The Pastor as Curator
Over the last decade we have seen a resurrection in the vision of the Pastor Theologian. Local church pastors have dug deep theological wells, and the ripple effects have had an incredible impact on the spiritual health of our congregations. There is much to celebrate with this resurgence, and we should be eager to see the spiritual fruit ripen in the years to come.
That being said, I want to suggest pastors must grow in another key area as they strive to be faithful Pastor Theologians. I call this area of growth the Pastor-Curator.
To curate something is to select, organize, and present content—typically using professional or expert knowledge. As a role, the formal position of curate was first coined in the late fourteenth century in the church of England. It referred to a “spiritual guide or ecclesiastic responsible for the spiritual welfare of those in his charge.” More specifically, it was a priest of a parish. Substitute pastor for “priest” and you have the Pastor as Curator. The primary content pastors curate is the Word of God. Through expository preaching, pastors mine the truths found in a particular text and present them to their congregations in a compelling, organized fashion. Certainly, there is no source of material more necessary for our people than a healthy dose of the Bible.
In addition to the Scriptures though, there are a few additional resources pastors should be expert curators in.
Books
Pastors love books! They line our shelves, cover our desks, and teeter atop our nightstands. The average pastor has spent years—maybe decades—building a library and devouring it. The average church member who comes to us wanting to grow in their knowledge of the Scriptures has not. Sometimes we forget that ninety-nine percent of them haven’t spent extended time with John Calvin or Herman Bavinck or Augustine.
As pastors, we typically do not recommend theological reading for seasoned seminary students, but busy church members: teachers, single moms, engineers, accountants, and blue-collar workers who are flat-out exhausted when they get home at night.
While it’s true the demands of the ministry pile up, most pastors have allotted portions of their week to study. It’s part of our job description—but we must remember that most of our members do not have that luxury. Studying rich, deep, theological works just doesn’t fit into the weekly calendar of most engineers or blue-collar workers.
Thus, I want to advocate suggesting short, accessible books for the faithful church member. It’s better to start small and graduate than never to start at all. Take note of some of the introductory books that impacted you years ago as you set out into the wide, wonderful world of theology. Manageable books abound on church history, biblical studies, and even systematic theology. This will help lay the building blocks for your church family to become life-long readers.
One of the joys of ministry is watching the light bulb turn on for men and women as they are awakened to the storyline of Scripture and the deep truths of the Christian faith. Curate rich, yet accessible books for your members and pray they grow in their love for the Lord through reading.
Articles
Recently, I had a conversation with my dad as he just subscribed to a theological magazine. He told me treading through lengthy doctrinal books was not enjoyable for him, but he was devouring these short theological articles each month. They were easier for him to digest and sparked a deeper interest in the topics he was introduced to on the pages of these periodicals. Between your people’s schedules, temperament, and overall attention spans, articles may serve as a great way to get them reading. Oftentimes the weight of what they’re reading has little to do with their intellectual ability—my dad, for example, has an Ivy League degree. Instead, it typically has more to do with limited margins in their weekly schedule.
As you come across key articles on reputable sites, save them so you can distribute them to your members later. Use the clipping feature on an app like Evernote, or other note-taking apps, to stay organized and ready to recommend helpful resources.
Podcasts
Curating podcasts is another way pastors can bless their people. A few years ago, I was teaching through a systematic theology class for members in our church. Some of them loved the reading, but a few really struggled. One of the discouraged members came across a helpful podcast with various teachings on some of the topics we were covering. The podcast changed everything for him! It helped him navigate his way through my course. (I didn’t even think to recommend it because I primarily learn through careful reading.)
This was a great reminder for me to not forget the auditory learners in our church. For these men and women, podcast recommendations can have a real impact. There is a vast ocean of options available. Pick out a few that might interest your church family across different topics: biblical studies, leadership, marriage, parenting, finances, and Christian worldview are all great places to start. You will sleep better at night knowing they are learning from trusted sources on these issues as opposed to watching tips on YouTube.
While I’m not a strong proponent of members excessively listening to other pastors’ sermon podcasts, I do think it can be helpful to have some messages on hand to recommend. Maybe you have a member who is digging into the Gospel of Mark in their own personal devotions, and you recently heard another pastor preach a great sermon in Mark. Practice humility and share that preacher’s sermon with them for their spiritual growth. It might end up paying greater dividends in your own future teaching ministry with them as they mature in their knowledge of the Scriptures.
Maximizing Your Influence
The church is living in a golden era of rich theological resources. We have more content available than ever before, yet most members of our church don’t know where to start.
Curating resources is a crucial way to shepherd souls and maximize your influence. Many of your people may only listen to one or two of your sermons a month. Even in the best-case scenario, you only have their undivided attention for an hour each week when you preach. Strive to maximize the time you are not with them by pointing them to resources that will fuel their joy in Jesus.
Avoid the pitfall of recommending too much too fast, and bit by bit, your people will grow in biblical literacy and develop a hunger for the deep truths of the Christian faith. By God’s grace, you will see them mature in love for God and neighbor as they are transformed from one degree of glory to another.
Fellow Pastor Theologians, let’s take up and curate.
Ryan Kucera works with RightNow Media, helping resource churches around the globe with gospel-centered content. He has served in pastoral ministry for the last ten years across the great state of Texas. He holds a Master of Divinity from Southeastern Seminary and is a PhD student at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Ryan and his family are members at The Village Church in Dallas, Texas. You can follow Ryan on Twitter or read more of his writing at ryankucera.net.