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World Magazine posted a chapter from Embodied Hope: a Theological Meditation on Pain and Suffering by Kelly Kapic. The chapter was long and sometimes technical, having to do with trying to defend God with an Enlightenment framework, but this paragraph on being a “pastor” jumped out at me:

To be pastoral does not mean earning money for working in a church. Throughout Christian history God’s people have always been thankful for those with pastoral gifts among them—whether women or men, ordained or not, young or old, rich or poor. “Pastoral” in this sense refers to the ability to give wise counsel, to know how to love well, provide necessary guidance, and in the end to help a fellow believer flourish under God’s grace and love, even as they seek to love their neighbor and serve God’s kingdom.

I love this. The concept fits in well with my (and, I think, scripture’s) frequent emphasis on “all.” Everyone in ministry. Please see We’re all ministers here and What part of all do we not understand? for example.

And when it comes to pastoring, some are better than others. I’m in the “others” category. If there’s pastoring to be done, I call on June! Here’s an example: a few years ago, I received an urgent call from a friend who used to live in Colorado Springs and had since moved across the country. He had a married daughter living in the area, and she and her husband were going through an intense crisis caused by factors beyond their control. When my friend called at 7 am, he thought they were contemplating drastic action. Would we please check on them?

I was leading a men’s bible study at the time (the men were in table discussions so I was able to take the call) and couldn’t leave immediately. I called June, and she went, praying all the way, and sensing that she could be a mother, a nurse, and a Christian friend. Nurse kicked in first: “Have you eaten anything recently?” “No.” So she made some toast and insisted that they eat it. I would have tried Biblical counsel, and I would have failed miserably! I would never have thought of offering them food first. Later June left them a copy of Streams in the Desert, which helped them over time learn to trust God to work through the problem.

The author went on to say, There is no theological replacement for knowing people, their problems, the complexities, and the stories… Pastoral wisdom and theological instincts must go together. They must serve one another.

June would not call herself a pastor, but she has pastoral gifts: love for and understanding of people and what they need physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

So don’t wait! Don’t wait for more education, more seminary courses, more credentials. Serve others with the gifts you have, and if you’re a pastor, pastor well!

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers… (Ephesians 4.11, NIV)