THE PASTOR AS SPIRITUAL ANTAGONIST: RE-ASSESSING THE ROLE OF SOUTH AFRICAN BAPTIST PASTORS IN AN ENVIRONMENT OF CONFLICT by IAN MELVILLE SIMMS submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF THEOLOGY in the subject PRACTICAL THEOLOGY at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA PROMOTOR: DR ME HESTENES NOVEMBER 2008 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to thank my promoter, Dr Mark Hestenes, for his supportative work in helping me to clarify key issues and matters of presentation. His skill and patient friendship have proved to be invaluable. My Baptist colleagues, especially those who took part in the field research, are a diverse group of dedicated people whose lives and ministries have made a difference in South Africa. I thank them for their perseverance and tenacity in the face of some daunting odds, and for their willingness to participate in this project. I want to express my appreciation to my fellow elders at Lyndhurst Baptist Church in Johannesburg, South Africa. Over the years, and with various changes to the eldership team, Chuck Barrett, Graham Ganesh, Rodney Pfeiffer, Shepard Dube and Kaoma Kapopo (and most recently, Robert Duncan) have encouraged me to carry on with study and they have made it possible for me to have uninterrupted study leave. Together, we have had fun in the ministry, and at the same time we have learned so much about what it means to bear spiritual oversight of a congregation of precious men, women and children in our excitingly multicultural community of faith that is emerging from the dark days of apartheid. My wife, Susan, and my children, Nicola and Justin, have adjusted their lives to make study possible for me. How do I begin to thank them? When I have wanted to throw in the towel, Susan has patiently turned my attention back to bigger things, and my children have known just when to interrupt and when to leave some things for another day. It is no exaggeration to say that Jesus Christ continues to be the inspiration of all that is worthwhile in my life. He is my life and the light of my eyes, and I trust that this thesis carries his approval above all else. DECLARATION I declare that The pastor as spiritual antagonist: Re-assessing the role of South African Baptist pastors in an environment of conflict is my own work and that all the sources that I have used or quoted have been indicated and acknowledged by means of complete references. I.M.S. (ii) SUMMARY Baptist pastors in the early years of the twenty-first century find themselves in a challenging yet exciting period of South African history. Much has changed in the socio-political and religious contexts, yet Baptist pastors are still prone to operate according to earlier models of leadership and ecclesiology, with the result that they find themselves in situations of heightened conflict. Their position with respect to the laity, with whom they share a common priesthood of believers, is also an ambiguous one. After orientating the reader to the nature of the problem and various starting issues (chapter 1), this practical-theological thesis seeks to explore the nature of the changes in the socio-political milieu (chapter 2), as well as in the religious context (chapter 3). Baptist pastors are affected by a range of expectations that emerge from a particular view of the Bible and from the wider church community, as well as from the media and their own experience of pastors. Chapters 4 and 5 seek to understand these expectations, especially as these expectations have combined to produce role conflict and role ambiguity. In such a situation it is more understandable that ministry can lack a pastoral centre and an unclear identity. Pastors have adopted a stance in the midst of such competing demands on their role identity and chapter 6 attempts to make their position clearer through empirical analysis, before embarking – in chapters 7 and 8 – on a description of a new model of pastoral ministry that is founded on the theatrical notion of the antagonist. Several implications for future ministry are explored in chapter 9, as we look forward to a revised praxis. The pastor as spiritual antagonist is approached from the vantage-point of the world of drama, since this angle, in its metaphorical richness, is seminal for a new understanding of the provocative role of the pastor in a world that is steadily devaluing spiritual leadership. The spiritual antagonist is described in terms of his/her character and ministry actions as one who is profoundly spiritual in his awe of God and in his determination to live reflectively. At the same time the spiritual antagonist is one who has an imaginative grasp on the communicative possibilities of being with people, and alongside people, intensely and for the purpose of provoking decision and faith. Whatever conflict is generated by such a stance is deliberately incorporated for educational and transformational purposes. Whatever is modelled – in the mode of the spiritual antagonist – by ordained pastors / elders becomes facilitatory for fellow believers in the congregation to fashion a similar identity. Thus an old division in Baptist ecclesiology is healed. KEY WORDS Pastor; Baptist; Antagonist; Protagonist; Conflict; Pastoral Identity; Role; Practical Theology; Ministry; Media; Socio-political; South Africa; Transformation; Drama; Ecclesiology, Dissonance, Communication (iii) TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER 1: PREPARING THE STAGE - VOICES OF ANTICIPATION 1 1.1 An awkward question 1 1.2 Hearing the voices 4 1.3 The research question 7 1.4 The aims of the research 8 1.5 A practical-theological study 8 1.6 Defining key terms 11 1.6.1 Role 11 1.6.2 Pastor 12 1.6.3 Praxis-metaphor 12 1.6.4 Antagonist and protagonist 12 1.6.5 Spiritual 13 1.6.6 Ministry 13 1.6.7 Identity 14 1.6.8 Voice 14 1.7 The Zerfass model - Personal adaptation 15 1.8 Predispositions (metatheory) in approaching the current thesis 16 1.8.1 The heritage of a Western civilisation 17 1.8.2 Cultural specifics 18 1.8.3 Theological trends 19 1.8.4 Philosophical streams 23 1.8.5 Ideological currents 24 1.8.6 View of practical theology 25 1.9 Operationalisation of the study 25 CHAPTER 2: A NEW STAGE UPON WHICH TO ACT: PART 1 - A CHANGING SOCIO-POLITICAL CONTEXT OF MINISTRY 28 2.1 It's all changing 28 2.2 Socio-political changes 29 2.2.1 From oppressive apartheid to emergent democracy 29 2.2.2 From segregation to integration 31 2.2.3 From minority domination to majority domination 33 2.2.4 From isolation to globalisation 35 2.2.4.1 Globalisation: History, boycotts and rapid transformation 35 2.2.4.2 Globalisation and identity 39 2.2.4.3 Responses to globalisation 40 2.2.4.4 Globalisation and local Baptist congregations 41 2.2.5 From one-way-is-right to dealing with difference 42 2.2.5.1 Postmodernism, the 'rainbow nation' and accommodating differences 44 2.2.5.2 African Renaissance and the promise of a singular perspective 46 2.2.5.3 Dealing with differences 48 (iv) 2.2.6 From relatively contained crime to rampant criminality 49 2.2.7 From manageable disease to pandemic 52 2.3 Identity 55 2.4 Summary 56 CHAPTER 3: A NEW STAGE UPON WHICH TO ACT: PART 2 - A CHANGING RELIGIOUS CONTEXT OF MINISTRY 57 3.1 Wider religious trends 57 3.2 Religious changes in South Africa 59 3.2.1 The reappraisal of the role of Christianity in colonialism 59 3.2.2 The marginalisation of the influence of Christianity in South Africa 63 3.2.3 The cultural integration of Christian churches 67 3.2.4 A changing agenda within churches 68 3.2.4.1 Shift from white to black Christian agenda 68 3.2.4.2 Shift from male to female agenda 70 3.2.4.3 Shift from adult to youth agenda 70 3.2.5 A clash of loyalties: Christ and culture 71 3.2.6 A gap for perversions and deviancy 73 3.2.7 The attraction of the megachurch 74 3.3 Baptist denominational changes 75 3.3.1 Changing attitudes to social issues 77 3.3.2 Unsettled by socio-political events 77 3.3.3 New emphasis on social action since 1994 77 3.3.4 Formal objections to government 78 3.3.5 Continued priority of missions and evangelism 78 3.3.6 Restructuring of the denomination 78 3.3.7 Varied, low-key community impact 79 3.4 The search for a new identity as South African Christians and Baptists 79 CHAPTER 4: ECHOES OF PAST PERFORMANCES - BIBLICAL AND CHURCH-HISTORICAL EXPECTATIONS SHAPING THE PASTOR 87 4.1 An important audience in the gallery 87 4.2 The persuasion of a particular interpretation of Scripture (The voice of a significant primary group) 87 4.2.1 Developing the terminology through biblical history 88 4.2.2 Scriptural indicators concerning the divine appointment, characteristics and tasks of elders / pastors 90 4.2.3 A scriptural theme - Intentional ministry 93 4.3 The persuasion of the wider church (The voice of a significant secondary group) 95 4.3.1 Traditional core roles of the pastor 95 4.3.2 Recent psychological interest in the pastoral role 96 4.3.3 New roles for the pastor in recent times 99 4.4 Conclusion 104 (v) CHAPTER 5: THE APPLAUSE OF A MODERN AUDIENCE - PRESENT EXPECTATIONS SHAPING THE PASTOR 106 5.1 Modern theatre of the mind and emotions 106 5.2 The persuasiveness of the media (The voice of society) 107 5.2.1 Cinema and television as modern theatre 107 5.2.2 The mind behind the script - Belief system and the media 109 5.2.3 Inducing the response 110 5.2.4 Extending the allure - The power of the length of exposure to the visual media 111 5.2.5 Portrayals of pastors 112 5.3 The persuasiveness of pastoral role models (The voice of one's own experience) 115 5.4 Role conflict and role ambiguity 117 5.5 Lack