Pastor, Don’t Make Bad Assumptions About Your People’s Appetite For Theology

I found myself in a highly theological conversation with a respectable man the other day, a man I hadn’t met before. 

He had been wrestling with a theological question and was seeking greater clarity. He wanted to make sure he was leading his family well. He wanted to joyfully follow church leadership. 

I was taken aback by how important this conversation was to him. He was taking time from his lunch break to have this conversation. He had printouts of his questions as well as the research he had conducted prior. He asked sincere questions, was eager for my perspective, and thoughtfully engaged with the perspectives that were offered. 

This was one of a handful of conversations I’ve held just in the last few weeks from followers of Jesus who are asking theological questions and desiring clarity. 

I walked away reminded of two things:

1. People are more theologically oriented than we might think.

I have sometimes wondered if pastors and church leaders make false assumptions of their people’s appetite for theology. God’s people are more curious and desiring of theological growth than pastors and church leaders give them credit for.

I re-learned this recently. The lead pastors of various Mariners congregations recently taught a sermon on denominations at their churches that was more on the dense and “teacher heavy” side. The next day, multiple lead pastors shared how surprised they were by the engagement of their people and their response after the teaching. Some of us may have thought, “We don’t want to bore the people.” But the people’s response was, “This is great because no one has ever sat down to explain this to us before.” 

God’s people are more hungry for truth than we imagine them to be. Yes, pastors should ultimately give their people Jesus. But that is a theological statement in it of itself. It was also Jesus Himself who said that Spirit would lead His people into “all truth” (John 16:13). Not some truth, but all truth that we might grow in the knowledge of His grace.

2. People want their pastors to be more theologically-minded than we might think. 

We can make an assumption that the higher value for God’s people when it comes to their pastors is their relational effort, not theological competency. You’ve heard it said, “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” It is a true statement. 

I’ve also found it true that some people don’t want to be cared by pastors and church leaders who lack theological competency. Some people aren’t looking for a buddy in their pastor. Some aren’t looking for a counselor or a listening ear. Some want to know their pastor can untangle something in the Bible when they have a question. 

Can you blame this thinking? Wouldn’t you be frustrated if your doctor struggled to answer basic health questions? Would you go back to your CPA if they couldn’t give you a straight answer to your tax questions? Isn’t a pastor one who has been tasked with equipping the saints for the work of ministry (Ephesians 4;12), with one component of equipping being theology? 

Pastors Should Be More Eager to Engage Than Our People Realize 

Paul’s theological vision for God’s people was a born again being, growing in Christlikeness in community through the renewal and transformation of one’s mind. 

Yes, our culture is becoming increasingly polarized. Yes, the news is bad and strange. Yes, we’re being invited to embrace the political sphere as a form of religion. Yes, we’re bombarded with busyness and distractions. And yes, we can believe that small conversations in which we engage theologically with our people can make a difference. I remember being in High School when one of the volunteer leaders at my church asked me if I had ever heard of the term “double imputation.” I had never heard of it or the concept. He took ten minutes to explain it to me and it was the first time anyone had explained to me that Jesus had not only taken my sins but had also given me His righteousness. That small little conversation made all the difference. 

God’s people should never think they’re a burden when they want to engage theologically with their pastor. In fact, our people should be surprised by how grateful we are to be trusted with their questions and the implications for their spiritual growth as they walk into eternity.