The Scandal of Particularity
I've been reading How to Live a Meaningful Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans. It's not a Christian book, though one author is a believer. They argue we need to reframe how we think about meaning and purpose. They call one reframe "the scandal of particularity."
We exist in a particular place, at a particular time, with specific constraints. Many of us assume something's missing in our lives, that we need something more or something else. But living well means embracing the here and now that appears in a specific time, place, and shape, something we can observe, engage, and build upon.
It's actually downright scandalous that the most wonderful and mysterious things we can imagine can only come to us through these profoundly small and even pedestrian peculiarities… Stop worrying if the best is yet to come and start celebrating the good that's right in front of you. That's where the best is found.
Meaning isn't found elsewhere. It's found here in the particular and concrete events of our lives.
The same applies to church.
Church and pastoring have a beautiful particularity. We're tempted to resist it, but only when we embrace it do we begin to experience what church is meant to be.
The beauty of church is that it's local. It's tempting to think about church in general, but we experience church through actual churches, not through some abstract concept. Actual churches have an actual address, a specific meeting time, and particular people God calls us to love and serve. This turns out to be harder than loving the idea of church.
Pastors face the same temptation: to pastor people in general, which leads to generic pastoring. We produce sermons that read well online or sound good on podcasts. We build a social media platform or concern ourselves with issues that have nothing to do with our particular church.
We get influenced by people who don't know our congregation and have nothing to do with our situation. I'm not saying we can't learn from others or that our ministry can't bless people beyond our churches. I am saying that's not the point. Get to know your church and serve there.
If you're a pastor, pastor a particular people in a particular place. Their problems are your problems. You are their pastor and nobody else's.
Your joy is to know them and their needs, and to preach what will help them. You don't pastor in general; you pastor in a particular place to particular people. Learn pastoral theology. Learn what's true of every church everywhere. Give yourself to the things God has commanded every pastor to do, then apply that to your congregation. Dive deep, know your people, your context, and their needs. Don't worry about what's happening online; discover the beauty of serving the few God has chosen for you. It's a far more rewarding way to pastor, and it's what God has called you to do.
If you're a church member, embrace the joys and burdens of the particular church where God has called you to serve. Don't imagine the abstract or ideal church; embrace the church where you are. Love those people. Pray for your particular leaders.
That is both the challenge and the joy of specificity. It's not just a restriction; it's a privilege. It gives us direction and keeps us focused on what God has called us to do. It's also where the beauty is.
Embrace the scandal of particularity not just in life but in church too.
