The Sacred Task of Listening Well

At 26 years of age, Richard Baxter became the minister of Kidderminster in 1641. Over the next 19 years, he developed a reputation as an incomparable pastor.1 Upon accepting the call to the English countryside with a population of 2,000 people, he took stock of the town to understand what work needed priority. He writes, “We must labour to be acquainted, not only with the persons, but with the state of all our people, with their inclinations and conversations; what are the sins of which they are most in danger. What duties they are most apt to neglect, and what temptations they are most liable to; for if we know not their temperament or disease, we are not likely to prove successful positions.”2

In this duty, Baxter set out to meet with all 800 families in Kidderminster. The results in the next few years would astound him and his contemporaries. An area known for reckless reveling now was famous for families singing hymns on the streets and fathers repeating sermons to their children. According to J.I. Packer, the church building was regularly filled to the 1,000-person capacity. What did Baxter do? What was his secret?

When a pastor spends time with his people, he learns more than just the superficial. Baxter sought to truly understand his people without judgment. Instead of chastising or humiliating those within the homes he visited, he compassionately counseled them. He recognized their errant theology, so he systematically catechized each family through regular visitation and taught weekly on the creeds, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Ten Commandments. Subsequently, he was asked to teach on his approach to pastoring, which eventually became known as The Reformed Pastor.3

Over the years, the approach to pastoral ministry has changed considerably. Most often the pastor is looked at as either a hired hand or a CEO. It is no wonder the church is in its current state. First and foremost a pastor is called to teach, pray and care for a specific group of people. Inherent in this call is a demand to selflessly give of oneself for the betterment of those under their care. At times this requires addressing unpopular topics or taking a stance at odds with the congregation. A pastor will likely need to address false teaching even if that creates friction. There are ways, however, to address these issues prophylactically and antiseptically in the tradition of Richard Baxter.

Protecting the flock starts with a clear understanding of the gospel.

Imagine you ask your congregation during your sermon, “What is the Gospel?” Silence falls upon the apprehensive group, not wanting to provide the wrong answer. Finally, one courageous Christian shouts, “Jesus died for our sins.” Each person in the audience holds their breath to see if he is right. Unfortunately for the volunteer, you respond, “Yes, but would you mind fleshing that out more?” The response is blank stares with a hint of embarrassment.

Greg Gilbert’s four-part structure provides a definition of the Gospel I’ve used for several years in his book What is the Gospel? –That is God-Man-Christ-Response. God alone is holy and righteous. He created man who rebelled against God, which is what we call sin. This sin expelled man from the presence of God and created a broken relationship between Creator and creation. To restore that relationship between God and man, he came as the incarnate Son to reconcile us back to God. Jesus reconciles mankind by having lived a perfectly obedient life to God’s Law and providing his life as a sacrifice for mankind’s sin. Man, in turn, responds by repenting of their sin and unbelief while turning to Christ in faith.

The Gospel is proclaimed in the New Testament as well as the Old. It doesn’t take long to see the Prophets calling Israel to repent and believe in the same way as John the Baptist. When man was removed from the garden, God proclaimed the gospel when he told Adam and Eve that from their line would come one who would “crush the serpent’s head.”

Pastorally, it can be challenging to teach how the gospel applies in ways that extend past one’s spiritual standing with God. Jeff Vanderstelt observes, “we need to know how to address the struggles of life and the everyday activities we engage in with what is true of Jesus: the truths of what he accomplished through his life, death, and resurrection, and, as a result, what is true of us as we put our faith in him. The gospel has the power to affect everything in our lives.”4

Recognizing that false teaching happens and knowing how it sneaks in will help you safeguard your people.

Pastors and leaders must recognize that false teachers and false doctrines exist. In 2 Peter, the author warns his audience, “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction” (2 Peter 2:1, ESV). There is also a warning from John, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1, ESV).

Because false teachers exist; pastors must examine the teachers among their flock. Keep in mind though, that there is freedom within the faith regarding the application and conclusions of orthodox doctrines. In Romans, Paul illustrates this freedom by exploring how some might find freedom from obeying the Old Testament food laws while others could continue following those laws. Doctrine is essential, but so is understanding which doctrines are primary and those that are secondary.

False gospels will often elevate the secondary doctrines as primary or distort Scripture to draw untrue conclusions. Consider the prosperity gospel, which is often summarized as the correlation of morality (obeying the Law) and health and wealth. In other words, the prosperity gospel blames those who are sick or poor for not following God’s Law. Consider Job, who was faultless but lost his health, wealth and family. And the young rich ruler who did not inherit the Kingdom of God yet maintained his wealth after encountering Jesus.

What is the result when church leadership allows false doctrine to seep into the church? What happens when someone’s only exposure to the Christian faith is from growing up in a church where the gospel is skewed? They leave the church having never heard of the redemptive power of God in Christ. In the book, The Great Dechurching, the authors reveal through their sociological research that “Cultural Christians” largely left the church between the ages of 18-25, having never come to faith, because of the church’s emphasis on culture wars and lack of the fruit of the Spirit.5

Taking proactive measures will go a long way in preserving orthodox teaching.

First, double down on faithful preaching. Faithful preaching requires ample, Spirit-led, prayerful, and thorough preparation. Each of us has different gifts and talents. Some have more charismatic personalities while others struggle weekly with stage fright. Regardless of the gifts God has given you, he has called you to a local church to preach to your people. To understand a text of Scripture you must let the text drive your sermon while also exegeting your context. What are your people’s struggles? What information are they imbibing? How does this text address the unique issues your congregation is facing?

Second, communicate. Open communication can happen in all kinds of settings. Spend time with people in and outside of church. One of my favorite things to do as a pastor is to visit people at work when possible. This practice affords me the opportunity to see them in the environments where they spend most of their time. Meeting coworkers and observing their workspace gives me insight into their daily lives. Spend time with people and they will reveal their greatest concerns, doubts, pains, triumphs and beliefs. As you gain their trust, they will be increasingly open to listen to you when you address any concerns you could have with false teachings they might be receiving.

Lastly, teach on the history of the church and use creeds and catechisms as tools. History gives people a sense of connection and greater perspective on their place in the church. Catechisms are tools developed to instruct Christians in the teaching of Scripture. The early creeds brought together the best theologians of the church in the first few centuries to articulate what they believed the Bible says about important topics such as the nature of Christ, the Godhead, resurrections, etc. When people are well trained in these important areas it serves as a type of inoculation against the disease of false teaching.

It will take intention and work to safeguard the people in your pews. Be encouraged that efforts to maintain gospel fidelity in your local church will be richly rewarded. It will never be a waste of time to invest God’s word into God’s people or stop anyone who threatens it.

Matt Broadway, “The Sacred Task of Listening Well” The Advent Christian Witness, Spring 2024

  1. Baxter, Richard. The Reformed Pastor. The Banner of Truth Trust, 1974., 11. [↩]
  2. Ibid., 90. [↩]
  3. It is important to note that Baxter is not using “reformed” as a theological description but a pastoral change of heart and approach. [↩]
  4. Jeff Vanderstelt, Gospel Fluency: Speaking the Truths of Jesus into the Everyday Stuff of Life (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2017), 23. [↩]
  5. Davis, Jim, et al. The Great Dechurching: Who’s Leaving, Why Are They Going, and What Will It Take to Bring Them Back? Zondervan, 2023, 46-47. [↩]