Comments on: Pastors in their Offices http://www.toddhiestand.com/pastors-in-their-offices/05/ Missional Living in Suburban America Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:14:14 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Ryan http://www.toddhiestand.com/pastors-in-their-offices/05/comment-page-1/#comment-46909 Ryan Sat, 23 May 2009 16:43:20 +0000 http://www.toddhiestand.com/?p=1764#comment-46909 Good stuff! I'm with you! Good stuff! I’m with you!

]]> By: Todd http://www.toddhiestand.com/pastors-in-their-offices/05/comment-page-1/#comment-46907 Todd Sat, 23 May 2009 15:52:16 +0000 http://www.toddhiestand.com/?p=1764#comment-46907 Ryan, I hear what you are saying but I don't think you are the kind of person being addressed in this quote. The premise of this is that our pastors have failed to understand that we live in a post-christian world where the role of pastor needs to move from inward focused to a outward focused. Of course, i believe that a pastor needs to do work inside his church, but that work strengthens the church's witness to those outside of it. I know you well enough to know that you do a TON of work outside your "office" in the neighborhood with the good of your neighborhood in mind. Some of that outside work might happen from the confines of your office. Again, the larger issue one of mission, not one of location that one works. This isn't a call for the pastor to abandon his office totally. An office definitely has its place. And, honestly, i don't think it really makes one "mission focused" if your office is a room in a church building as opposed to a Starbucks or another cool coffee shop (which we dont have in Bucks County!). That might be a move in the right direction, sure. but i can be just as inward focused in starbucks as i can in my office in my church building. Ryan,
I hear what you are saying but I don’t think you are the kind of person being addressed in this quote. The premise of this is that our pastors have failed to understand that we live in a post-christian world where the role of pastor needs to move from inward focused to a outward focused. Of course, i believe that a pastor needs to do work inside his church, but that work strengthens the church’s witness to those outside of it.

I know you well enough to know that you do a TON of work outside your “office” in the neighborhood with the good of your neighborhood in mind. Some of that outside work might happen from the confines of your office. Again, the larger issue one of mission, not one of location that one works.

This isn’t a call for the pastor to abandon his office totally. An office definitely has its place. And, honestly, i don’t think it really makes one “mission focused” if your office is a room in a church building as opposed to a Starbucks or another cool coffee shop (which we dont have in Bucks County!). That might be a move in the right direction, sure. but i can be just as inward focused in starbucks as i can in my office in my church building.

]]> By: Ryan http://www.toddhiestand.com/pastors-in-their-offices/05/comment-page-1/#comment-46906 Ryan Sat, 23 May 2009 15:12:43 +0000 http://www.toddhiestand.com/?p=1764#comment-46906 What's the alternative? I spend probably 30-40% of my week in 1-to-1 conversations with people (church people, community people, etc) but sometimes those evil "meetings" are also opportunities to explore God's life at work in our communities. There is another image of "pastor" that I am drawn to and that is pastor as theologian. That requires time reading and thinking and writing. I know of no better place than our "offices", whether traditional or public places like cafes (I cannot utter the "S" word in public). I try to evaluate my weeks by seeing if I am balancing time reading, thinking and writing, with time in community with people. I'd like to avoid idealizing either reality. What’s the alternative? I spend probably 30-40% of my week in 1-to-1 conversations with people (church people, community people, etc) but sometimes those evil “meetings” are also opportunities to explore God’s life at work in our communities.

There is another image of “pastor” that I am drawn to and that is pastor as theologian. That requires time reading and thinking and writing. I know of no better place than our “offices”, whether traditional or public places like cafes (I cannot utter the “S” word in public).

I try to evaluate my weeks by seeing if I am balancing time reading, thinking and writing, with time in community with people. I’d like to avoid idealizing either reality.

]]>