SUMMER ENDORSEMENTS FOR TEACHERS START MAY 13th!

Expand your opportunities. Advance your career. Get SET this summer with summer endorsements for teachers.

Arrow

Ministering to the Nighthawks: Talking Pastoral Care With Victor Shepherd

Published: April 13, 2021

Full disclosure may have a place in accounting, but when it comes to preparing for a career in the clergy, withholding some of what the role entails may be wise.

Ministering to the Nighthawks: Talking Pastoral Care With Victor ShepherdIf we really knew what it is to be a pastor, we couldnt endure it, author, scholar, theology professor and seasoned pastor Victor Shepherd told fellow pastors at a recent luncheon for area clergy on the Greenville University campus.

The if we really knew sentiment originated with St. John Vianney, 19th century patron saint of parish priests. Still, it resonated with Shepherds contemporary listeners, as did the personal experiences Shepherd shared and the deep empathy for pastoral ministry he expressed.

Borrowed Assurance, Shocking Evidence

Parishioners, he told the group, trust their pastors faith when tragedy, turbulence or sin assault their own. They hope the pastors assurance concerning Gods truth and triumph will restore their assurance that God hasnt abandoned them, despite shocking evidence to the contrary.

He added that being a pastor means having the conviction of Gods truth and reality so deep in ones bloodstream that the suffering person will find the foundations of her life to be in place once more.

This depth of passion coupled with scholarly study and sermon preparation compounds the pastors weekly challenges, but Shepherd reminded his colleagues of the inspiring company they keepHans Urs von Balthasar, John Calvin, Karl Barthleading theologians who prized the pastoral role.

Modern professors of theology who are full-time teachers are not the descendants of the reformation giants, said Shepherd. Scholarly pastors are.

And congregants are not just friends who get along with us; they mirror to us the mercy and patience and persistence of God himself.

Connected, But Not Meaningfully

Shepherd addressed the challenges of meeting needs in todays highly connected yet emotionally distant world. He referenced American artist Edward Hopper, whose paintings show persons seated in close proximity to one another, but looking away (Below, Nighthawks by Edward Hopper).

Its difficult for people to communicate intimately, heart to heart, spirit to spirit, deep to deep, he said, Such communication is rare because it is difficult, but its not so difficult and therefore so rare as to be nonexistent in congregational life.

Ministering to the Nighthawks: Talking Pastoral Care With Victor Shepherd

Seminary Enrollments Dip, But The Need For Compassion Persists

Shepherds message comes at a time, however, when seminary attendance is in decline, a trend some attribute to decline in church attendance.

In 2017, The Wall Street Journal cited data from The Association of Theological Schools showing a nearly 25 percent drop in enrollment at seminaries over the past decade. A 2017 study by the Barna Group reported that only one in seven pastors are under 40 years of age.

At Tyndale Seminary where Shepherd teaches, only 11 percent of enrolled students say they are interested in pursuing pastoral care; far more express interest in counseling.

Still, Shepherd feels encouraged. Guiding, teaching and seeing parishioners through lifes challenges delivers a thrill. He quotes theologian John Calvin: The pastor of the smallest congregation is ultimately involved in the restoration of the world.

Victor Shepherd is a member of the Greenville University Board of Trustees. He has served as a working pastor for four decades and holds particular interests in theology, faith and mental health. Shepherd will present at the 2019 International Congress in Spirituality and Psychiatry, December 1-4, 2019, in Jerusalem.

Learn More

Victor Shepherd Joins the Greenville University Board of Trustees
Greenville University First Lady Kathie Filby Prepares for Ordination
Navigating Seminary Fueled by Blessing
Equipped for Seminary (and Life) at Greenville University
The Tradition Continues: Duke Divinity School Awards Full Scholarship to Greenville Grad

When you give to The Greenville University Fund, you fund scholarships for students who prepare to serve in Christs name. Click here to give and thank you.

Photo of Victor Shepherd courtesy of Tyndale University College and Seminary. Used with permission.

Ready for your next steps?