Pro Ecclesia: For the Church
by Robert M. Norris
I am not used to being considered a heretic. Yet recently, when a
colleague and I visited a friend who teaches theology at a famous
British university, we found ourselves faced with this charge! In a
conversation that had quickly turned to the subject of theology, we
found ourselves defending the idea that the death of Jesus Christ was
that of a penal substitution in which He in our place bore the wrath of
God that rightfully should have been visited upon us. This
understanding is both biblical and the historic confession of the
church, yet it was this that earned for us the charge of heresy from
one who is a self-confessed evangelical theologian. Subsequently, I
have realized that this doctrine of penal substitution is increasingly
being challenged both by theologians and preachers as an example of
"cosmic child-abuse" with no part in an authentic proclamation of the
Christian Gospel. This situation provides insight as to why it is
important to pray for church leaders.
  
Yet it is symptomatic of a sad truth. If praying for church leaders
seems to have gone out of style, perhaps an underlying reason for this
is that the church often adopts the standards and ideas of the world.
In our pursuit of success where the obvious mark of that success is
size, influence, power, and money, church leaders are under constant
pressure to produce evidence of growth, and technique and program are
the obvious means by which this is achieved. In this framework there is
no place given for prayer, which speaks of a supernatural framework of
thought that is alien to the modern world.
In order to be successful, congregations look to their leaders to be
endowed with entrepreneurial spirits and the necessary charisma to meet
all expectations. Superstars are exalted and those who do not have that
magnetism nor share in those gifts are compared unfavorably with those
who can generate success. Thus, criticism, not prayer, becomes the norm
for congregations. Nor is the blame to lie solely with congregations
because often their leaders are the very ones who have reduced
Christian ministry to techniques and programs, and have substituted
methodology for the ministry of the Holy Spirit, looking to human plans
rather than divine guidance and blessing. As a consequence, they do not
look for prayer as the vital need for their ministries. Divine blessing
is seen only in terms of human success.
This is a very different picture than the one offered by the apostle
Paul who understood that the nature of his ministry was essentially
spiritual. It was because of this understanding that he sought the
prayers of the congregations to which he ministered.
His requests were marked by urgency because he knew that he both wanted
and needed the prayers of God's people. The apostle was well aware that
the work in which he was engaged was spiritual and had eternal
consequences. He was aware that entrusted to his care was the
proclamation of the Gospel, the careful unfolding of God's truth, and
the diligent defense of that Gospel against all distortion. He
recognized that such a ministry required more than human ability and
could not be undertaken without prayer. The partnership with the
congregations to whom he ministered was vital: "I appeal to you,
brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to
strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf" (Rom.
15:30).
Paul was aware that he needed the prayers of the congregations that he
served because he was a sinner and was aware that he could be tempted
and could easily give in to those temptations. Clearly Paul knew that
he faced intimidation and the ever-present temptation to compromise the
nature of the Gospel message in the interests of peace and tolerance,
which is why he requested and needed the prayers of God's people. He
saw the role of those he served to support him with their prayers. In
fact, when writing to the church at Ephesus he was clear that the role
of prayerful support created a partnership in the work of the Gospel
ministry. As such, he clearly regarded it as a high privilege that
involved "striving," and, far from being passive, was an active and
vital ministry: "[pray] also for me, that words may be given to me in
opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel" (Eph.
6:19).
He saw that the work of the Gospel is an essentially spiritual work.
Paul knew nothing of being dependent upon technique or program to
accomplish his work, and his appeal was for spiritual support because
he knew that he was battling spiritual powers that were arrayed against
Him and were hostile to God and His purpose. Today it is easy to be
seduced by the secular mindset into dismissing the spiritual nature of
Christian ministry and fail to see that there is a combating of dark
and hostile spiritual forces that can be met only with humble
dependence upon God, diligence in the study of His Word, and devotion
to the Gospel of Christ.
It is the role of the church leader to keep watch over the souls of
God's people. And to be effective in this role, as in all the other
aspects of ministry, he needs the prayers of God's people.
*****
Dr. Robert M. Norris is senior minister of Fourth Presbyterian Church in Bethesda, Maryland.
Read select Tabletalk columns from the June edition here.
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Tags: Pluralism, Prayer, Tabletalk Magazine
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