The Mind of Brian

Letters to a Young Pastor December 23, 2011

I always like to check out what gems may be hidden in the stacks at the Lisle library in the theology section and I was somewhat surprised to find Calvin Miller’s Letters to a Young Pastor. It seemed to be a book with a surprising small targeted audience to make it into the library (are there a lot of pastors hanging out at the Lisle library or did someone donate it or something?). I had to read it because, well, it seemed to have my name on it. On the whole, it was an enjoyable read, a break from the reading I do for school as well as the history reading I have been doing in my free time. The letters were mostly short and greated into different sections, though I don’t always know why the sections were grouped as they were. I enjoyed especially Miller’s comments about sermons (part four) and the reminded to view sermons as part of an ongoing conversation between pastor and parishoners rather than as a performance; they will be up and down, better and worse, but that’s how relationships work. I also liked his stress on being short, narrative, and listenable, things that are not often said in homelitics class though they probably should be (because if anyone needs to hear that, it is seminary students!). In some ways, that articulates things I have strived for in my own preaching, though of course without as much success as I would like.

It was difficult to page Miller and his thoughts on ministry; what “School” of thought does he belong in? He is obviously against the megachurch, with one letter criticizing megachurches. But yet he often emphasizes how big the church he pastored got, playing into the numbers game of the megachurch. He is also against the emerging church, as he devotes a few letters to address it. He seems somewhat traditional (he discusses denominations a lot) but knows that there are some significant shifts happening within structures and noting that it might not be a bad thing. He emphasizes the importance of holding fast to doctrine, so he is not a liberal or progressive, but it also seems that he was not a firm believer in the conservative takeover of the Southern Baptist Convention. Perhaps this elusiveness is exactly what Miller wants. He stresses over and over again the need to “be yourself” in your ministry, not to be a cookie-cutter or a copycat. While we certainly are influenced by particular elements and factors around us, that is a great reminder to mold them into something unique for you and for your circumstances. Don’t just steal what works for us, experiment and find what works for you. Thank you, Dr. Miller.