CALL FOR PAPERS
All Brakes, No Gas: Addressing the Erosion of Pastoral Work Ethics
CALL FOR PAPERS
Having recently edited Dysfunction in the Name of Jesus: Confronting the Idolatry of Pastoral Workaholism and with nearly 20 years of pastoral experience, I am a fierce advocate for not loving ministry more than the One who calls and equips us for it. That said, multiple realities can coexist. While pastors are indeed prone to work too much, a growing subculture within ministry now promotes scarcely working at all. Some pastors, it seems, do everything but actually shepherd living, breathing people—who, as we know, can be beautiful one moment and belligerent the next. These individuals may talk a good game (if that), but in reality, they exploit the independence and trust many churches grant them in good faith. It would be convenient to wax poetic and declare that all pastors mean well. But the default setting of depraved human nature ensures that this is not always the case. As the pendulum swings from workaholism to its opposite extreme, this rejection of meaningful, honorable labor poses a serious threat to both the spiritual formation of pastors and the development of the people they are called to serve. Ignoring or excusing this malady only further tarnishes the name of Christ.
Slothfulness—”quiet quitting,” feigned sermon study, or “earning the right to be heard” in the community while actually loafing—is a kind of spiritual Ponzi scheme that cannot be tolerated among the people of God. King David serves as a sobering example. Rather than being at war as he should have been, he remained in the palace, perhaps catching the latest Real Madrid match on a massive, big screen. His idle disobedience—plain laziness, in effect—set the stage for a spiraling chain of sin. Bathsheba, minding her own business, became a victim of his disordered and eventually violent actions, which only grew worse with time. This collection will address these and related concerns, seeking to help the Church and its leaders honor the holistic, weighty work entrusted to them. Acedia is a familiar demon of Church history—especially among clergy. It brings to mind the old adage: “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.” Workaholism among pastors remains a real problem, but Paul also offers a warning in this direction: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat” (2 Thess. 3:10). While reasons vary, public trust in pastors is at an all-time low, and the visible ease with which some pastors neglect their responsibilities sizably contributes to that decline.
Potential contributors might explore, for example, how seminarians struggle with the rigor of graduate theological education or reflect on the youth pastor who sometimes behaves more like a big kid than a mature leader. Another angle could be the misuse of tools like ChatGPT that encourage a disembodied, algorithmic approach to life and ministry. It’s easier than ever to go months without touching a physical Bible or even a piece of paper. Without idolizing papyrus, we must acknowledge that such detachment comes at a cost: you fall out of practice. One day you may find yourself trying to help a new, highly unchurched believer navigate Scripture—table of contents, book-chapter-verse structure, and all—and realize you, too, need a refresher. Teaching others how to open and engage a physical Bible still matters. Another topic worth addressing is how some pastors and churches overcorrected in the post-pandemic era. In our rush to adapt, we may have discarded too much; resulting in lazy sermons, shrink-wrapped ministry devoid of contextual nuance, and a general lack of original thought. Pastoral overwork is clearly incompatible with biblical instruction. But there is also a valid and urgent critique to be made of pastors who take their calling lightly. These essays are intended to make that critique clear.
As a gift to the Church, this collection seeks to offer a corrective model—one that reforms and reframes the pastoral vocation with clarity and grace. The intended audience includes pastors, professors, seminarians, and others interested in the inner workings of pastoral ministry. We will accept 15–20 reflective essays. While these are not meant to be academic treatises, each essay should be rooted in Scripture and written with precision, cultural awareness, vulnerability, and, where appropriate, humor. It is good for your personality and personal stories to show up in the work. The goal is a collection that is accessible to laypeople and deeply meaningful to clergy. All Brakes, No Gas: Addressing the Erosion of Pastoral Work Ethics will be rooted in an evangelical theological framework. Submissions should be at least 2,500 words, but no more than 4,000, cited per The Chicago Manual of Style. Send the essay with a working title and a brief biography/C.V. in Word format by October 15, 2025, for the strongest consideration: jamesellis3@gmail.com