Pastor as Purveyor of Spiritual Content

Living into a calling not up to an identity

I haven’t written a blog in a little while. And I’m trying to figure out why.

On the surface, it’s a logistical challenge. The crush of Easter season in a church. Traveling. Toddler life. You get it.

But maybe the reality goes a bit deeper. You prioritize what you really want, and I haven’t prioritized this lately. Why? Here’s my working theory.

I’ve confused a calling to write with an identity as a Purveyor of Spiritual Content.

Purveyors of Spiritual Content

In this world of blogging, social media, live streams and reels, this identity—Purveyor of Spiritual Content—is a real temptation for pastors like me. Social media influencers hold captivated (or captive?) the eyes and ears of a generation. And what is the key to being one of those people?

Content. Lots of it. And make sure at least some of it is actually helpful.

The line of reasoning goes something like this:

1. If you want to make a difference in someone’s life online, you need them to listen.

2. If you want them to listen, you need them to make your content a regular part of their lives.

3. If you want them to make your content a regular part of their lives, you need to be consistent about publishing content.

Pastors like me want to make an impact in people’s lives with the words we carefully craft. There is nothing more satisfying than hearing how a sermon or a blog has been used by God to transform someone’s experience of life. We want to see people drawn closer to God, to each other and to their true selves through the wisdom handed down to us. We want to be “influencers” of a sort, if we’re honest.

And if you want to be an influencer in today’s world, you need to be a purveyor of spiritual content.

It’s not unreasonable. It’s not even necessarily wrong. But if we’re not careful, the tail can wag the dog. The need to publish consistently and frequently can outstrip the calling to create spaces of growth and learning. If you’re a writer or a speaker maybe you’ve felt that kind of pressure.

Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash

Jesus was a Terrible Influencer

If you think about Jesus through the recipe above, Jesus was a terrible influencer. Sure, he taught people about God and God’s kingdom.

But he never wrote a book.

He didn’t publish a preaching schedule.

In fact, on more than one occasion he left a crowd because they were too into him.

After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.

John 6:14-15

And yet, Jesus became arguably the most influential person who ever lived.

This is the part when, if I was smart, I’d tell you how he did it. I’d give you Jesus’ recipe for viral influence.

But I’m not that smart.

I can’t tell you what his strategy was, and I would never promise you that you (or I) could reproduce it.

What I’m more interested in is the kind of person Jesus was even as he sought to influence the people around him.

Living Up To vs. Living Into

You never get the sense from Jesus that he felt pressure to perform. Even when people asked him direct questions in front of a crowd, he often returned a question for a question rather than taking the opportunity to showcase his intelligence or wisdom or wit.

In one harrowing story, he’s asked on the spot to decide whether a woman lives or dies:

At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. ³ The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery.

They made her stand before the group ⁴ and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. ⁵ In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” ⁶ They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.

⁷ When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” ⁸ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

John 8:2-8

Did you catch that?

“Give us the verdict Jesus!”

And he starts doodling. Or journaling. Or gathering his thoughts. We don’t actually know what he wrote or drew in the dirt. But what we do know is he does not seem to feel the pressure to produce content to their expectations.

A Purveyor of Spiritual Content has a reputation to uphold. There are expectations. Many of them set by the purveyor themselves. You have to produce a talk every week. You have to keep a regular writing schedule. You have to live up to this identity you’ve acquired.

But Jesus didn’t see the title Rabbi or “teacher” as his identity. He saw his life as fulfilling a calling from his Father.

“I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. ⁷ Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. ⁸ For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them.

John 17:6-8

Everything Jesus gave his disciples came from the Father. If the Father didn’t give it, he didn’t pass it on. He taught only what and when he was given something to teach. “I gave them the words you gave me.”

He was living into a calling, not up to expectations.

Why haven’t I written anything the past few weeks?

The truth is, I didn’t have anything else to say in addition to what God called me to say on Sundays.

Maybe I have confused my calling with an identity and been overwhelmed by the pressure.

Or maybe I have been living into my calling rather than up to my own expectations.

It’s hard to say.

But what I know is that I only want to give what I’ve been given. I want to inhabit the posture of a stooping Jesus who takes his time writing in the dirt.

And maybe then—when I do say something—it’ll be worth hearing.

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Have you ever felt this identity creeping into your calling? I’d love to hear how you experience and/or deal with it.