Defining Tentmaker Pastoral Care
The Deed of Union, (the constitution of the Methodist Church passed by Act of Parliament in 1929 enabled the various Methodist branches to unite in 1932), uses such words as 'Steward, and Shepherd' to describe the call, vocation, life and responsibility of the Presbyter.
This is very much in line with Wesley's sermon based up Hebrew 13:17 where he speaks of "pastors... who guide and feed a part of the flock of Christ."
The words steward and shepherd, deeply rooted in Jewish thought, also reveals something of the nature of a ministry of word and sacrament.
This task is the care of souls , the conduct of worship and the oversight of church order.
Wesley continues by considering the presbyter as having a dual role of both ‘under-rowing’ and oversight expressed in terms that the steward employs all that she/he has through ‘the poor, whom God has appointed to receive by looking upon ourselves as one of that number of the poor.’
For Paul Johnson, an English journalist, popular historian, speechwriter, and author, such pastoral care is "a religious ministry to individuals in dynamic relationships arising from insight into essential needs and mutual discovery of potentialities for spiritual growth."
But how is this dynamic expressed through the presbyterial ministry? Ordination has been described as the setting apart of an individual for the task of eldership. However, the concept has led to a false understanding of the ordained being somehow, separated and removed from the people. If presbyterial pastoral care has a hallmark it is surely incarnational in essence and participatory in practice. A working definition of incarnational ministry is the immersion of one’s self into a local culture and ‘becoming Jesus’ to that culture.
The 1968 Anglican/Methodist unity report spoke of ordained ministry as " ...distinctive...a special form of participation. It is in this way that the priesthood of the presbyter should be understood... as both Christ's ambassadors and the representatives of the whole people of God."
Defining what is meant by the whole People of God is perhaps the most difficult aspect of this statement when considering what it means to be incarnational in terms of the ordained ministry. This suggests becoming incarnate in society is moving onto a group's "turf" - its social territory and living fully among people in a way that they can understand.
Regrettably, all too often, the church has frustrated ministry beyond it’s walls by filling the time of lay and ordained members with maintaining organisational structures and not prepared, and in some cases not allowed its people to be in the world but not of it. The call of a Tentmaker Minister challenges the church by ploughing a vocational furrow of faith firmly anchored within the church yet exercised beyond.
Yes there are tensions, yes there are frustrations and there are even heartache and misunderstandings in following the call the Tentmaker Ministry; but wasn’t this the sort of pathway that the apostle Paul endured.
Perhaps we need another definition of Tentmaker Ministry - One writer defines the term “tentmaker” as missions-committed Christians who support themselves, and make Jesus Christ known on the job and in their free time. They are in full-time ministry even when they have full-time jobs, because they integrate work and witness. Just a thought - isn’t every disciple of Jesus a Tentmaker Minister?
Before You I kneel, my Master and Maker
To offer the work of my hands,
For this is the day You’ve given Your servant;
I will rejoice and be glad:
For the strength I have to live and breathe,
For each skill Your grace has given me,
For the needs and opportunities
That will glorify Your great name.
Before You I kneel and ask for Your goodness
To cover the work of my hands,
For patience and peace to shape all my labour,
Your grace for thorns in my path.
Flow within me like a living stream,
Wear away the stones of pride and greed,
‘Til Your ways are dwelling deep in me
And a harvest of life is grown.
Before You we kneel, our Master and Maker;
Establish the work of our hands,
And order our steps to seek first Your kingdom
In every small and great task.
May we live the gospel of Your grace,
Serve Your purpose in our fleeting days,
Then our lives will bring eternal praise
And all glory to Your great name,
And all glory to Your great name.
Stuart Townend, Keith Getty, Kristyn Getty and Jeff Taylor Copyright © 2012 Getty Music Publishing (BMI) and Seek 1st Publishing & Townend Music (Adm. by Song Solutions info@songsolutions.org)
Tomorrow On the Job Ministry
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