Appin, a question is presented for which theological education in no way prepares you:

What on earth do I do now???

Tasks will present themselves, naturally. In fact, following the first staff meeting of the year, it is clear that a new minister's diary fills itself quicker than a pub on Grand Final day. But to define the role of ministry simply by Stuff To Do can produce all sorts of confusion. It is clear that I need guidance as to how my new role should be defined.

Over the last 20 years books on ecclesiology and ministry strategy have been all the rage. We can put this down to the phenomenal growth of modern Pentecostalism, those For and Against the Emergent Church movement, and a shift in leadership priorities as the Baby Boomers begin shuffling out of the boardrooms and into luxurious motor accommodation vehicles purchased with a lifetime of accumulated capital gains they are determined their children shall never inherit. As helpful an relevant as many of these books are, I have decided to start at the beginning.

As a Reformed Evangelical Anglican I thought it best to take a careful look at some of the texts that have shaped my heritage. So, over the next few months, my plan is to read through three classic works of pastoral theology and post weekly reflections here. While there are many texts that could have been chosen, I have selected Martin Bucer's Concerning the True Care of Souls, George Herbert's The Country Parson, and Richard Baxter's The Reformed Pastor. These works cover the development of modern pastoral thought in the 16th and 17th centuries by a Reformer, Middle Anglican, and Puritan. While I have dipped into all these books in the past, I believe that my new role at the coalface will give me a new perspective and I will find new gems to unearth.

As I begin this task I am aware that the works I have chosen are far from perfect. While at one time Herbert would have been handed to every ordination candidate at their seminary enrollment, in recent years he has copped a stiff (and, to my mind, slightly unfair) backlash from English Evangelicals. I should also confess that, despite the many sound theological insights that it produced, I am not entirely convinced of the good influence of Puritanism on the English Church. That said, my intentions are to read these works both critically and sympathetically, taking note of how they use the Scriptures to support their positions.

Those expecting a careful summary of the material will be disappointed. I shall instead be focusing on salient/interesting/unique/dodgy points that are thrown up and how ministry in the modern context can learn from those who have gone before us.

Expect the first reflections on Bucer to arrive soon...