“After the Lord had spoken these words to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite: ‘My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.’” Job 42:7 (ESV)
I have had many discussions about whether church leaders need more training in theology and doctrine or in practical ministry skills. This discussion topic is important because it is essential to have pastors and leaders who know both how to study and prepare a Bible study and also know how to faithfully lead a meeting or counsel a grieving person. I will show my hand early in this article by saying that I believe theological training is of the utmost importance for preparing church leaders. It is not the only important part of training, but it is the foundation. I come to that conclusion based on Scripture and experience. Recently, the passage above from Job gave me pause and reemphasized to me the importance of theological training for church leaders.
Job’s Friends and Speaking Rightly About God
One of the benefits we have in reading Job is that we get to see behind the scenes of what God is doing in the unseen realm. We see that God is shaming Satan by allowing him to afflict Job, and even with great suffering and questions, Job remains faithful to the Lord. We also see Job’s friends give him seemingly reasonable cousel, but at the end, we see that their counsel angers the Lord.
“After the Lord had spoken these words to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite: ‘My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has. Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves. And my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.’” — Job 42:7–8 (ESV)
The Lord strongly rebukes Job’s friends for not speaking rightly of him. Thankfully, God graciously offers them a way to atone for this sin. God doesn’t ignore their sin or say they just made a mistake; rather, he requires sacrifice and Job’s prayers on their behalf, with Job asking him not to deal with them according to their folly.
This passage should make all Christians pause, but especially church leaders. God takes seriously when we do not speak rightly about him. What we say and teach about his character, nature and Word is not just an offering of opinion; it truly matters. Theological training helps God’s people and church leaders understand the importance of who God is and what he tells us in his Word. The servant of God should desire to say only true and right things about God, and should also desire to learn how to study the Scriptures and the theology they teach.
James and the Greater Strictness for Teachers
James echoes this sobering reality in his letter:
“Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!” — James 3:1–5 (ESV)
Practical Ministry Is Deeply Theological
It is important for church leaders to know the practicalities of ministry: counseling, running meetings, caring for the sick and grieving, etc. But all this practical ministry is immensely theological. How we do these things reflects our understanding of the nature, character and Word of our Lord. Much like a surgeon doesn’t just show up and learn how to make an incision and remove the gallbladder, he also needs to know how the body works, how it heals and what the parts of the body surrounding the gallbladder are and do. A surgeon may have the gift of steady hands and patience, but he also needs to know how the body he is fixing works. A surgeon spends time in the books and classroom as well as in the operating room.
A Divine Call Requiring Solid Training
God’s call on church leaders is divine and attended to by his Spirit. May we see the magnitude of this reality and invest in solid and thorough theological and practical training, for God cares deeply about what and how his people counsel in his name.
