Eugene Peterson is concerned about the state of pastoral ministry. In Working the Angles: The Shape of Pastoral Integrity, Peterson warns his readers about pastors who “are abandoning their posts, their calling. . . . What they do with their time under the guise of pastoral ministry hasn’t the remotest connection with what the church’s pastors have done for most of twenty centuries.” Are there important organizational considerations that need to be attended to in every church? Sure. But that isn’t the main thing Peterson believes pastors should be marked by.
What should a pastor’s dominant concern be? Prayer, scripture, and spiritual direction. Using a metaphor from trigonometry, Peterson argues that these three emphases are the angles pastors should devote themselves primarily too. “I see these three essential acts of ministry as the angles of a triangle. Most of what we see in a triangle is lines. The lines come in various proportions and the shape of the whole are the angles. The visible lines of pastoral work are preaching, teaching, and administration. The small angles of this ministry are prayer, Scripture, and spiritual direction. The length and proportions of the ministry lines are variable, fitting numerous circumstances and accommodating a wide range of pastoral gifts.”
Why does Peterson believe these things “angles” are so important? Because, he argues, “Pastoral work disconnected from the angle actions is no longer given its shape by God. Working the angles is what gives shape and integrity to the daily work of pastors and priests. If we get the angles right it is a simple matter to draw in the lines. But if we are careless with or dismiss the angles, no matter how long or straight we draw the lines we will not have a triangle, a pastoral ministry.”
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