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Why Pastors Need to Practice a Lifestyle of Renewal
Two ways post-pandemic pastors can begin to practice a lifestyle of renewal.
I was recently in this fancy pants board meeting at a consulting firm, and they had me and the team I was working with throw a bunch of ideas related to pastoral ministry on the whiteboard. I promise I wasn’t trying to be (too) cute, but the first words that came out of my mouth were, “Spiritual formation … it’s so hot right now.” After the final Zoolander joke faded into oblivion, we had a brief conversation about why this seems to be capturing the interest of so many pastors at the moment. Of course, just because spiritual formation is “so hot right now” shouldn’t relegate it to the sidelines of superficial trends. In fact, I would argue that it tells us that the pandemic surfaced a critical need in pastors that we are now only beginning to articulate and understand. For the purpose of this article, I want to hone in on one particular aspect of spiritual formation, which is called “renewal.”
What is Renewal?
So, what exactly is renewal? The apostle Paul mentions it a few times in his letters:
- “Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2)
- “Therefore we do not give up. Even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day.” (2 Corinthians 4:16)
- “Take off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires, to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth.” (Ephesians 4:22-24)
- “Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator.” (Colossians 3:9-10)
One way we might summarize “renewal” from Paul’s writings is the transformation of our head, heart, and hands through the application of God’s word to every aspect of our lives. Ok. That was a bit brainy and broad, so let me build on it like this: as our love, affection, and devotion for Jesus deepens, we will increasingly discern and practice those things that conform us more deeply into His image. I think this gets us close to a respectable understanding of renewal, so let’s touch on the “why.”
Tim Keller, in reviewing Richard Lovelace’s book Dynamics of Spiritual Life: An Evangelical Theology of Renewal, wrote, “Lovelace explains that renewal is needed because Christians so easily fall away from a full understanding of the gospel into cheap grace, legalism, and moralism, or what I’ve often described as religion.” Lovelace writes, “Christians who are no longer sure that God loves and accepts them in Jesus, apart from their present spiritual achievements, are subconsciously radically insecure persons.”
Pastors need renewal because before they are pastors, they are persons–persons who, like the congregations they care for day in and day out, need a fresh watering of God’s grace to go deep into the soil of their hearts.
So, what are some ways that post-pandemic pastors can begin to practice a lifestyle of renewal? Here are two:
1) Remember the Father’s Compassion on Your Life and Ministry
It should come as no surprise that we are so much harder on ourselves than the Lord. David writes in Psalm 103:13-14, “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him. For he knows what we are made of, remembering that we are dust.”
Deeper conformity to Christ begins through a growing awareness of the compassion that the Lord has for us based on His intimate knowledge of our limitations and losses. I often reflect on how Jesus treated Peter on the shore in John 21 after his denial in the courtyard. The apprenticeship he had enjoyed with Jesus over the past three years was over. A Roman was still on the throne. His failures were undoubtedly looming large as he returned to the sea that night, wondering if he needed to return to “fishing for fish” rather than “fishing for men.”
Jesus responds with heartbreaking compassion. He performs another miracle. He greets Peter’s frantic swim to the shore with patience. He cooks breakfast. Peter watches as Jesus slowly prepares the fish and bread, while keeping the charcoal embers hot. Words are kept to a minimum until this tender moment when Jesus reminds Peter that despite it all, he is a much-loved man. “Feed my sheep,” Jesus says, affirming Peter’s call from all those years ago.
We would do well to remember that the Lord treats us like He treated Peter that day on the shore–we are much loved by Jesus. We have all of the Father’s compassion. We are filled with the fullness of Christ through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This is the most renewing reality of your life. Make a lifestyle of acknowledging and embracing this timeless truth.
2) Reimagine Spiritual Disciplines as Spiritual Delights
Much has been written in recent years about spiritual disciplines, and for good reason. Foundationally, we will be spiritually malnourished and ultimately starved if we don’t spend time communing with Jesus. Unfortunately, we carry this starved state of being into everything we do as pastors. If I’m being honest, one of the most difficult aspects of spiritual disciplines is this really fun word we attach to them–discipline. Obviously, most of us understand that some level of discipline is required to apply any kind of healthy practices to our daily lives. But I think the word can be a bit unhelpful. Why? Because discipline suggests something that we are constantly fighting to maintain, rather than something we are delighting to become. I love the way Psalm 73 describes our intrinsic longing for nearness to the Lord.
Yet I am always with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me up in glory. Who do I have in heaven but you? And I desire nothing on earth but you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart, my portion forever. Those far from you will certainly perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you. But as for me, God’s presence is my good. I have made the Lord God my refuge, so I can tell about all you do. (Psalm 73:23-28)
The Psalmist simply affirms what is true about God. He guides us, He receives us to glory, He is our strength and our portion. Renewal happens when our deepest desire is the delight we experience by coming into the presence of God. Let me use a ridiculous illustration. I love cake. Never once have I had to discipline myself to eat a piece of cake. If I know there is cake in my near future, the trajectory of my life has been repurposed. I told you this was ridiculous, but it makes a point. Delight doesn’t remove discipline, it transforms it.
We will return next month to look at some additional practices toward cultivating a lifestyle of pastoral renewal.
