How does a congregation partner with their pastor in listening to the Word of God? There are several steps that can be taken.
First, the leadership needs to convey to the pastor that they expect the pastor to seek to speak to the congregation several times a year on what s/he believes is a Word from God that challenges our current understanding of how we live our lives or on how we respond to current issues in our world.
Second, they need to inform the congregation that this is what they have asked the pastor to do. They need to explain to the congreation as to the importance of attempting to listen to a voice that comes from beyond our current lives but is mediated through one who has been called by God to do this even though s/he is as imperfect as we all are. Therefore, we are called to both listen and to respond in a way that cultivates our capacity to listen to God.
Third, they need to structure ways to encourage that exchange. The sermon, the sacraments, and the liturgy become the stimulus. Further development can be done in small study groups, internet exchanges, and posing questions that need further exploration. John Calvin said that when a pastor preaches a sermon, the Word of God is proclaimed. I don’t think that he meant that everything that a pastor says is divine truth, but that when someone who attempts to interpret Scripture in the context of worship, and others attempt to listen in that same context, there exists the opportunity between the lips of the preacher and the ears and heart of the congregation for the Holy Spirit to communicate God’s truth.
imagine the impact on both the preacher and the members of the congregation if they all believed that that could happen.
