In “The Pastor,” a memoir on the pastoral life, Eugene Peterson has this to say about his role:
“My work was not to run a church, but to listen to God and help others listen. My job was not to solve people’s problems but to point them to Christ, who can transform their lives.”
The notion of being a pastor is strange to some and unimaginable to others. In this week’s episode of Leading and Thriving in the Church, you can listen to a conversation with someone who embodies the work of being a pastor with grace. Dr. Gary Simpson is the senior minister of Concord Baptist Church of Christ in Brooklyn, New York. He teaches at several seminaries and is widely regarded for his activism and spiritual guidance.
Much of my conversation with Gary focuses on the preaching life. Throughout his career, Gary has been recognized for his ability to blend scholarly depth with pastoral sensitivity and social activism. His preaching is characterized by intellectual rigor, spiritual vitality, compassion and a commitment to speaking truth to power, often drawing on biblical narratives to illuminate contemporary challenges and inspire collective action for justice and equity.
Gary is transparent about how his preaching has changed during his 34-year tenure at Concord. We all hope to cultivate our preaching gifts over time, so it’s refreshing to hear his reflections on his growth and development as a pastor, leader and preacher. Anyone who is invested in the craft of preaching will benefit from listening to what Gary has to say about the pitfalls that younger minsters should avoid and the challenges we are likely to face as we live into the calling of pastoral ministry.
Gary Simpson: A Pastor’s Pastor
In the fourth episode of our third season, Prince talks with Gary Simpson, the senior minister of Concord Baptist Church of Christ in Brooklyn, New York.
Resources
The pastoral challenge of a Brooklyn church and COVID-19
From one of the pandemic’s epicenters, a minister describes his congregation’s experience through death and new life over the last four months.
By Gary V. Simpson
What if preaching were an ongoing conversation?
Rather than a series of “one-offs,” sermons can spark a conversation that fosters communal spiritual continuity in the congregation. Here are seven strategies to do that.
By Elizabeth Felicetti and David J. Schlafer
Why is it important to be an attentive leader?
Paying attention is the key to so many of the challenges in ministry, says a pastor and teacher.
Interview with Jim Singleton
Preachers are a pain
The preaching and leadership necessary for the church to fulfill its mission inevitably produces discomfort in the people and in their leader, writes the theologian and retired UMC bishop.
By Will Willimon
Before you go…
I am grateful that I first met Gary early in my pastoral ministry. Gary embodies so much of what I have sought to practice as a pastor. He listens. He studies. He teaches. He leads with grace and imagination.
Gary told me that he was reluctant to be a guest on the podcast if the main focus was going to be on preaching. This makes sense when you consider that preaching is not a stand-alone act that pastors do independently of everything else. Preaching is pastoral care. Preaching is leadership. Preaching is vision. Preaching is theological education and spiritual formation.
Fortunately, Gary said “yes” to being on the podcast, because he helps us wrestle with the ways that God is calling pastors to do what Eugene Peterson describes — listen to God and help others listen. I don’t know what you have planned for the next few minutes, but I think listening to Gary will make you want you to listen more closely to God.
You can always reach me and the Alban Weekly team at alban@duke.edu. Until next week, keep leading!
Prince Rivers
Editor, Alban at Duke Divinity