Wisdom and Leadership in the Church

(Translation into English from a Dutch chapter in “Gezag in Beweging: Kerkelijke

Leiderschap tussen Tekst and Context” Protestante Pers, Heerenveen, 2008)

The formal education of the church leader is often taken up with academic courses like the
biblical languages, biblical and systematic theology and the social sciences. The emphasis is
upon “knowledge” and how to apply it through practical application within a controled
environment. The influence of the enlightenment (modernism) and research is often noticable. 1
Academic training and encyclopedic knowledge is certainly a sine qua non for any professional
education (as much as music theory is a preperatory phase before making good music) but it is
predictable that, when the student steps into the reality of a practicum or enters the ministry
he/she discovers that another essential element is missing, a knowledge that has received less
emphasis during the formal training. This knowledge has to do with life-experience and is
better defined by the concept of “wisdom” which embraces other catagories than academic
knowledge. And when we turn to the Scriptures it becomes clear that here the emphasis is on
wisdom rather than mere mental knowledge, especially when we talk about leadership;
leadership over our own life and the lives of others. Wisdom, therefore, is a fundamental
prerequisite for the pastor and any leader in the church, and even for society at large2.

Moses needed the wisdom of his father in law, Jethro, to “rule” the people of Israel in the fear of
the Lord (Exod 18 – where the language is more judicial), which becomes even more clear in the
restatement in Deut. 1:9ff (the text here uses wisdom concepts) when the people are prepared
for entering the promised land. Entering and ruling in the land is dependent upon “wise”
(chokmah) and “discerning” (bin) and ”experienced and knowledgable” (yadah) leaders (Hebr –
heads r’osh). This text (Deut 1:15) uses some of the main wisdom concepts which we find time
and again in the wisdom literature. Leaders, and especially kings, are asked to know the law (a
more preperatory step – that is to know and memorize and meditate upon the law) in order to
apply it in wisdom (Deut 17:18-20). The story of young king Solomon who asks for wisdom in
order to lead and rule the people is proverbial (1 Kings 3:12). Luke tells us that our Lord grew
in wisdom in preperation for His ministry (Luke 2:40 and 52, which from the inclusio in this
text). The apostles install “seven wise men” with the task to solve a pastoral problem (Acts 6:1-

1
END NOTES:

?
Niek Tramper states that the pastoral offices in the church in the Western world is “a product of modernity . . . as
it developed from the 17th century into the middle of the 20th century. These models are not the models the
post-modern person is waiting for.” In CV Koers. Waltke writes this note on the absence of wisdom in our modern
era: ““But, tragically, the church has practically disregarded the book of Proverbs, which was written for young
people as a compass by which to steer their ship of life. “Waltke, Bruce (2004), Proverbs. Grand Rapids, Eerdmans,
xxi. Even when wisdom can be an object for academic study, to live out of wisdom is something else and a
challenge for the academic community.

2
See forinstance John Peck and Charles Strohmer, Uncommong Sense: God’s Wisdom for our Complex and
Changing World. London and Sevierville, 2001.
7), while Paul wonders if the Corinthian church has any wise leaders left (1 cor. 6:5). Wisdom
literature, therefore, sees wisdom as a pre-requisite to rule home and palace, to rule one’s own
life and that of the life of the community. The position of “pastor” as leader needs to be
grounded, therefore, not only in knowing how to exegete and theologize about the text, but
needs to be grounded in wisdom, in the “life-knowledge” which functions in the fear of the
Lord. It is this wisdom which is the focus of this chapter. We want to describe this concept in a
more broader fashion and follow this with asking ourselves what this means for leadership in
the church (and society). 3

What is Wisdom?

One of the positive results of the recent shift from reading the text of the Old Testament from
diachronic reading (the focus is on how the text came about, a more critical reading) to synchronic
reading (the focus is on taking the text in its completed form, as a literary unit) is that also the
wisdom literature has received much more attention and study in the last decennia. Not only is
there more study in the genre of wisdom, but also how the wisdom literature (particularly
Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon) functions in the entire canon.4 Wisdom
literature, says Crenshaw, was for too long a time “the orphan in the household of Biblical
studies. 5” Particularly after 1970 much material has been produced, among which are excellent
new commentaries and numerous articles and monographs, the more recent often from a
literary perspective. 6 In this material the question is raised what wisdom encompasses, how we
need to understand this concept of wisdom. The answers given make it clear that we have to do
with a complex idea with a number of aspects and nuances. 7 This complexity is also
immediately evident in the prologue of Proverbs (1:1-7) in which a string of words is used is
describe the purpose of the proverbs. These words are constantly and interchangeably used in
these texts. What follows is a brief description of these key-concepts as they appear in the first 7
verses (and throughout wisdom literature), with some observations as how these terms and
concepts have something to say about leadership.

Wisdom as creative insight

Important is a group of words based upon “discernment” and “knowledge” (better translated,
“applied knowledge”) which are consistently associated with wisdom. Whybray and Fox
underscore the importance of human intellect in biblical wisdom, the capacity to think and
invent and make decisions. This “innate potential” which is given to some more than to others
needs to be developed “in the fear of the Lord.” Discernment (Hebr: bin) is that capacity “to
distinguish between” especially in the realm of morality and ethical behavior; between what is
less or lesser and what is better and best, between what is good and what is evil, between what
is just and what is unjust, between what is wise and what is foolish, what results in life and
what leads to death, between what builds up and what destroys. In 1 Kings 3:8-9 (with a
reference to Ex 18 and Deut 1 and in a chiastic structure) Solomon asks God for wisdom:

And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen

a numerous people who cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.

 And give to Your servant an understanding heart,
to judge Your people,
to discern between good and bad.
For who is able to judge this, Your great people?

The rule of a community of people, the central challenge of this request by Solomon, is here
more a matter of the hart, of ethical discernment than training and academic knowledge and
political success. We know from the wider context that discernment is not limited to the realm
of ethics, though it remains the main focus. Adam gave names to give meaning and
identification to the creation (as a scientist identifies and names). By doing this he and Eve
exercised “dominion” of the earth, as wise stewards (Gen 1:28). Solomon catalogued plants and
animals (1 Kings 5:13). With psychological insight he solved the conumdrum which mother
truly could claim the living child as her own (1 Kings 3:16-28) by forcing a distinction between
cold jealousy and warm motherlove. Artists and craftsmen have insight to transform raw
materials into utensils and artifacts and therefore are called “wise” (Ex 31:3; 35:31). Joseph and
Daniel receive special discernment in interpreting dreams (Gen. 41:38 and Dan. 8:15) and the
ability to govern a household is attributed to the wisdom of the wise woman (Prov 31:10-31).
“Discernment” than is a reflection of the human creative ability to analyze situations to mark of
what is right and good over against what is wrong and damaging in order to beautify and
utilize those situations. It is moral analytical diagnosis. Wisdom is not merely academic
intellectualism and professional theory, but the gift of inventiveness in whatever arena of life,

3
That wisdom was perceived as a basic requirement for the exercise of authority and care in the church is clear
from the earliest writings about shepherding the flock. Pope Gregory the Great in his Regula Pastoralis points
consistently to the wisdom literature, and the very structure of his book follows the genre of wisdom as found in
Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. Classical Pastoral Care has always emphasized the spiritual skills which are needed for
shepherding the flock. See Clebsch, William A. en Jaekle, Charles R. (1964), Pastoral Care in Historical Perspective.
Englewood Cliffs, Prentice Hall. For an overview of the patristic use of wisdom literature see Wright, Robert
(2005), “Introduction to Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon” in Ancient Christian Commentary on
Scripture: Old Testament Vol. IX. Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon. Downers Grove: IVP Press, xvii-xxix.

4
Zie Rad, Gerhard von (1972), Wisdom in Israel. London: CSM Press, Childs, Brevard S. (1986), Old Testament
Theology in a canonical context. Minneapolis, Fortress Press. Brueggemann, Walter (1997, 2005), Theology of the
Old Testament. Minneapolis, Fortress Press. Also the special studies of Blenkinsopp, Joseph (1983), Wisdom and
the Law in the Old Testament. New York, Oxford University Press, and Waltke, Bruce (oct. 1979), “The Book of
Proverbs and Old Testament Theology,” in Bibliotheca Sacra: Dallas, Dallas Theological Seminary, 302-317. Zie
voor een overzicht van recente literatuur Crenshaw, James L. (1998), Old Testament Wisdom, an Introduction.
London, Westminster Press. 1-3.

5
Crenshaw, James L. (1976), Studies in Ancient Israelite Wisdom. New York: KTAV, 1.

6
Heim, Knut Martin (2001), Like Grapes of Gold Set in Silver: An Interpretation of Proverbial Clusters in Proverbs
10:1-22:16. Berlijn: Walter de Gruijter. Longman, Tremper III (2006), Proverbs. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.

7
Fox, Proverbs 1-9, 28-43. He states: “The words for wisdom and folly and their possessors are used repeatedly in
expressing the most important of Proverbs’ teachings and concepts. . . It is impossible to find a single English
equivalent for each Hebrew term.”
the gift to use creative skills for the good of self and others. It is the glory of being created in the
image of God. 8 It is the artistic capacity which elevates a human being to an artist, to make out
of chaos order and harmony, in analogy to God creating out of chaos (Gen 1:2) the good
creation (Gen 1:3ff). God Himself called wisdom to His side when he began to create (Proverbs
8:23), and so we, His images, need wisdom in order to fill what is empty and to give meaning to
what is without purpose. Insight and discernment reflects the process of Genesis 1:2 to 2:4, a
path that runs from “being void and without form” to what is “completed” and the experience
of sabbath and rest (shalom). Discernment chooses and proclaims the good over againts what is
evil, light over what is dark.

With this capacity of discernment often the word “knowledge (da’at) is coupled as in the short
prologue of Proverbs. This knowledge certainly embraces our mental capacity to think and
reason (Dan. 1:4) but it also involves the experiential aspect, in that cognitive knowledge and
will cannot be divorced from being translated in good plans and wise deeds. Whenever
something is understood, it needs to be applied. In fact, discernment and knowledge never
stand isolated from application (true for all science). Discerment and knowledge produce
inventio, the joy of innovation, the renewed use of what was about to become outdated, the joy
of the display of the potential which God placed into His creation. This joyous path of inventio
finds its fulfillment in the knowledge of God (Prov. 2:5, 9-10), known first in the Torah (the Law)
but then lived out in daily life (in wisdom). Wisdom, then, is not the mere memorization of the
Biblical text and knowing how to interpret a text, but it leads to living faith in which the fear of
the Lord is clothed with just and fair conduct (Prov. 3:5-7). Wisdom literature assumes that
such discernment and knowledge is called forth and stimulated in a loving inter-personal
relationship between mentor and learner, parent and child, the Lord and the believer. In this
interpersonal setting discipline (musar) plays a crucial part.

Wisdom as Discipline and Guidance

Though wisdom is a gift from God (Job 28:20-24), it comes as an uncut diamond which must be
cleaned, shaped and set. Indeed, the key to getting wisdom, discernment and knowledge is
discipline (musar), the importance of which is indicated in the inclusio of Proverbs 1:2 with 1:7,
and the next usage in 1:8. De young learner starts out as a simple person, naive, closed-eyed to
the complexity of life. He is but a child in the eyes of wisdom, and in need of discipline, which
means first the willingness to hear and learn and respond to the wisdom of the elder, the parent
and the wise teacher. If such a submission is rejected the child will continue in the slide
towards foolishness and even wickedness. To reject wisdom and her discipline is to live a live
which is empty and meaningless. If the submission is embraced, even when it means to accept
a yoke, it will lead to a life well lived, a life that leads to fulfillment and peace (shalom – with
Matt. 11:29-30 and James 3:17-18). In the larger prologue of Proverbs 1-9 the youth is constantly
invited to choose discipline over laziness, and to rule his natural and unbrideled impulses and
desires – the desire for power, for sex, for plenty and the drive for immediate gratification in all
of these. Only when those innate drives are controled can he use these very drives to benefit
himself and others and the kingdom of God, and so fulfill the original purpose of God in
creation. The father and mother (Prov 2-4), Dame Wisdom (Prov 5, 7 and 9) and God Himself
(Prov. 3:1-12) make it clear that discipline indeed is a “submission to hardship” and a matter of
rigurous training, but they clearly promise an abundant life as a result. The argument is simple:
wisdom must be gained as silver and gold and precious stones are won by intense labor and
even pain from the earth. It lies not on the surface; one must mine it (see Job 28 where this
metaphor is beautifully woven throughout the text). Wisdom is gained through a learning
process, a transmission from elder to younger, from parent to child, from teacher to student
where the latter submits. It has to do with the preservation and transmission of the good
tradition which is tested and reframed from generation to generation. The LXX (Greek
translation of the Old Testament) translates this discipline with “the raising of the child.”
Wisdom has to do with pedagogy, to harnass the natural foolishness of the infant, and stupidity
of the selfish child to avoid his or her progressive foolishness (Prov 3:1, 4:1 in which we hear the
parental appeal). 9 It is well put in Prov 3:11-12 (with Heb. 12:4-12):

My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord;

nor be weary with His correction;
for whom the Lord loves He corrects,
even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.

We speak here of character formation on all levels, intellectual, moral and ethical, spiritual so
that the community (family, church, office) can rely upon wise men and women able to give
“steering” in a warped and wooly world. In this process there is a need for correction, painly as
it can be, but always with the aim to create order and beauty. Obviously, in this learning
process both parties are crucial. Walter Brueggemann points to the fact that in the relationship
of mentor and learner the learner, the youth, initiates the process of learning. He or she
chooses, comes to an insight to ask pertinent questions (“when your child asks . . . as in Deut
6).10 In Prov 4 the father who now appeals to the child to seek wisdom refers to his own youth
when his father appealed to him and he responded positively. The mentor invites, persuades
and argues, but the child must in the end choose and embrace wisdom (much like he would
embrace a lover). Burdensome as discipline can be, there is no wisdom apart from it. To invite
the discipline as a necessity, wisdom promises a rich reward for those who seek her. Wisdom
regains the lost tree of life (Prov. 3:18). This is the ultimate motivation of the elder, the wise
parent, the mentor; to return to Eden, to regain paradise lost, to renew an open communion
with God and a life of purpose and righteous government over the earth. 11 The elder points the
way and gives advise (2 Sam 15:12; 1 Kings 1:11 etc.), he offers a compas to direct the stumbling
youngster (Prov 1:5 where the word “steering” is used). 12 Wisdom gives advise, counsel which

8
Wisdom stresses the positive ability for the human being to choose and do the good, but also that one can
become (without discipline) wise in doing evil, as satan was crafty and skillful in deception in Gen. 3. Likewise,
Jeremiah speaks of God’s people as children without discernment and knowledge. “They are wise (skillful) in doing
what is evil, and unable to do good.” (4:22). Thus the ability to be creative, a gift from God, can be used for doing
what it was intended for, to do evil rather than to do good. Jeremiah therefore makes the point that to use that
gift for evil purposes will bring creation back to the darkness of Genesis 1:2: “I saw the earth without form and
void, I looked up into the sky, and behold, there was no light.” (4:23).
can be followed or spurned (Prov. 1:25, 30; 13:10), as in the words of Prov. 19:20: “Hear advice,
and receive instruction, so that you may be wise in your latter end.” When we think about leadership
and the authority which goes with it, it is clear that we not only are concerned what is
transmitted to the next generation, but that the relational aspect is crucial between teacher and
student, in other words how it is transmitted. In wisdom this relational aspect is one of respect
by the learner, and a loving discipline applied by the teacher. Without this gentle yet firm
relationship transmission becomes virtually impossible.13 Wisdom, then, demands a measure of
obedience and love on the side of the receiver and wise guidance and direction on the side of
the experienced leader (in this case Lady Wisdom). And it is in this relationship leadership
grows and is learned. Lady Wisdom sums it up herself in Prov. 8:14-16:

Counsel and sound wisdom are mine;

I am understanding; I have strength.
By me kings reign and princes decree justice.
Princes rule by me, and nobles, all the judges of the earth.

Wisdom as turning away from what is wrong and evil

“The instruction of wisdom concerns justice, and judgment, and uprightness” (Prov 1:3). These
terms define wisdom theologically and ethically. Wisdom has first and foremost to do with the
ethical and moral formation of a person’s character, and of the leader’s character in particular.
The leader is called to oppose and defeat the powers of evil by showing what is good. “The fear
of Jehovah is to hate evil; I hate pride, and arrogance, and the evil way, and the wicked mouth. (Prov
8:13). Wisdom has to do with theodicy, that is, the mystery how a good and just God allows evil
to exist in this world, and seemingly allows it to continue leaving the sufferer in confusion and
lack of purpose. Wisdom literature is a fundamental course in how to deal with the problem of
good and evil, to learn how to distinguish between the two and to choose and do what is right
and to avoid and overcome what is wrong. The book of Proverbs is the first part of that course,
meant for the immature adolescent youth. We call this “first level wisdom,” the groundrules
which first must be learned and appreciated before a learner can go on to the next level. The
road to wisdom goes from the “simple” to the “wise” (see Prov. 1:4-6 to see this progression).
Basic principles are hammered out in Proverbs, that the good is rewarded and the evil punished
(the principle of retribution), that the younger should be quiet first and learn from the elder (the
value of sound tradition), that without discipline a young person will become a fool (the
wisdom way of telling us that we are fallen creatures). These principles and others are
repeatedly taught in the larger introduction to the actual proverbs, starting in 1:8. As such this
is the same teaching as Psalm 1 which in fact is classified as a wisdom psalm. To live in the fear
of the Lord, to love the law of God and meditate in it, this leads to life. To join the wicked and

9
See the detailed word studies in Fox en Waltke’s commentaries, and the introduction of the small
commentary by Kidner. Kidner, Derek (1964), The Proverbs. Downers Grove, IVP Press.

10
Brueggemann, Walter (1982), The Creative Word: Canon as a Model for Biblical Education. Minneapolis:
Augsburg Publishing House.
reject the fear of the Lord, to live without the law, leads to destruction and judgment. Compare
for instance the appeal of Proverbs 8:34-36 with Psalm 1 and the analogy becomes clear (note
how both start with “blessed is the man”):

Pro 8:34 Blessed is the man who hears me,

watching daily at my gates,
waiting at the posts of my doors.
Ps 1: 1-2 Blessed is the man who has not walked in the counsel of the ungodly,
and has not stood in the way of sinners,
and has not sat in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is only in the Law of the Lord; and in His Law he meditates day and
night.

Pro 8:35 For whoever finds me finds life, and shall obtain favor from the Lord.
Ps 1:2-3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivulets of water that brings forth its
fruit in its seasons, and its leaf shall not wither, and all which he does shall be blessed.

Pro 8:36 But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul; all who hate me love death.
Psalm 1: 4-6 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff which the wind drives away.
Therefore, the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation
of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous; but the way of the
ungodly shall perish.

This polarity between wisdom and foolishness, good and bad, life and death is much less
evident in the second level of wisdom, the wisdom of Job and Ecclesiastes and the Lament
Psalms. The difference between Proverbs and these books is remarkable and has led to
questioning the validity of Proverbs. 14 Better is it to understand that the second level indeed
takes the first level to task because it speaks to the power of evil which now overwhelms the
human being. In Job the friends are stuck in the first level (particularly with regard to
retribution) and cannot comprehend that evil is a power that goes beyond the reasonable and
explainable. In Proverbs evil is manageable, one needs to make the right decisions and avoid
getting involved in foolish behavior, motivated by the fear of the Lord. Evil happens within the
potentiality of the human being; it frustrates the normal daily life but it is limited. Job,
however, begins not with an earthly scene, but a heavenly setting with the devil present in the
court of God. The mystery of evil is never fully understood by righteous Job, but the answers of
the friends were obviously insufficient to explain the injustice of the severity of his suffering.
He is victim, all his strength and power and wisdom are of no use. Also in Ecclesiastes, which
looks to the world “under the sun,” thus from an earthly perspective, the wisdom of Proverbs is
insufficient. When Proverbs promises prosperity to the righteous (Prov. 11:31), then the

11
Zie Murphy, Roland E. (1997), The Tree of Life. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

13
Michael Fox demonstrates this relationship and the pedagogy of wisdom in his analysis of Proverbs 2, “The
Pedagofy of Proverbs 2” in JBL 113/2 (1994) 233-243
Preacher looks around in his contradictory world and observes that the righteous suffer and the
wrongdoer is well-off and prosperous. So he wonders (Eccl 8:14):

There is a vanity which is done on the earth:

There are just ones to whom it happens according to the work of the wicked;
again, there are wicked ones to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous.
I said that this also is vanity

As the book of Proverbs assumes at the outset that wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord, in
Ecclesiastes it comes as a final conclusion at the end of the book, the only thing that seems
reasonable to do, a conclusion after the long struggle with “holy doubt.” 15 The two levels of
wisdom come together in the third level, the wisdom of the New Testament, the wisdom of
Christ (Mat. 5-7) and the book of James. Retribution and the other basic principles of the first
level are defended, but they are reframed by the teaching of the Kingdom of Heaven, and by the
King Himself, Christ Jesus in his life, his unjust suffering and struggle and ultimate victory over
evil and death (1 Cor. 1:30). The righteous and perfect Christ, in His victory, takes upon
Himself the just penalty (the ultimate discipline) of sin and so defeats the powers of evil and
thereby manifests the wisdom of God. It is not the place of this article to work out these three
levels in wisdom theology. We observe, however, that the leader must be a student of theodicy,
to discern the ways of evil on a personal and communal and global level. He must learn that
only a limited degree of evil can be overcome, particularly the evil present in our common
human experience. This level implied by Proverbs is essential as it is the ethical foundation of
life and prepares the person to face those times when evil overpowers, in times of tragedy and
calamity, in times of war and famine and gros injustice. This aspect of evil raises the profound
questions we find in Job, Ecclesiastes and the laments and wisdom poems in the Psalter (see
psalm 73 and 77 as examples). The wise leader finally knows that the powers of evil massed
together against God and His Anointed, and is still as a roaring lion seeking to devour the
church, but he also has learned that these powers are overcome in the risen and ascended
Christ. Wisdom is a ministry ultimately of faith, hope and love, both on a personal level and on
a communal and global level. Wisdom as a turning away from evil is to seek the wellbeing of
the person, the community as expressed in family and church, and the wellbeing of the earth
with all her creatures.

Wisdom as the fear of the Lord

The opening of Proverbs ends with the key phrase in the wisdom literature: “The fear of Jehovah
is the beginning of knowledge; but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Wisdom in Scripture is
rooted in a deep respect and awe for God. It is a term from the book of Deuteronomy, and the
phrase links Proverbs with the theology of the Law (the Torah) 16. Thus note the following

12
De Boer, P. A. H. (1960), “The Counsellor” in Vetus Testamentum Supplement 3. Leiden: Brill.

14
Williams, James G. (1981), Those Who Ponder Proverbs: Aphoristic Thinking and Biblical Literature. Sheffield:
Almond Press.
similarity:

Deu 6:1 And these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which Jehovah our God
commanded to teach you so that you might do them in the land where you go, to possess it, 2 that you
might fear Jehovah your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you,
you, and your son, and your son's son, all the days of your life, and so that your days may be prolonged.

Pro 3:1-2 My son, forget not my law; but let your heart keep my commandments; for they shall add
length of days, and long life, and peace to you.

Though the wisdom literature does not refer directly to the temple cultus and the main
historical events, this literature is certainly not secular (though it has a universal aspect as well).
The claim of wisdom that its entry is the fear of the Lord implies that this literature, like all
Biblical literature, only can be grasped by that person who knows God, who has by faith a love
for the Word and above all for the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Those who reject and ridicule God,
even when they may be brilliant intellectually, have no access to the wisdom which is presented
in the Scriptures (1 Cor. 1:18-25). The name of the Lord (Yahweh occurs 87 times in Proverbs
alone) occurs throughout the wisdom books and argues for its theological character. Wisdom is
the result of the love for the Torah and reflect the great commandments throughout, as the
opening proverb (10:1) shows: “A wise son makes a father glad; a foolish son is giref to his mother,”
which clearly refers to the fifth commandment to honor one’s father and mother, a particular
appropriate beginning of the collections of proverbs since the commandment links this to a long
life, a characteristic promise in Proverbs as well. Wisdom, then, translate the theology of
Deuteronomy to real life, it is a bridge from head and heart to hands and feet, from Word to
world. Because this world is a fallen world, where good and evil mingle together and where
particularly the human being is a mixed up creature (James 3:1-17), to function well in this
world wisdom is absolutely necessary to evaluate and discern each unique situation in life, so
that the good can be implemented, and the wrong eradicated (see how the wise Job interpreted
his life as a life of wellbeing in Job 31 as he translated the laws of God into daily life). Therefore,
to fear the Lord is not having the right doctrine, important as this may be, but it must lead to
right conduct which is evident in the common daily activities (as in Proverbs) as well as in times
of deep distress and frustration (as in Job and Ecclesiastes). Wisdom is needed when life is
tested (James 1), and actionless wisdom simply is an oxymoron (see James 2:14-26). The wise
leader is able to construct these bridges between dogma and reality. Wisdom has a homiletical
quality, it leads and directs to application. The right word demands the right deed, and so deed
and word become one (and the Word became flesh). This aspect of wisdom was completely
fulfilled in Christ, who feared the Lord and obeyed Him to become the wisdom of God in the
deed of redemption (John 5:19-30; Col 1:24).

Summary:
Wisdom, because of its broad meaning, is rarely defined in the literature but rather is described
15
Penchansky, David (2000), Shall not the Judge of all the Earth do what is Right? Studies of the nature of God in
Tribute to James Crenshaw. Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns.
by a number of key concepts. For Crenshaw wisdom is the “formation of character” of the
youth and grownup. 17 For von Rad and Murphy wisdom is a lifestyle in harmony with the
original order of God as it was in Eden (a return to the tree of life), others (Whybray, Fox)
emphasize that wisdom is the good use of the intellectual capacity in the human being18; and for
Waltke wisdom is a matter of the heart, a spiritual intellectualism which leads to a fulfilled life.
19
For this article it is important to underline that wisdom is not a rule-book to be memorized
and simply obeyed. Rather, it is an invitation to creatively develop the gifts God granted. This
literature acts like a catalyst to learn how to act wisely even when there are new and
confounding situations never encountered before, just as Solomon needed creative insight in
solving the claim of two mothers for the same child – no proverbs speaks about this, the
solution needed to be invented. Wisdom ultimately is shown how to deal with the culture in
which we live and which raises numerous questions, when predictable answers are inadequate.
Wisdom is the capacity to find innovative answers which are in harmony with the law of Christ.
These answers are to be found on the three levels we earlier described; answers for daily life
within our post-modern culture as they relate to self, family, and the community in which we
live and work; answers for living in a complex and violent world in which injustices can go
unchecked; answers for the questions how our lives fit into an eternal perspective, questions
pertaining to faith and hope. Wisdom introduces new insights, supremely demonstrated in the
Sermon on the Mount, as Jesus shows: “You have heard it was said . . . but I say to you . . .” In this
renewal of the older wisdom He did not violate the law, but fulfilled it as the Son of God only
can do (Mat. 7-9). Nevertheless, we as fallen creatures, are called not to merely and rotely
follow precepts but rather in wisdom see how the core of our faith must be lived out in our own
time and culture. Fohrer formulates wisdom “not so much as a deeper knowledge in the
theoretical mastery of the questions of life and the universe as a solution of a practical kind on
the basis of concrete demands. The reference is to prudent, considered, experienced and
competent action to subjugate the world and to master the various problems of life and life
itself.”20 Stated in another way by Bergant: “Wisdom is not a body of experiential knowledge to
be mastered and applied in situations of life, but the flexibility of mind that assists one in
discerning the right time and the fitting place for the appropriate behavior.”21 Wisdom is the
source for active and creative spirituality which functions horizontally, and which receives its
stimuli from a lifelong meditation and implementation of the Biblical wisdom literature.
Important in this attempt to describe wisdom is that wisdom is not the privilege of an elitist
group (the sages) but is an offer to everybody. The sages may be the specialists who preserve
16
Weinfeld, Moshe (1972), Deuteronomy and the Deuteronomic School. Oxford: Clarendon. Weinfeld gives an
erudite and detailed study of the relationship between the theology of Deuteronomy and Proverbs.

17
Crenshaw, Old Testament Wisdom, 3.

18
Bergant, Dianne (1984), What are they saying about Wisdom. New York: Paulist Press, 4ff

19
Waltke, Proverbs, 90-92

20
Fohrer, George (1985), “Wisdom” in Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

21
Bergant, Dianne (1984), What are they saying about Wisdom. New York: Paulist Press, 17-18.
and teach the sacred wisdom tradition, and who give advise and counsel on a higher level (the
court), but in essence it is meant for the common man and woman. The spirituality which is
promoted by wisdom is a gift to all, and Proverbs addresses itself to any young man and
woman.

Why Wisdom for the (church) Leader?

As we have attempted to describe some of the essential aspects of wisdom and shown its
importance for those who are called to lead “the people of God” we must now ask the question
how this Biblical concept can help us when we are asked to evaluate how leadership in the
church functions, and to what degree it should be changed. The suggestions which follow are
certainly not exhaustive, but they are an attempt to further demonstrate the importance of
wisdom for those called to lead.

The Importance of Leadership as Ethical Leadership

The prophet Jeremiah points to three offices and their tasks: “. . . the teaching of our priests, the
counsel of our sages, the proclamation of our prophets . . .(Jer. 18:18)” Three official functionaries are
named: the priests who were called to maintain the law in the cultus and its teaching, a more
sacramental function; the sages who, based on that law, were called to give counsel in the
problem of good and evil, particularly to the king, a more social-political function, and the
prophets who were called to defend the law in times of spiritual regress and to renew that law
for times to come, a more homiletical function. The question now is to what degree wisdom can
be connected to these leadership functions. Most often when we think about leadership in the
church we think about the leader as prophet and priest. 22 As the priest as the leader of the
sacramental leads the person before the “face of God” (from below to above, as is emphasized
in Leviticus), and as the prophet as proclaimer relates the words of God to the people (from
above to below, as in Deuteronomy in the prophet Moses), both a vertical movement between
heaven and earth. In contrast the sage brings the person in contact horizontally with him or
herself, with his comings and goings, and with the community he participates in, and with the
entire creation upon which he or she depends, an essentially earthly and earthy movement.
And this is a horizontal connection with a God who is “invisible,” who does not directly
communicates through sacrament and prophecy, but through the common activities of life on a
personal, communal and cosmic plane.23 God works providentially through human
circumstances and choices to bring about His divine decrees. As leader the vertical functions
are often emphasized because they seem more sacred, and are perceived more prominently
because the priest and prophet are called (assigned) and ordained in their positions. The pastor
than is first seen as a “priest – theologian” and as a “prophet – preacher” and recognized that
way in the installation service with the laying on of hands. Though the king as official
functionary on a more horizontal political plane was called and anointed as God’s ambassador
(1 Sam 10:1; 16:13), we do not normally ordain a pastor as king of the church. The pastor, or any
leader, as sage is rarely recognized in the act of ordination, probably because wisdom works on
this horizontal and therefore seemingly less spiritual level. But this is an error, for it is the
pastor as shepherd who works on this horizontal level with men and women who encounter the
forces of evil in daily life. Thus, in the practical exercise of authority, it is this horizontal aspect
that makes or brakes leadership. Throughout the ages, then, the pastor as shepherd (a much
more earthly calling) is the arena where wisdom is absolutely essential. 24
It is in the inter-personal relationships, that leadership fails or succeeds. We must, therefore,
ask ourselves that those entering ministry are not only qualified as priest, but as a wise priest,
not only as a qualified prophet – preacher, but a wise prophet, and when we add the function of
sage tautologically as a wise sage.
The question then is how this quality of being wise is taught in seminary and measured in the
actual ministry? This question is pertinent as well because leaderhip is an important item in the
wisdom literature. 25 We suggest then that in the training for leadership the ethical element as
presented in the wisdom material is strongly emphasized. Ethical and moral acumen is needed
for personal spiritual growth, for the spiritual wellbeing of the community and for a sound
moral approach to life as it unfolds in our present day world. In seminary training, as far as
wisdom is concerned, the issue is first and foremost the moral character of the student. He
needs to learn what it means to live in the fear of the Lord, which means to reflect the moral
character of God. This is beautifully illustrated in Psalm 111 and 112. These acrostical psalms –
of the same length and using for each line consecutive the Hebrew alphabet - are to be read
togethere, as one unit. The man, the woman who fears the Lord loves God’s commandments
(111:10 with 112:1), and so blesses home and community, as much as God blessed and still
blesses His creation. The wise man is a righteous man, and reflects the righteousness of God
which is firm and sure (111:3 with 112:3), the wise woman is a light in darkness and she is
gracious and compassionate as God is gracious as He provides food for the hungry (111:4,5,9
with 112:5,9). The wise leader who is privileged to hand over the precious content of faith can
only do this by embracing the wisdom which comes from God. It is wisdom then, ethical
conduct in harmony with the character of God, which is the primairy prerequisite for
leadership. 26 Not only the vertical spirituality (often a more academic enterprise in training the
priest and prophet in the seminary setting), but this horizontal spirituality is an elementary
requirement for the position of pastor. This spirituality is promised in the opening phrases of
Proverbs (1:1-7), that whosoever seeks with heart and soul this wisdom through the meditation
on proverbial and other wisdom literature will be able to give guidance to self and others. 27
Though wisdom is perceived as a gift, it is a gift that must be developed though the discipline
of study and mentorship both in the classroom and in the field. The first phase of this training
is done under the watchful eye of the parent, the teacher, the mentor and the sage. 28 Thus in
wisdom the gifts are not given either suddenly of fully developed. They grow under strict and
even severe discipline (in older translations the word “punishment” was even used – the rod
which turns the young fool into a learner). In Proverbs this process begins in the home where
the wise father and mother guide the children with loving discipline. The further academic
training, which in wisdom is also a spiritual development, for intellect is but one of the gifts

22
Zie Boersema’s and Mart-Jan Paul’s articles in this book.

23
For a very readable volume about the “hiddenness” of God, see Philip Yancey’s (2000), Reaching for the Invisible
God. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
God grants to the human being, continues this process of character formation. Here other
responsible persons (teachers, mentors, pastors) participate with the parents to train the young
person in the deeper and more problematic issues of theodicee, the great questions of good and
evil as introduced by Job and Ecclesiastes and the Lament Psalms. Here also the maturing
young person learns to shift from self to others. This is important for evangelical circles where
the emphasis on the self and its well-being overshadows the needs in this world (particularly
the greater needs of injuste, poverty, fundamentalism, ecological questions, and a miriad of
other injustices which soils the earth with innocent blood). Wisdom matures from youthful
assurance (Proverbs) to what some have called “holy doubt” as we see this in Job, Ecclesiastes
and prophets like Jeremiah and Habakkuk. Now the student enters a broader field of research
and continious education, also in the rich heritage of the church over these previous 20
centuries in which these issues have been thought through (the good tradition of the church
catholic). Wisdom pleads then for progressive ethical spiritual growth towards adulthood.
This is the pre-requisite which Moses also stated when the leaders of Israel were appointed –
the progression from leadership over 10, 50, then 100, then 1000 communities – but all were
asked to judge with fairness: “And I commanded your judges at that time saying, Hear the causes
between your brothers, and judge righteously between a man and his brother, and the stranger with him.
You shall not respect persons in judgment. You shall hear the small as well as the great. You shall not be
afraid of the face of man, for the judgment is God's.” (Deut 1:16-17). Ultimately this is learned and
measured in real life, wisdom demands life-experience and praxis, though the ground is laid in
the loving home and the formal education where courses in ethics and pastoral care, and where
all courses are taught “in the fear of the Lord” by teachers and mentors who interpret their task
as setting an ethical example and interaction.

24
See Part I in Thomas Oden’s Pastoral Theology and Volume I in Classical Pastoral Care where this metaphore is
expanded upon.

25
Paul House argues that Proverbs is particularly meant for the future leader, the young prince and sage. Proverbs
25-31 in particular is a document to challenge the younger generation to become wise in order to continue the
retoration under king Hezekiah, as descrined in 2 Kings 18-20. House, Paul (1998), Old Testament Theology.
(Downers Grove: IVP Press. 450-453.

26
Shawchuck, Norman (1993), Leading the Congregation: Caring for Yourself while serving Others. Abingdon Press.
In Part I this is underlined, as is the metaphor of the pastor as shepherd.

27
The “vertical” book of the Psalms, the book of prayers, opens with a wisdom psalm, Psalm 1. Those who submit
to the instruction in the law, the commandments, the Torah, is likened to a tree planted by living water. This is the
same thought as the prologue of Proverbs, a “horizontal” book. Those who fear the Lord, those who are like the
righteous man in Psalm 1, will find the tree of life. These two, the vertical and horizontal spiritual directions (prayer
and wisdom) are a tendam and cannot be separated. They both deal with the problem of evil, living a righteous
life in the midst of a fallen and violent world (see the // of Psalm 1 and for instance Proverbs 3:13-18 in the body of
this article). Prayer at times seems to be so emphasized as a key to change that the aspect of wisdom is forgotten.
True spirituality is prayer and wise conduct. To pray without wisdom, or to be wise without prayer is like a one-
legged person. They need to work together, as James the apostle clearly implies in his letter.

28
Brueggemann, The Creative Word.
The Importance of Leadership and Equaility (egalitarian conduct)

Wisdom, as stated before, is a gift and potential for each human being (Proverbs as a whole,
James 1). All are invited to seek wisdom (the theme of Proversb 1-9). Under the older covenant
the function of priest and prophet and king were assigned, thus not all were priests and not all
were prophets and not all were kings (though all were asked to seek wisdom). But under the
new covenant a more egalitarian approach is instituted. Here all believers are called priests,
and all can have a prophetic ministry in proclaiming the gospel, and all are asked to live a life of
wisdom as sons and daughters of God (and thus princes and princesses) in harmony with the
wisdom of Christ, as followers of the Shepherd of all the sheep. This makes the distinction
between the official leader and the laity less distinct, particularly when leadership is interpreted
not only on the basis of the Old Testament functionaries, but interpreted in view of the future
eternal kingdom of heaven. New Testament leadership also needs to be perceived in the light
of the eschatological texts as Galatians 3:26-29 and revelation 1:6; 5:10 and 20:6, where priest
and king flow together. Peter can therefore quote Moses when he speaks that we, the church,
are together “a priestly kingdom (1 Peter 2:9). Authority is less centralized after Pentecost, and
though the NT epistles and Acts speak of elders and bishops who provide leadership (as
shepherds of the flock – Acts 20, 1 Tim 5:17), these epistles are first and foremost directed to all
the saints (Rom 1:7 etc.). Christ is the true head of the church, and particularly in the view of
the free church authority is invested in the church as a systemic body in which all are held
responsible for their ethical conduct. All gifts are to be used for the welbeing of the local church
and the society it serves.29
It is important that in the theology of wisdom no distinction is made between male and female.
Both are gifted, and are asked to seek wisdom, for both are created in the image of God. The son
is addressed in Proverbs, but by implication the daughter is as well, for both father and mother
participate in the spiritual nurture of the child (1:8; 4:3; 6:20: 10:1). 30 Wise women have a place
in leadership positions in ancient Israel (2 Sam. 14:2; Prov 14:1; 31:1), they give advise and judge
(Judges 4 and 5). If wisdom is a fundamental requirement for leadership in the congregation,
then the theology and anthropology of the wisdom books have something to say about who
may lead, and how it should be done. Wisdom gives freedom to the wise woman to have
authority in the fear of the Lord. 31 The debate to what degree and where this authority can be
exercised will undoubtedly continue with various views and opinions, but in the church where
leadership is more defined by the priestly and prophetic functions (classic more male positions,
though the NT calls all believers priests and speaks of profetess) the function of sage (who were
both male and female) needs to be considered as well. Wisdom calls the woman to develop her
God-given talents and follow her calling to exercise these in the community of faith. When
these gifts are pastoral (her theological intellect and linguistic abilities and pastoral caring), and
she is wise, that is, deeply ethical and spiritual as wisdom defines it (upright, merciful and
compassionate, loving) then she should live out her calling joyfully in any church which looks
to the coming kingdom as the pattern for church leadership and conduct. To limit any person
in his or her calling and capacity is against the spirit of wisdom. Particularly in a society where
our daughters can and are encouraged by us to develop their giftedness in all professions
(medicine, law, science, to name a few) it becomes important to reflect how they can serve the
church, not merely in auxiliary functions, but in the official function as priest(ess), prophet(ess)
and sagesses.

The Importance of leadership as leadership that transmits and teaches

Wisdom, particularly in Proverbs, assumes the necessity of transmitting her insight from
generation to generation. The flow is from parent to child, from the older to the younger, from
the sage to the seeker, from the wise to the naive. Wisdom has to do with pedagogy, with
catechism. Wisdom defends that there is a good tradition that should not be lost, but should be
kept and defended and transmitted, even when it accepts that it should be evaluated and
adapted as times and circumstances changes. Wisdom accepts a tradition of previous saints
who lived in the fear of the lord and found practical ways to live out that fear in their worlds.
This gift gathered by the previous generations can not be ignored, it is a precious gift as silver
and gold. Yet, wisdom does not argue for legalism and static application. From generation to
generation we live in a changing world, even when the essential ethical principles remain valid.
Wisdom despises fundamentalism, but rather seeks to find the answer how to live wisely in
this, my contemporary world, without losing that “fear of the Lord.” The pastor, as priest, has
the task to teach and renew the orthodox faith in teaching the faith, the credo, particularly
through the liturgy, and as prophet he is called to defend that faith when the church is sliding
into secularism and apathy. Worship is the celebration of the ancient faith which is renewed
from Sunday to Sunday. But as wise priest, as wise prophet, as wise shepherd, as sage, the
leader is called to seek answers to contemporary issues how that faith must be applied in the
present circumstances. In worship we seek to hold on to the core of our faith, in wisdom we
seek ways to express that faith in real life, in a complex world where good and evil are at war.
Worship sets our feet upon the Rock, wisdom ventures out into a murky world. Worship holds
on to fundamental answers (as expressed for instance in the creeds), wisdom asks herself what
is the best answer and at times the better answer. Wisdom works with human limitation, with
sacred doubt. 32 Wisdom will never give up “the fear of the Lord” but in the task to steer one’s
life through the storms of life, solutions are not always immediate or clear. Wisdom is therefore
flexible, so that Paul can become a Jew to the Jews, and a Roman to the Romans, or that at times
circumcision is helpful, and at other times not (1 Cor 7:18-19, and see Proverbs 26:4 over against
5). The purpose, therefore, of the study and the meditation on the biblical wisdom materials

29
There are of course different views on the issue of authority in the church. Proverbs, though addressed to all,
clearly is concerned in particular with the moral character of the king, the ruler as is clear from e.g. Proverbs 16. In
the more liturgical church indeed the priest is to be a wise priest (see the early example of Gregory the Great’s
Pastoral Care. But not at the cost that the layperson is not called to be wise and in that regard, of equal standing
before God. Likewise, in the Free Church setting all are called to wisdom, though here the specific call for the
leaders to be wise must be defended as well.

30
Waltke, Proverbs, 116-117.

31
See for an opinion Bergant, Dianne (1997), Israel’s Wisdom Literature: A Liberation-Critical Reading.
Minneapolis: Fortress.
(Proverbs, Job and Ecclesiastes, the Song of Solomon, the Sermon on the Mount, James), the
study of extra-biblical wisdom as that of Ben-Sirach and the Wisdom of Solomon and other
Jewish literature, the study of the early wisdom of the church, the wisdom of the church fathers
and mothers, the pursuit of knowledge in theology, and also philosophy and the humanities, all
of these first and foremost argue for the development of character, not academic acument, and
the development to learn to think critically and creatively in the moral and ethical arenas of life.
Even the wisdom of the world, which at times can be wiser than the wisdom of the children of
light (Luke 16:8) may give insight in the enigmas of life, and too often gives more attention to
these crucial issues than occurs in the church (e.g. the issue of war and peace, poverty, ecology,
humanitarian and compassionate conduct, the glory of the arts). The call of Biblical wisdom is
to affirm that good wisdom of the world in the renewing framework of the wisdom manifested
in Christ, as much as the wisdom of Egypt was incorporated in the thirty sayings of the wise in
Proverbs 22:17-24:34.

Wisdom is the ability to be “crafty” (see Prov 1:4 and 8:12, where the Hebrew word means
craftiness, cleverness, inventiveness). Wisdom, for instance, needs to ponder how the believer
lives in a post-modern culture, how its worship prepares the saint to live wisely in a new world,
where still the old ethics of wisdom must be maintained.

In the transmission of faith and tradition wisdom, as stated before, utilizes the gifts God has
granted to each individual. In wisdom gifts are the natural gifts granted to each person, gifts
which need to be nurtured and developed under normal circumstances, though each person has
them in different degrees and measures. In essence, each person has recieved all the gifts which
makes the human being live and play and work meaningfully. These gifts are to be developed
in order to give purpose to the person, to others and to society at large. In wisdom literature as
we know it in Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Job, the Sermon on the Mount and James, gifts are not
“supernatural spiritual gifts” but “natural gifts” which, under the fear of the Lord, are used for
spiritual purposes. To develop one’s natural abilities and talents for the sake of the Kingdom of
God and for the service of the community is to define them as spiritual abilities and talents.
These gifts, therefore, are not suddenly bestowed, but are to be developed through a process of
discipline, as we demonstrated before. Musical abilities, handed out in different measure from
one to the other, need to be nurtured and discipline, by courses in music theory and music
history and hours of practice under the diligent ear of the mentor. Only then can the gifted
student think about giving a concert, and only few will develop into composers of new music.
This is the norm for any discipline, whether the skills are physical, intellectual, spiritual. In all
my years of teaching homiletics the gift of public speaking is never suddenly endowed, but
must be developed through theory and reading and listening and practice. The gift of
communication is not for all and to develop it takes lifelong learning. In fact, those students

32
Wisdom, as horizontal spirituality under the fear of the Lord, accepts human limitations. We do not know all, or
can understand all, or have the answers to the “why” questions. Wisdom relies on the revelation of God, but
knows this too is limited. We are not gods ourselves “knowing good and evil.” This aspect of limitation is also
recognized by post-modern Christian thinkers. See Smith, James K. A. (2006), Who’s Afraid of Postmodernism?
Taking derrida, Lyotard and Foucault to Church. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic. Especially chapter 5.
who think to have the gift often are dismall preachers, who want to preach without the
disciplines of careful exegensis, speech theory, the writing of a manuscript and practice of the
sermon before the actual delivery. They mouth platitudes and their sermons are void of
theological debt and rely upon moralizing the texts. The normative way of wisdom is to begin
as a naive and simple learner, to become a willing learner, and then progress from willing
learner to critical thinker, and from critical thinker to researcher and inventor of new
applications and insight (see the progression in Prov. 1:4-6). The older generation points to this
road and invites the young person to begin this journey (the narrow road Christ advocates).
Therefore, in the church, the focus and goal of our worship and wisdom is the new generation, a
generation which shall not be lost as was the generation in the wilderness. The leader
challenges the young to seek wisdom. Wisdom argues that the key to transmit the faith from
generation to generation is wisdom itself, loved and practiced, perhaps more than transmitting
propositional doctrine.

The importance of Leadership as Wisdom

A final remark. In the history of pastoral training and care from the priestly and prophetic and
wisdom perspectives which saw these three as complementary functions, a change has occurred
since the time of the Enlightenment. This change involves a separation of the wisdom
perspective from the priestly and prophetic. 33 The separation between theology and filosophy,
the modernistic emphasis in scientific research, and particularly the separation of the
psychological from the spiritual has resulted in the perception that the church is not anymore
the center for the care of souls in sickness and death, nor the place for life-guidance and
restoration of relationships. Edward Farley speaks of three phases of ‘narrowing’ of theological
thinking since the early church.

The first narrowing of theology was the result of . . . scientific rigor in its schools. . ..
Accordingly, in the period from the Middle Ages to the eighteenth century, theology
underwent a sea of change from being a practical knowledge of wisdom that attends to
the life of faith to a scholarly enterprise of school-located academics and school-trained
clergy. After this narrowing, academics and clergy, not believers, were the theologians.
Theology’s initial narrowing was from the genre of wisdom to the genre of specialized
knowledge. . .. A second narrowing of theology occurred . . . in the new way of
organizing theology into academic fields, and theology reappeared as one of the fields of
the seminary curriculum. As an academic field, it existed in contrast (and sometimes
competition) with biblical studies, ethics, history, and practical theology. . .. A third
narrowing . . . happened when Protestant churches began to define ministry as a cluster
of distinctive activities of trained professionals. A minister is a minister by way of such
professional skills as counseling, preaching, administering, and educating. . .. Theology,
accordingly, became functionally obsolete.34

Perhaps too somber in his evaluation, nevertheless pastoral tasks have been taken over either by
secular institutions like the hospice movement or para-church organisations as better in
transmitting faith to the new generation, or Christian and other centers majoring in counseling.
It is a reality that the church lost these tasks in part because the more academic and scientific
approaches yielded an enormous amount of data and insight which superceded the capacity
and the calling of the church as a spiritual organism. In other words, the separation between
what is secular and what is sacred has had its impact on the life of the church in the 20th
century. Secular insight, for instance, has contributed much to understanding the process of
terminal illness and dying (palliative care and the hospice movement), and we do not argue
here that these insights are without merit; to the contrary. But the church lost its classic center
of soul care, and tended to think in isolation from these developments. Or, and more
importantly for this article, the modern pastor is asked to be somewhat qualified in so many
areas of knowledge in order to meet the qualifications of a well trained leader (for instance the
study of management in order to lead the church as a CEO) that it becomes virtually impossible
to meet these standards. By becoming substanderdly trained in too many secondary issues the
original professionalism as shepherd of the soul is jeopardized. But this is exactly a prime
reason to major in what, historically, has been the key component for leadership in the church,
to grow in the wisdom as introduced in Scripture and demonstrated in Christ.
The argument here is that the three functions, the priestly, the prophetic and the wisdom
functions again should be fused together in order to train a new generation of wise leaders who
not only are skillful in the vertical skils of being a priest and prophets, but also in the horizontal
skill of being a sage. 35 Wisdom, clearly, has a lot to say about leadership and authority in the
church. Do we need it? Absolutely!

33
See Oden, Thomas (1984), Cure of Souls in the Classical Tradition. Philadelphia: Fortress Press. 31-33, 55. He
observed some time ago that in the modern pastoral care and theology textbooks rarely the great names of the
church were mentioned, names as Gregory the Great, Augustinus, Luther, Calvijn, Baxter etc. Rather, references
were made to modern psychologists as Freud, Jung, Rogers, Fromm, Berne enz. See also Oden’s artikel (1981)
“Recovering Pastoral Care’s Lost Identity” in Aden, Leroy en Ellens, Harold (eds), The Church and Pastoral Care.
Grand Rapids: Baker. Ook Campbell, Alistair, RediscoveringPastoral Care. Philadelphia: Westminster.

34
Edward Farley (20030, Practicing Gospel. Louisville, Westminster John Knox Press. 3-5.

35
Once again we refer to Oden, Thomas (1983), Pastoral Theology. San Francisco: Harper) and the four volumes of
(1994) Classical Pastoral Care. Grand Rapids: Baker.