Baxter on the Pastoral Ministry of playing golf.

From William Dudding at http://reformingbaptist.blogspot.com/

I am almost done with Richard Baxter's 'Reformed Pastor' and in Section 2, Part 2 on page 219, he laments the Recreation-driven Pastor! I read this and was convicted of the time I find myself wasting watching movies, or pursuing hobbies of self-interest. The favorite sport of the modern pastor is playing golf. They probably didn't have that sport in the 1600's when this was written, but if they had, Brother Baxter would have included it in his list of pastor's wastes of time:

"He that dare spend his life in flesh-pleasing, and time compliments, doth little consider what he hath to do with it. Oh that I could but improve my time, according to my convictions of the necessity of improving it! He that hath looked death in the face as oft as I have done, I will not thank him if he value his time. I profess I wonder at those ministers who have time to spare; who can hunt or shoot or bowl (play golf), or use the like recreations two or three hours, yea, whole days together; that can sit an hour together in vain discourse, and spend whole days in complimental visits and journeys to such ends. Good Lord! What do these men think on, when so many souls around them cry for help, and death gives us no respite and they know not how short a time thier people and they may be together; when the smallest parish hath so much work that may employ all their diligence, night and day?"

I wish it were a requirement to read this book before entering into full time pastoral ministry. This man was no doubt a man of God. Even the smallest of churches have enough work to do that may employ all of our diligence 24 hours a day! Yet, as I observe other preachers, I see them taking a lot of time to play golf, go to preachers fellowships or "complimentary visits" as Baxter puts it, so they can sit around together in vain discourse. I'm not saying that a pastor cannot take time to refresh himself and take vacations. If the pastor has proven to have worked hard, his church is moving forward, he ministers to his people day and night visiting the sick, diligently preparing well-studied sermons, always out evangelizing, discipling and training his people outside of the regular scheduled meetings, then by all means please take a break! We want that kind of pastor to live long and continue his ministry. But on the other hand, if the church is not growing, he does not spend hours every week out evangelizing, he is not training his people, the offerings are down and the church barely survivies week to week, then this pastor has no business taking days off, playing golf with his friends, and endulging himself in recreational activities. He has not earned it! Like Baxter said, there is enough work in the smallest of churches to keep us busy 24/7!

The work ethic of a real MAN is missing in my generation. I tend to see guys in the ministry expecting all the fringe benefits of ministry. The guys I have observed who come from certain colleges that I will not name, seem to think that the ministry is preaching, golf, and computer graphics.

I was commenting to a friend yesterday that as young people having grown up in Fundamental Baptist Churches, we have been taught to spoil the preacher rotten. Praise him every chance you get in front of others, wait on him hand and foot. I don't have a problem with that, if he is doing the same toward his people. But what happens is, we grow up, enter the ministry and expect everyone to do the same for us too! Look at Jesus' example here:

John 13: 14-17 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.

The King of kings knelt down and performed the dirtyest and most humiliating of all chores: He washed the feet of His followers. Are we as ministers willing to get out of our offices and serve the people in our churches? What an example to follow!