Memorable Pioneers
In 1864 a young man came to Swede Bend, near Stratford, Boone County, Iowa. This young man came directly from Sweden where he had been in the service of the army for a number of years. By trade he was a cobbler. He was an earnest Christian, having been converted through the reading of Pietistin [“The Pietist”] shortly before leaving for America. He was of a happy disposition and as a new convert his heart naturally sang with overflowing joy. His name was Carl August Björk.
Because of his warm interest in matters pertaining to religion the people of Swede Bend regarded Mr. Björk as a very unusual type of young man. He would speak to them of the love of God manifested in Christ Jesus and sing religious songs with visible joy and happiness. On the first Sunday of his arrival he gathered the folks in the home, read to them a portion from the Pietistin and sang old familiar hymns which gladdened the people....
During the summer of 1865 several persons were brought under conviction of sin in Mr. Björk's unpretentious meetings and finally they experienced the peace with God. In the week of prayer in 1867 a revival broke out in Swede Bend and a considerable number were brought to Christ. Thus a great change took place in the community, and Mr. Björk was no longer the only Läsare [“Reader”] among the people. He was now surrounded by a group of warm-hearted Christians, who looked upon him as their spiritual leader though he still was an ordinary working man in their midst.
When on Good Friday, 1867, Mr. Björk was to lead the service in the Lutheran church in the pastor's absence, he planned to read a portion from Pietisten or from a postil. Coming to church he could not find the book. Some one had hid it in order thus to compel Mr. Björk to preach. Under the circumstances he was forced to make his first attempt at preaching. He read a portion of the Scriptures relating to the crucifixion of Christ and spoke extemporaneously on that great subject with considerable freedom and power. His audience was deeply moved by his message and a revival spirit was manifested in the meeting. Several souls were brought to spiritual life as a result of this sermon. Mr. Björk now was prevailed upon henceforth to preach at the services and not to read from Pietisten or from a postil. Having seen evidence of God's blessing in his first attempt to preach, he consented to comply with the wishes of the people, though he did so with fear and trembling. Thus the first minister among the Mission Friends in America was drawn into the ministry very much as the colporteurs had been drawn to this work without any previous planning on their part. Good Friday in the year of 1867 can be regarded as the very birthday of the ministry of the Mission Friends in America, and the Rev. C. A. Björk was the very first minister.
C. V. Bowman (1868-1937), The Mission Covenant of America (1925), pp. 23,24,25,26.
The [Jönköping] society had thirteen men in its service in the early1870's. They were a distinguished group of preachers, not because of their learning but because of their natural fitness and deep devotion to their calling. None had more than a public school education. Some had less than that. All bad been called into the ministry from the plow, the carpenter's bench, the blacksmith shop or whatever occupation had been theirs. Nowhere else in Sweden, at that time or later, has there been a missionary society that has had in its service a group of preachers so outstanding in originality, so lavishly talented, and so richly endowed with spiritual power.
No two of them were alike in their presentation of the gospel, but all were men of one book and bad the most implicit faith in it. Some were fluent speakers. Others spoke haltingly. Some sat still as statues while they preached. (To be seated while preaching was the custom among them; one was a cripple who could not stand or take a single step without his crutches.) Others gesticulated and mimicked. Some never violated good taste in the use of illustrations. Others could not deliver a sermon that did not grate on the ears of the audience at some point. But all were alike in their unreserved consecration to the service of Christ for the salvation of men.
For more than twenty years the Gospel had been proclaimed with power by these men. There was hardly a parish within two hundred miles of Jönköping where a fire from heaven had not destroyed the altars of Baal, hardly a village where homes had not been transformed. Meeting-houses had been erected, places of amusement changed into temples of God, congregations and mission societies organized, and the moral standards raised to a higher level.
Erik Dahlhielm (1880-1955), A Burning Heart: a Biography of Erik August Skogsbergh (1951), pp. 45,46.
The ministers of the Mission Synod were from the outset self-made men who were in possession of very little theological training. The Rev. J. M. Sanngren and the Rev. P. Undeen had for some time studied in the Rev. P. A. Ahlberg's Theological Institute in Sweden, but the other ministers of this early period did not have any such training. All of them did, however, possess a good knowledge of the contents of the Bible, and they were well grounded in the writings of Dr. Martin Luther and other prominent theologians. Consequently they had a firm grip on Bible truths and a fairly good insight into theological matters. Some of them were gifted speakers, and they were all godly and self -sacrificing men whose aim it was to bring the good news of salvation to their fellow men. In their labors they experienced blessings from God, and the people listened gladly to their message.
C. V. Bowman (1868-1937), The Mission Covenant of America (1925), p. 83.
I remember our preachers--Myhren, Lindholm, Nilsen, and Train [in the Hilmar, California community where I grew up]. In those early days these farmer preachers were venerated but not paid well. In their long Prince Alberts they appeared as prophets out of the Old Testament to me. On week days they looked like the rest of us. On Sundays they were set apart wielding the sword of the Lord. It was something to see the farmers coming to church on Sundays in their lumber wagons and buggies.
Eric G. Hawkinson (1896-1984), Memoirs, “The Hilmar Years (1903-1907),”quoted in Grace and Glory: a festscrift on preaching in honor of Eric G. Hawkinson, The Covenant Quarterly, 1981-82, p. 11.
I have no doubt that the occasional appearances of this great man (J. A. Hultman, “The Sunshine Singer”] contributed much to my spiritual development. In deep contrast, however, was his inconspicuous brother, Frank Hultman, who was pastor of our little church. Once when we were having a social affair in the basement of the church, the pastor tossed an apple to me. Had I tossed anything in the church basement I would have been punished; therefore, the pastor was a very bad example to me. However that may be, I had the warm feeling that he was on my side and that he was one human being that I could trust. He had established that I was worthy of his attention. He confirmed my confidence in him by writing me a letter after we had moved to California. I would not want to minimize the influence of the famous “Sunshine Singer,” but among the few things that kept me from breaking completely with the church during my adolescent years were the memories of that tossed apple and of that letter, which is still one of my most prized possessions.
Wesley W. Nelson (1910- ), Crying for my Mother (1975), pp. 9,10.
Because of his warm interest in matters pertaining to religion the people of Swede Bend regarded Mr. Björk as a very unusual type of young man. He would speak to them of the love of God manifested in Christ Jesus and sing religious songs with visible joy and happiness. On the first Sunday of his arrival he gathered the folks in the home, read to them a portion from the Pietistin and sang old familiar hymns which gladdened the people....
During the summer of 1865 several persons were brought under conviction of sin in Mr. Björk's unpretentious meetings and finally they experienced the peace with God. In the week of prayer in 1867 a revival broke out in Swede Bend and a considerable number were brought to Christ. Thus a great change took place in the community, and Mr. Björk was no longer the only Läsare [“Reader”] among the people. He was now surrounded by a group of warm-hearted Christians, who looked upon him as their spiritual leader though he still was an ordinary working man in their midst.
When on Good Friday, 1867, Mr. Björk was to lead the service in the Lutheran church in the pastor's absence, he planned to read a portion from Pietisten or from a postil. Coming to church he could not find the book. Some one had hid it in order thus to compel Mr. Björk to preach. Under the circumstances he was forced to make his first attempt at preaching. He read a portion of the Scriptures relating to the crucifixion of Christ and spoke extemporaneously on that great subject with considerable freedom and power. His audience was deeply moved by his message and a revival spirit was manifested in the meeting. Several souls were brought to spiritual life as a result of this sermon. Mr. Björk now was prevailed upon henceforth to preach at the services and not to read from Pietisten or from a postil. Having seen evidence of God's blessing in his first attempt to preach, he consented to comply with the wishes of the people, though he did so with fear and trembling. Thus the first minister among the Mission Friends in America was drawn into the ministry very much as the colporteurs had been drawn to this work without any previous planning on their part. Good Friday in the year of 1867 can be regarded as the very birthday of the ministry of the Mission Friends in America, and the Rev. C. A. Björk was the very first minister.
C. V. Bowman (1868-1937), The Mission Covenant of America (1925), pp. 23,24,25,26.
The [Jönköping] society had thirteen men in its service in the early1870's. They were a distinguished group of preachers, not because of their learning but because of their natural fitness and deep devotion to their calling. None had more than a public school education. Some had less than that. All bad been called into the ministry from the plow, the carpenter's bench, the blacksmith shop or whatever occupation had been theirs. Nowhere else in Sweden, at that time or later, has there been a missionary society that has had in its service a group of preachers so outstanding in originality, so lavishly talented, and so richly endowed with spiritual power.
No two of them were alike in their presentation of the gospel, but all were men of one book and bad the most implicit faith in it. Some were fluent speakers. Others spoke haltingly. Some sat still as statues while they preached. (To be seated while preaching was the custom among them; one was a cripple who could not stand or take a single step without his crutches.) Others gesticulated and mimicked. Some never violated good taste in the use of illustrations. Others could not deliver a sermon that did not grate on the ears of the audience at some point. But all were alike in their unreserved consecration to the service of Christ for the salvation of men.
For more than twenty years the Gospel had been proclaimed with power by these men. There was hardly a parish within two hundred miles of Jönköping where a fire from heaven had not destroyed the altars of Baal, hardly a village where homes had not been transformed. Meeting-houses had been erected, places of amusement changed into temples of God, congregations and mission societies organized, and the moral standards raised to a higher level.
Erik Dahlhielm (1880-1955), A Burning Heart: a Biography of Erik August Skogsbergh (1951), pp. 45,46.
The ministers of the Mission Synod were from the outset self-made men who were in possession of very little theological training. The Rev. J. M. Sanngren and the Rev. P. Undeen had for some time studied in the Rev. P. A. Ahlberg's Theological Institute in Sweden, but the other ministers of this early period did not have any such training. All of them did, however, possess a good knowledge of the contents of the Bible, and they were well grounded in the writings of Dr. Martin Luther and other prominent theologians. Consequently they had a firm grip on Bible truths and a fairly good insight into theological matters. Some of them were gifted speakers, and they were all godly and self -sacrificing men whose aim it was to bring the good news of salvation to their fellow men. In their labors they experienced blessings from God, and the people listened gladly to their message.
C. V. Bowman (1868-1937), The Mission Covenant of America (1925), p. 83.
I remember our preachers--Myhren, Lindholm, Nilsen, and Train [in the Hilmar, California community where I grew up]. In those early days these farmer preachers were venerated but not paid well. In their long Prince Alberts they appeared as prophets out of the Old Testament to me. On week days they looked like the rest of us. On Sundays they were set apart wielding the sword of the Lord. It was something to see the farmers coming to church on Sundays in their lumber wagons and buggies.
Eric G. Hawkinson (1896-1984), Memoirs, “The Hilmar Years (1903-1907),”quoted in Grace and Glory: a festscrift on preaching in honor of Eric G. Hawkinson, The Covenant Quarterly, 1981-82, p. 11.
I have no doubt that the occasional appearances of this great man (J. A. Hultman, “The Sunshine Singer”] contributed much to my spiritual development. In deep contrast, however, was his inconspicuous brother, Frank Hultman, who was pastor of our little church. Once when we were having a social affair in the basement of the church, the pastor tossed an apple to me. Had I tossed anything in the church basement I would have been punished; therefore, the pastor was a very bad example to me. However that may be, I had the warm feeling that he was on my side and that he was one human being that I could trust. He had established that I was worthy of his attention. He confirmed my confidence in him by writing me a letter after we had moved to California. I would not want to minimize the influence of the famous “Sunshine Singer,” but among the few things that kept me from breaking completely with the church during my adolescent years were the memories of that tossed apple and of that letter, which is still one of my most prized possessions.
Wesley W. Nelson (1910- ), Crying for my Mother (1975), pp. 9,10.
The Call and Education
Preachers must first and foremost have a call, and this is not replaced by any education. However, education is not replaced by a call either: without a call, no preacher. But a call without education results in a preacher who either never finds his real call or loses precious time by trying to look for and find that call.... This can never be emphasized enough .... Our theological seminary will be on the right track when we unite theological studies for the pastorate with a growing measure of liberal arts studies.... If any idea about a simple school for evangelists should in the slightest way prevent our future pastors from a foundational and comprehensive education, then this school would be a temptation rather than a blessing.
David Nyvall (1863-1946), Våra predikanters utbildning, Winter, 1919, quoted in Scott E. Erickson, David Nyvall and the Shape of an Immigrant Church (Acta Universitatis Upsallensis, Uppsala, 1996), pp. 295,296.
David Nyvall (1863-1946), Våra predikanters utbildning, Winter, 1919, quoted in Scott E. Erickson, David Nyvall and the Shape of an Immigrant Church (Acta Universitatis Upsallensis, Uppsala, 1996), pp. 295,296.
Need for Spiritual Maturity
I have often thought that preachers must really be worse and not better than other people in bearing up under trials and disappointments. It has also occurred to me that this is the result of our being accustomed to receiving more attention than other people and thus we become irritated when some disregard or contempt is shown us.
C. J. Nyvall (1829-1904), Travel Memories from America, 1876, E. Gustav Johnson, tr. (1959), p. 76
A pastor must always be prepared to perform the services of his office and never be embarrassed if unexpected and unique situations arise. He should act so that he gives the people a good and serious impression. A careless ministerial act is highly culpable and should never occur either at home or in church.
C. V. Bowman (1868-1937), “The Young Pastor” (1893), from Son of the People: The Autobiography of C. V. Bowman, tr. Eric G. Hawkinson, ed. Lois Bowman Michaelson (1988), p. 180.
C. J. Nyvall (1829-1904), Travel Memories from America, 1876, E. Gustav Johnson, tr. (1959), p. 76
A pastor must always be prepared to perform the services of his office and never be embarrassed if unexpected and unique situations arise. He should act so that he gives the people a good and serious impression. A careless ministerial act is highly culpable and should never occur either at home or in church.
C. V. Bowman (1868-1937), “The Young Pastor” (1893), from Son of the People: The Autobiography of C. V. Bowman, tr. Eric G. Hawkinson, ed. Lois Bowman Michaelson (1988), p. 180.
Servant Leadership
In ministry we tend to forget theology and strive for servanthood and action. That attempt is often short-lived because it quickly runs out of a logic that will keep it going. Discouragement is the result. But as 2 Corinthians 4:5 stresses, ministry is first of all christological and, therefore, eschatological. Without that christological grounding in Christ's mission and promise, there is no direction for leadership other than self-interest. Servanthood becomes inane.
With a christological grounding, however, servanthood is both reasonable and directed. Christian workers are given over to people because they are first of all given over to Christ. To be involved with him necessitates being involved with his mission to people. Leadership, like any Christian service, is directed and motivated by Christ and his concerns, not by the whims of people. We are not people's servants or slaves in the sense that they “own” us; nor are we to do whatever they desire. Any service to them must fit under the lordship of Christ, his justice, and the concerns of his kingdom. Service and leadership become synonymous only when both are directed and motivated by Christ. To lead one must show people Christ and his kingdom so forcefully and clearly that they are compelled to follow. Servant leadership always results in people following Christ, not the servant.
Klyne R. Snodgrass (1944- ), “Your Slaves on Account of Jesus: Servant Leadership in the New Testament,” from Servant Leadership, Volume One: Authority and Governance in the Church, James R. Hawkinson & Robert K. Johnston, editors (1993), pp. 14,15.
A staff minister in a recent discussion about leadership said, “If the pastor will play the melody, I can provide the harmony. But when the melody keeps changing and isn't clear, it becomes very difficult.” This is a productive analogy for the pastor as leader of staff, lay leaders, and congregation. The main vision may come out of the minister's own depth of spirit, or may be created through corporate leadership action, but unless the melody is sounded clearly and consistently by the pastor, other staff and lay leaders will find it difficult to join in and add the harmony that is essential to accomplishing the goals. Together, pastor and staff are “pacesetters in the process of building a sense of common purpose in the congregation.”
The minister cannot wait to hear the melody from the congregation. While specific themes may be present, often they will be too diverse to give clear direction. The ministers and lay leaders, who know the people and context, choose the music to be played. They become the conductors of the “congregational orchestra,” and the members provide the harmony of support and action needed to accomplish the vision. If the minister refuses to lift the baton and give direction, the dissonance caused by people choosing their own pitch and playing their own tune will confuse the church's witness and mission to the world. The melody will be lost and the music will not be heard.
The minister playing the melody must not try to play all the other instruments that provide the harmony. People often need help in learning to play the harmony, and practice must be provided so that all can carry their part. A wise leader will learn how to delegate, accepting failures and mistakes in the process. Ministers who seek to fix the problem at hand by doing it themselves do so at the expense of developing the capabilities of their associates and lay leaders.
It is also possible to help others play their instruments to the neglect of playing one's own. The minister must first be attentive to the God who has called him or her to be his servant. Then he or she can help the congregation give attention to God in their lives. The ultimate harmony comes as the Spirit of God blends the work of ministers and the congregation to create a harmony of praise to God. In the context of harmony, the witness and mission of the church will be accomplished.
Frances M. Anderson (1931- ), “Sounding the Distinct Notes of Leadership”
From Servant Leadership, Volume Two: Contemporary Models and the Emerging Challenge, James R. Hawkinson & Robert K. Johnston, editors (1993), pp 83,84.
Pastoral leadership is an art. It is not hierarchical rule but a servant leadership that calls forth the gifts of all people in the congregation. As an artist, the pastor needs to help develop the gifts in his or her people and help create organizational structures that allow those gifts to flourish harmoniously in promoting the mission of the church to glorify God. ...Management theorists ...agree that no one system works everywhere. Rather they describe principles, recognizing that one's organizational culture is a complex and powerful ally if understood and taken seriously. Each congregation is unique, with limits and possibilities.
The interaction between pastor and congregation is where the new work of art is created, An organizational structure that promotes love, respect, and honesty is crucial if a common mission is to be articulated and the gifts of all exercised in the pursuit of that mission. In managerial and artistic language this is what the Apostle Paul meant by equipping the saints for ministry.
Norma S. Sutton (1946- ), “Pastoral Leadership Is an Art”
From Servant Leadership, Volume Two: Contemporary Models and the Emerging Challenge, James R. Hawkinson & Robert K. Johnston, editors (1993), pp. 129,130.
With a christological grounding, however, servanthood is both reasonable and directed. Christian workers are given over to people because they are first of all given over to Christ. To be involved with him necessitates being involved with his mission to people. Leadership, like any Christian service, is directed and motivated by Christ and his concerns, not by the whims of people. We are not people's servants or slaves in the sense that they “own” us; nor are we to do whatever they desire. Any service to them must fit under the lordship of Christ, his justice, and the concerns of his kingdom. Service and leadership become synonymous only when both are directed and motivated by Christ. To lead one must show people Christ and his kingdom so forcefully and clearly that they are compelled to follow. Servant leadership always results in people following Christ, not the servant.
Klyne R. Snodgrass (1944- ), “Your Slaves on Account of Jesus: Servant Leadership in the New Testament,” from Servant Leadership, Volume One: Authority and Governance in the Church, James R. Hawkinson & Robert K. Johnston, editors (1993), pp. 14,15.
A staff minister in a recent discussion about leadership said, “If the pastor will play the melody, I can provide the harmony. But when the melody keeps changing and isn't clear, it becomes very difficult.” This is a productive analogy for the pastor as leader of staff, lay leaders, and congregation. The main vision may come out of the minister's own depth of spirit, or may be created through corporate leadership action, but unless the melody is sounded clearly and consistently by the pastor, other staff and lay leaders will find it difficult to join in and add the harmony that is essential to accomplishing the goals. Together, pastor and staff are “pacesetters in the process of building a sense of common purpose in the congregation.”
The minister cannot wait to hear the melody from the congregation. While specific themes may be present, often they will be too diverse to give clear direction. The ministers and lay leaders, who know the people and context, choose the music to be played. They become the conductors of the “congregational orchestra,” and the members provide the harmony of support and action needed to accomplish the vision. If the minister refuses to lift the baton and give direction, the dissonance caused by people choosing their own pitch and playing their own tune will confuse the church's witness and mission to the world. The melody will be lost and the music will not be heard.
The minister playing the melody must not try to play all the other instruments that provide the harmony. People often need help in learning to play the harmony, and practice must be provided so that all can carry their part. A wise leader will learn how to delegate, accepting failures and mistakes in the process. Ministers who seek to fix the problem at hand by doing it themselves do so at the expense of developing the capabilities of their associates and lay leaders.
It is also possible to help others play their instruments to the neglect of playing one's own. The minister must first be attentive to the God who has called him or her to be his servant. Then he or she can help the congregation give attention to God in their lives. The ultimate harmony comes as the Spirit of God blends the work of ministers and the congregation to create a harmony of praise to God. In the context of harmony, the witness and mission of the church will be accomplished.
Frances M. Anderson (1931- ), “Sounding the Distinct Notes of Leadership”
From Servant Leadership, Volume Two: Contemporary Models and the Emerging Challenge, James R. Hawkinson & Robert K. Johnston, editors (1993), pp 83,84.
Pastoral leadership is an art. It is not hierarchical rule but a servant leadership that calls forth the gifts of all people in the congregation. As an artist, the pastor needs to help develop the gifts in his or her people and help create organizational structures that allow those gifts to flourish harmoniously in promoting the mission of the church to glorify God. ...Management theorists ...agree that no one system works everywhere. Rather they describe principles, recognizing that one's organizational culture is a complex and powerful ally if understood and taken seriously. Each congregation is unique, with limits and possibilities.
The interaction between pastor and congregation is where the new work of art is created, An organizational structure that promotes love, respect, and honesty is crucial if a common mission is to be articulated and the gifts of all exercised in the pursuit of that mission. In managerial and artistic language this is what the Apostle Paul meant by equipping the saints for ministry.
Norma S. Sutton (1946- ), “Pastoral Leadership Is an Art”
From Servant Leadership, Volume Two: Contemporary Models and the Emerging Challenge, James R. Hawkinson & Robert K. Johnston, editors (1993), pp. 129,130.
Communal Sensitivity
Since the ministry is entrusted to the whole, what is the unique role of the pastor? Influenced by Richard Osmer's distinction between teaching authority and commanding authority, I argue that the pastor's primary relation is to Word and sacrament as they lay claim on people, first for receptivity to God's grace in Christ and then to service in the name of Christ. It is God through Word and sacrament, not the pastor, who claims and calls people. The pastor's authority is to announce, both to persons as such and to the congregations, that as one and as many they are claimed and gifted for service. But what is to be done is not to be commanded but corporately discerned. The process of discerning is a form of teaching because it keeps the horizons of Scripture and present experience linked, and in that relation God's leading is discerned. The desired end is to be able to say, “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us.”
C. John Weborg (1937- ), “It Seemed Good to the Holy Spirit and to Us: Clergy and Laity in Interaction,” from Servant Leadership, Volume One: Authority and Governance in the Church, James R. Hawkinson & Robert K. Johnston, editors (1993), p. 130.
The Christian ministry has its origin in Christ and his church. Consequently, it is not a calling in which we may exercise an unbridled invention or a display of our own opinion and talents. There is room for change. Blessed are those who are sensitive to change in the direction of improvement or decline. But there is also a tradition which is the mainstay of our life work as ministers. Only the uninstructed can believe that truth is of today alone. It behooves us, then, to lay hold of that tradition, because by both over-confidence and timidity we may lose its power.
The true tradition is not saved by repetition alone. We must speak the truth truthfully. This principle alive in our ministry will solve the problem of the old and the new. This principle will guide both the prophet and the priest as they minister in the church of Christ. With such an insight, they will have need of each other and will dwell together in peace....
“The Minister and His Ministry,” from Covenant Ministers’ Service Book of the Evangelical Mission Covenant Church of America (1944), p. 7.
God preserve congregations as well as preachers from heaping uncharitableness and contempt on an old, worn-out servant of Christ, in that one lifts to the skies the new, who still has tried little or nothing. It is dangerous to sin against a fellow-brother, even the simplest one. God watches over such behavior, and in due time he will repay him who has sinned in this way.
It is just as dangerous for a preacher to fall for popularity so that, in his own eyes, he becomes remarkable and important. Many have on that path dug their own graves and have, within a short time, made themselves useless, not to mention that on that path one can become a scandal in the church of God. The victims of pride and self-love among preachers are many and comprise a warning to all.
E. A. Skogsbergh (1850-1939), Minnen och Upplevelser
Quoted in Eric G. Hawkinson. Images in Covenant Beginnings (1968), p. 154.
There is a certain mystical quality to the pastoral presence that communicates concern and transcends words and the ability to perform. A plaque that hangs on my office wall expresses the idea in a profound way: “A Pastor is one who speaks to your spirit, listens to your heart, and understands what words can never say.” This kind of presence ministers in the deepest way. It expresses not so much our knowledge or expertise but a quality of spirit that functions even when one is at a loss for words.
Everett Jackson (1933- ), “The Role of Lay Leadership in Pastoral Care”
From Servant Leadership, Volume Two: Contemporary Models and the Emerging Challenge, James R. Hawkinson & Robert K. Johnston, editors (1993), p. 102.
C. John Weborg (1937- ), “It Seemed Good to the Holy Spirit and to Us: Clergy and Laity in Interaction,” from Servant Leadership, Volume One: Authority and Governance in the Church, James R. Hawkinson & Robert K. Johnston, editors (1993), p. 130.
The Christian ministry has its origin in Christ and his church. Consequently, it is not a calling in which we may exercise an unbridled invention or a display of our own opinion and talents. There is room for change. Blessed are those who are sensitive to change in the direction of improvement or decline. But there is also a tradition which is the mainstay of our life work as ministers. Only the uninstructed can believe that truth is of today alone. It behooves us, then, to lay hold of that tradition, because by both over-confidence and timidity we may lose its power.
The true tradition is not saved by repetition alone. We must speak the truth truthfully. This principle alive in our ministry will solve the problem of the old and the new. This principle will guide both the prophet and the priest as they minister in the church of Christ. With such an insight, they will have need of each other and will dwell together in peace....
“The Minister and His Ministry,” from Covenant Ministers’ Service Book of the Evangelical Mission Covenant Church of America (1944), p. 7.
God preserve congregations as well as preachers from heaping uncharitableness and contempt on an old, worn-out servant of Christ, in that one lifts to the skies the new, who still has tried little or nothing. It is dangerous to sin against a fellow-brother, even the simplest one. God watches over such behavior, and in due time he will repay him who has sinned in this way.
It is just as dangerous for a preacher to fall for popularity so that, in his own eyes, he becomes remarkable and important. Many have on that path dug their own graves and have, within a short time, made themselves useless, not to mention that on that path one can become a scandal in the church of God. The victims of pride and self-love among preachers are many and comprise a warning to all.
E. A. Skogsbergh (1850-1939), Minnen och Upplevelser
Quoted in Eric G. Hawkinson. Images in Covenant Beginnings (1968), p. 154.
There is a certain mystical quality to the pastoral presence that communicates concern and transcends words and the ability to perform. A plaque that hangs on my office wall expresses the idea in a profound way: “A Pastor is one who speaks to your spirit, listens to your heart, and understands what words can never say.” This kind of presence ministers in the deepest way. It expresses not so much our knowledge or expertise but a quality of spirit that functions even when one is at a loss for words.
Everett Jackson (1933- ), “The Role of Lay Leadership in Pastoral Care”
From Servant Leadership, Volume Two: Contemporary Models and the Emerging Challenge, James R. Hawkinson & Robert K. Johnston, editors (1993), p. 102.
Need for Support
Our pastors are all human, not any of them are perfect. But they are chosen by God and called by the Church for a definite task. In your home say nothing derogatory about your pastor. He may not be America's greatest orator, nor your denomination's deepest theologian, but he is your pastor. If you have criticisms, go to him personally. Whatever you do, do not corrupt your children's mind by adverse criticism of your pastor. If you have nothing kind to say about him, then keep silent. I believe that the pastor should be spiritual adviser not only of the adult members of the Church but of the children as well. Do all within your power to establish the confidence of the one who by virtue of his office should be their spiritual adviser.
Peter Person (1889-1984), “The Parent and the Sunday School”
From Nath. Franklin, The Covenant Home (1935), p. 46.
He [Erik August Skogsbergh (1850-1939), often called “The Swedish Moody”] had a tender heart for his fellow ministers and never said or did anything that could be construed as a criticism of the pastor of the church in which he held a preaching mission. He looked upon the task of the evangelist as the easier, because the evangelist preaches a week or two in a place, wins some for Christ and leaves. The pastor remains. It is his duty to care for the converted and see to it that they grow in grace, a task that many a time robs him of his sleep. The evangelist preaches to a new audience every two or three weeks, the pastor to the same audience month after month, year after year. “How important, then, is it not that the evangelist is a humble man who co-operates with the pastor, encourages him, and encourages the church to think well of the shepherd whom Christ has placed in their midst?”
Erik Dahlhielm (1880-1955), A Burning Heart: a Biography of Erik August Skogsbergh (1951), p. 140.
Peter Person (1889-1984), “The Parent and the Sunday School”
From Nath. Franklin, The Covenant Home (1935), p. 46.
He [Erik August Skogsbergh (1850-1939), often called “The Swedish Moody”] had a tender heart for his fellow ministers and never said or did anything that could be construed as a criticism of the pastor of the church in which he held a preaching mission. He looked upon the task of the evangelist as the easier, because the evangelist preaches a week or two in a place, wins some for Christ and leaves. The pastor remains. It is his duty to care for the converted and see to it that they grow in grace, a task that many a time robs him of his sleep. The evangelist preaches to a new audience every two or three weeks, the pastor to the same audience month after month, year after year. “How important, then, is it not that the evangelist is a humble man who co-operates with the pastor, encourages him, and encourages the church to think well of the shepherd whom Christ has placed in their midst?”
Erik Dahlhielm (1880-1955), A Burning Heart: a Biography of Erik August Skogsbergh (1951), p. 140.
Pastoral Ethics
[The following] guidelines are a teaching document to alert us [Covenant Ministers] to issues we should consider in making ethical decisions. They are affirmed by the Ministerium upon review by the Board of the Ministry.
A) This world is created, sustained, and loved by the everlasting God who has overcome darkness by the victory of Christ in the Incarnation-Crucifixion-Resurrection event.
B) We are called by God, through the leading of the Holy Spirit, to be servants of the Word and Sacraments, and to give leadership to the church as the body of Christ with the authority and grace of Christ the Servant.
C) We hold true to and give instruction in the Bible, the Old and New Testaments, as the Word of God and the only perfect rule for faith, doctrine, and conduct.
D) Aware that we all fall short of the glory of God and only by grace are we saved, we nevertheless recognize the dignity and worth of each individual, grounded in the image of God.
E) We seek to minister to everyone who comes to us. Our calling is the expression of the totality of God's redemptive work in making himself known in Christ through the Holy Spirit, which is attested in Scripture and given narrative in the Church's tradition.
F) We understand the need for ongoing educational activities for our professional growth and give careful attention to nurturing our spiritual life through study, meditation, prayer, and spiritual direction or companionship.
G) We care for our personal and family health by maintaining a proper balance among our personal, family, and vocational responsibilities. It is imperative that we choose to seek appropriate assistance when we are in need.
H) We are committed to the biblical standard of chastity in singleness and fidelity in marriage. We define marriage as a monogamous, heterosexual relationship.
I) We seek out and enter into collegial relationships, recognizing that our perspective and judgment can be compromised by isolation.
J) We seek to establish and maintain appropriate boundaries in all pastoral relationships.
Ethical Guidelines for Covenant Ministers, An Occasional Paper, Number Five (1990s), p. 2.
A) This world is created, sustained, and loved by the everlasting God who has overcome darkness by the victory of Christ in the Incarnation-Crucifixion-Resurrection event.
B) We are called by God, through the leading of the Holy Spirit, to be servants of the Word and Sacraments, and to give leadership to the church as the body of Christ with the authority and grace of Christ the Servant.
C) We hold true to and give instruction in the Bible, the Old and New Testaments, as the Word of God and the only perfect rule for faith, doctrine, and conduct.
D) Aware that we all fall short of the glory of God and only by grace are we saved, we nevertheless recognize the dignity and worth of each individual, grounded in the image of God.
E) We seek to minister to everyone who comes to us. Our calling is the expression of the totality of God's redemptive work in making himself known in Christ through the Holy Spirit, which is attested in Scripture and given narrative in the Church's tradition.
F) We understand the need for ongoing educational activities for our professional growth and give careful attention to nurturing our spiritual life through study, meditation, prayer, and spiritual direction or companionship.
G) We care for our personal and family health by maintaining a proper balance among our personal, family, and vocational responsibilities. It is imperative that we choose to seek appropriate assistance when we are in need.
H) We are committed to the biblical standard of chastity in singleness and fidelity in marriage. We define marriage as a monogamous, heterosexual relationship.
I) We seek out and enter into collegial relationships, recognizing that our perspective and judgment can be compromised by isolation.
J) We seek to establish and maintain appropriate boundaries in all pastoral relationships.
Ethical Guidelines for Covenant Ministers, An Occasional Paper, Number Five (1990s), p. 2.
Passion for Christ
The historian Herbert Butterfield once wrote: “Hold to Christ absolutely, but for the rest be totally uncommitted.” Passion for Christ and liberty are dynamically one. Whatever genius the Covenant may have, this is it as I perceive it. There is fierce commitment to Christ at the center but jolly and almost reckless abandonment away from the center. Our fellowship at its best has always fought off penultimate absolutes. Not often has anyone tried to force our fellowship into a box-doctrinal, methodological, or structural-but when it has been attempted someone always managed to yell "fire!" A certain robust recalcitrance always managed to break it up. But there was no such recalcitrance when God would blow in like a tornado, or roll in like a rhythmic brook.
Such freedom seemed too reckless at times. Almost anyone could start a prairie fire and get away with it. Our Covenant has its own trail of “burnt-out” cases. Some played with fire and many got burned. But in spite of the excesses, there was usually a drama more exciting than the Super Bowl. Where was the wind of the Spirit going to blow today? Who was about to be invaded? Expectancy was in the air!
Much of this drama was created by “rugged individualist" personalities. When sixteen, I can remember attending a Sunday evening service in the First Covenant Church of Duluth to hear the Rev. Gustaf F. Johnson conclude an evangelistic series. The impact on me was not only moving; it was frightening. My hair stood up stiff on my head. Yet as much as I would dread another encounter of that kind, I knew I would have to return if such an event recurred. Masochism? Perhaps. But I would secretly have to admit that the winds of God blew through the Texan's words.
Arthur W. Anderson (1920- ), “To Be Ourselves”
From Bound to Be Free: essays on being a Christian and a Covenanter, James R. Hawkinson, ed. (1975), p. 77.
If you are without fire, my young brother, your life will end in shipwreck. It will be impossible for you to argue yourself through to victory in the tornadoes of unbelief of our times. People cannot even hear what you say in the roar of the storm. If you are going to seek this prominent personality with one problem and that outstanding authority with another, you will sink into the darkness of despair before your problems are solved. If, however, the fire is burning in your soul, it will be just as difficult for the deeps of unbelief to drown you as it was for the Adriatic Sea to swallow the Apostle Paul.
How shall I secure this fire?
When the disciples of the Emmaus road walked along as smoking torches, they fell into company with one who set fire to their hearts with his words. “Were not our hearts burning within us, while he walked with us in the way, and while he opened the scriptures to us?” they exclaimed when they knew who he was.
Oh, my weary, discouraged, hopeless and sinking brother! You wish that you had never become a preacher. Right you are! A preacher without fire is more unhappy than a street sweeper with a worn-out broom. But you may re-establish company with the Lord Jesus--and you may do this today. Perhaps he is standing just over there, and like the disciples of old you do not recognize him. Now he will come and fellowship with you on your journey. And then the fire will be rekindled in your heart.
Gustaf F. Johnson (1873-1959), “Hearts Aflame”
From Gustaf F. Johnson, Hearts Aflame, tr. Paul R. Johnson (1970) p. 19.
Such freedom seemed too reckless at times. Almost anyone could start a prairie fire and get away with it. Our Covenant has its own trail of “burnt-out” cases. Some played with fire and many got burned. But in spite of the excesses, there was usually a drama more exciting than the Super Bowl. Where was the wind of the Spirit going to blow today? Who was about to be invaded? Expectancy was in the air!
Much of this drama was created by “rugged individualist" personalities. When sixteen, I can remember attending a Sunday evening service in the First Covenant Church of Duluth to hear the Rev. Gustaf F. Johnson conclude an evangelistic series. The impact on me was not only moving; it was frightening. My hair stood up stiff on my head. Yet as much as I would dread another encounter of that kind, I knew I would have to return if such an event recurred. Masochism? Perhaps. But I would secretly have to admit that the winds of God blew through the Texan's words.
Arthur W. Anderson (1920- ), “To Be Ourselves”
From Bound to Be Free: essays on being a Christian and a Covenanter, James R. Hawkinson, ed. (1975), p. 77.
If you are without fire, my young brother, your life will end in shipwreck. It will be impossible for you to argue yourself through to victory in the tornadoes of unbelief of our times. People cannot even hear what you say in the roar of the storm. If you are going to seek this prominent personality with one problem and that outstanding authority with another, you will sink into the darkness of despair before your problems are solved. If, however, the fire is burning in your soul, it will be just as difficult for the deeps of unbelief to drown you as it was for the Adriatic Sea to swallow the Apostle Paul.
How shall I secure this fire?
When the disciples of the Emmaus road walked along as smoking torches, they fell into company with one who set fire to their hearts with his words. “Were not our hearts burning within us, while he walked with us in the way, and while he opened the scriptures to us?” they exclaimed when they knew who he was.
Oh, my weary, discouraged, hopeless and sinking brother! You wish that you had never become a preacher. Right you are! A preacher without fire is more unhappy than a street sweeper with a worn-out broom. But you may re-establish company with the Lord Jesus--and you may do this today. Perhaps he is standing just over there, and like the disciples of old you do not recognize him. Now he will come and fellowship with you on your journey. And then the fire will be rekindled in your heart.
Gustaf F. Johnson (1873-1959), “Hearts Aflame”
From Gustaf F. Johnson, Hearts Aflame, tr. Paul R. Johnson (1970) p. 19.
