Social work in the political sphere. . .

Before anyone gets angry, this is not a tirade against social work or social workers.  What it is, however, is the careful distinction between who the pastor is and what he has been called to do with the social work done by social workers.  The sad reality is that too many people have succumbed to the temptation to see their pastors and the most important work of those pastors as social work and the equally sad reality is that too many pastors have succumbed to the temptation to see themselves and their work as social work.  It is an offense to the noble labor of social work and social workers and it is an offense to the Gospel which has a particular work and venue for those who would be shepherds under the Good Shepherd.

Social work is a particular discipline and profession whose focus is meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and even society as a whole in order to enhance both the individual and the collective well-being of people.  It is as varied as dealing with mental health issues or finding support for those discharged from the hospital to assisting the hungry and homeless in basic needs.  It is a worthy profession to be sure.  Although I am less inclined to approve of those who have translated this work largely into advocacy, I have every respect and support for those who labor on the front lines of need in a world in which those needy often are hidden and powerless.  As important as this is, however, it is not what pastors are called to do or to be.

I can see why pastors are tempted.  Pastors often do not see or do not immediately see the fruits of their work in preaching and administering the sacraments but they want to.  We all do.  Yet the nature of this ministry is the bringing of the gifts of God to the people and not registering progress.  Of course every pastor pays attention to attendance and offerings but not as the gauges of success.  Rather, every steward, including the steward of the mysteries, must account for those within his care.  It is therefore this stewardship that marks who is there and who is not on Sunday morning and how well the work of the kingdom is funded by the people of the kingdom.  That said, the real determination of success and effectiveness today has shifted away even from these statistics and onto the unsteady ground of consumer satisfaction.  We want to be effective; we want to see the evidence of our effectiveness.  We want to be loved; we want to have evidence of being loved.  We want to make people and things better for people; we want to enjoy the evidence of this improvement in the happiness and satisfaction of the people we serve.  All of this is understandable and even rational.  It is just not Biblical.

When I say that social work is not the pastor's calling, I am not diminishing the need for or the value of social work.  Instead, I am advocating for the work that only the has been called to do -- the ministry of the Gospel through the means of grace.  If you tilt the scale toward social work, you automatically reduce the attention given to the work of the ministry through the means of grace.  We cannot do everything but there are things we must do or we fail in our calling.  Hidden under that calling is an inherent trust that God is at work through this ministry and that God is working the fruits He desires and that God is working for eternity in the things we do in this moment.  The shift to social work is a sign of our lack of confidence that God is at work through the means of grace and that this work is the primary work of our calling.  We can affirm people into a good mood in the moment only to prevent them from the voice that calls them to faith, washes them clean, forgives their sins, and feeds them to everlasting life.  While this is our great temptation, it cannot be one to which we surrender or the work of the kingdom done through the means of grace will suffer.

Finally, social work has become largely political instead of personal.  It is about making a big splash in what you do and not about the individual families or people in need.  It is about what fits the political will and agenda of groups vying for power and not about serving the neighbor in need.  That is why churches have become increasingly political.  When pastors become social workers and that social work becomes more political than personal, the work of the kingdom suffers.  The pastoral work is personal.  The pastor preaches to people he lives with and knows and not to generic Christians.  The baptismal water does not merely unite the baptized to an individual identity with Christ but incorporates the person into the family of God the Church.  The absolution is not simply about one person feeling forgiven but empowering the forgiven to forgive others.  The Eucharist is not about a meal for the person or the moment but the Church gathered on earth in anticipation of the grand reunion in heaven.  It is not about claiming or fighting for or holding onto territory OR about improving the quality of life for those on our sacred ground.