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Props to Ridley Mission & Ministry College for throwing together a great debate just on a month ago…

The Ridley students’ association, ‘Logs’, organises occasional debates for the college community, and on 27 May, we asked, ‘Will the real Mars Hill please stand up?’  Mark Driscoll leads Mars Hill Church (Seattle) and Rob Bell leads Mars Hill Bible Church (Grand Rapids).  Both churches are named after Paul’s visit to Mars Hill in Acts 17, a pioneering moment in mission and cultural engagement.  Yet the two churches, not to mention Driscoll and Be … Read More

via Cyberpunk + Blue Twin

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about why young people in my circles seem to close-up emotionally when they come to church.

Normally outgoing, friendly, fun-loving people turn to stone when their bums hit the pew. For some reason Church works like emotion-killing kryptonite.

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One of the highest rating posts I’ve ever written on this blog was titled “Call me pastor Jono” – you can read it here.

Part 2 is mainly concerned with some clarifications from Part 1:

1. The original blog title is misleading. I’ll never ask anyone, and kinda don’t want anyone, to call me “Pastor Jono”. It’s a little too ‘Yanky’ (& wanky?) for Aussie sensibilities. There are a couple of young guys at church who call me “Pastor Jono” and I’ll never tell them not to… but there you are…
2. I’ve received some mail on this from some Anglo-Catholic colleagues who claim that if I want to be known as “pastor” rather than “Priest” (their capitalisation) then I should join another denomonation. Seriously? There’s close to a kajillion reasons why this is dumb thing to say. If I find the time, I’d love outline 0.001% of them with reference to traditional Anglicanism and the role of the, errm, ‘priest’ (read with biblical glasses: ‘presbyter’). If any of you Anlgican-geeks can spare some time, back me up in the comments section…
3. In the original post I said: “Priest calls to mind catholic clerics, or intermediaries between God and man – I’m neither.” You said: Yes you are – we are all intermediaries between God and men. I say: Yes, that’s exactly my point. We’re all intermediaries – you don’t have to go through me because I’ve been given the keys to heaven, or whatever.

So then, I’m sticking by it. I think “pastor” is the best term to use in identifying what I do. If I’m speaking to an unbeliever I’ll flesh-out what it means to be a pastor. If I’m adressing the congregation at HTD I’ll intro myself as “one of the pastors at the church”. If I’m reflecting theologically on my role, I’ll go to Ephesians 4:11-13 -

11The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some PASTORS and TEACHERS, 12to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.

In my church I’m “the pastor” and you’re “the minister”.

So then, you don’t have to call me “Pastor Jono” – just know that, as far as I’m concerned, “Jono is a pastor”.