Those of you who have known me well over the past few years know that one of my growing passions is to see a resurgence of pastors who embrace the historic concept of the pastor-theologian.

In America, a paradigm has developed where pastors often focus exclusively on the issues of congregational care and evangelism, leaving the work of biblical and theological scholarship to those in the academy. Likewise, those who spend their time in academic pursuits are often functionally isolated from active participation in shepherding the local church. Consequently, I believe there is often a disconnect between the scholarship being produced and the needs of the church as a whole.

Apparently, I’m not alone. This sentiment is shared by the The Society for the Advancement of Ecclesial Theology, which recently posted the following blog entry:

Athanasius, Augustine, Calvin, Luther, Wesley, Edwards‚Äö?Ñ?Æmen whose enduring legacies have shaped the landscape of contemporary theological thought.

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Though diverse in their theologies, all of these men shared a common and significant mark of distinction‚Äö?Ñ?Æthey were churchmen. They were bishops and preachers, pastors and founders of denominations, shepherd of souls. Though not all of them were formally pastors in the sense we understand today, their social, theological, and intellectual life was inseparably woven into the fabric of parish ministry.

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The legacy of such great men teaches us the value of uniting the role of pastor with that of theologian; yet a resounding absence of such a union marks the church today. Our most significant theologians now reside almost exclusively in the academy. To be sure, the rise of the academy requires thoughtful academic theologians who live and move in that environment. But is it best that virtually all of our theologians have moved to the academy? There is a need for a renaissance of the pastor-theologian, pastors who endeavor to do theology from the pastor’s study and not solely the professor’s lectern.

I was educated at a four-year Bible college that essentially taught (albeit not intentionally) that one could successfully aspire to be a scholar or a pastor, but not both. I’d note that I don’t consider that a slight to the school, but rather to the prevailing paradigm of our day.

I strongly sensed a call to serve in a local church setting, and thus ignored academic scholarship in favor of “more practical” studies for a practitioner. However, in the few years since I completed that course of study, I’ve become increasingly interested in the kind of dual-roled ministry and scholarship practiced by men like many of the men mentioned in the SAET article.

That said, I do not consider myself a scholar, especially considering graduate level education has not yet been possible, though Lord willing, it may be in the next few years. Regardless, I do aspire to the kind of competency and ecclesial scholarship that characterized the church in years past: scholarship not just for the mind, but also for the soul.

There’s much studying to be done!