Help, The Pastor Doubts!
Visie Magazine Number 40
October 7, 2006

"The pastor doubts" was the headline on nrc.next as if they were saying something new.  Pastors wrestling with their faith is not really a problem.  However, if he doesn't believe in God any more, it is a serious issue.

Do pastors still believe in God? The Inter Church Broadcaster of the Netherlands (IKON) researched this in its 60th anniversary year. The research was done in churches that belong to the organization. What did they find? Sixteen percent of the questioned pastors are not convinced that God exists. They do not know (14%) or they actually deny His existence (2%). Another important question from the research: Do you believe in a God that is personally active in the lives of individuals? 63 percent say ‘yes’. The rest do not believe that.  

Is the church in the Netherlands in a bad way? There is every reason to believe so. The question is to what extent are these developments new.  The research does not say whether unbelief by pastors has increased or decreased in recent years. This particular research did not address that question.  But regardless, it is alarming that a some of the preachers who do not believe any more are still ministers of God’s Word.

 Would it not be better if they resigned their function? In the first place, that is an issue between the preacher and his church. But would it not be better for him to call himself a social worker? Then, in any case, it would be more straightforward. It would also be more honest. In addition, I find pastors who do not believe in God to be a bad advertisement for the Church. They are like a geography teacher that believes the earth to be flat, like I heard someone claim. That would not make for a convincing geography lesson. In the same way the Church is not very convincing if the pastor doesn’t believe.

Then you have the quesiton of pastors who doubt. Or rather shall we say: pastors who experience strong inclinations to doubt. Temptation to doubt is to belief, like night is to day. Every day I can confirm the existence of my wife. It is not so difficult to believe in her. But God does not let Himself be seen every day, and sometimes it appears that He has disappeared out of sight for a longer period of time. It is part of life and belief, therefore, that we sometimes ask ourselves if He is really there and if He still is involved with us. We have a relation with an invisible God, whose ways we cannot fathom. That is difficult, and if He does not make Himself known from time to time and keep me on track, then I don’t know if I could keep going. A pastor who is transparent and open about his own struggles, can offer practical help to others in their wrestling with their own doubts. A pastor who always seems to have it all together from the pulpit, is for me, someone bigger than life that I can’t really relate to.  

The most striking result of the research is that the younger generation of preachers are more solid in their belief in God than the older generation. The researchers suggest that it may have to do with life experience. But I see a stronger truth in the second suggestion: that the new generation of pastors is post-secular, born after the decline of churches and historical social structures. Young preachers choose out of conviction to enter the pastorate, for the very reason that they do believe in God. If that is so, then they should re-do the research when IKON is 75 years old. Then it will be evident if there is hope for the Church.

Arie Kok, Chief Editor