Dr. Timothy Tennent: Ringing Three Bells
I know this may sound a bit “old school,” but I love handbell choirs. Growing up in a large United Methodist Church in Atlanta, Georgia in the 60’s and early 70’s was a great experience. Like many large churches of that time period, we had multiple choirs. I had the privilege of singing in the cherub choir, then the carol choir, then the youth choir before they finally realized that I couldn’t sing very well and so I never “graduated” to the adult choir! But, I still love the fact that I had so many choral experiences. I am so glad that Asbury has the “Seminary Singers” after all these years, because I still love hearing choirs sing. But, one of the highlights for me was always the handbell choir. They were like the “elite forces” of the choir. Only those with extraordinary timing could join! I would sit in rapt awe watching each person wield and ring two, three, and sometimes four bells of various sizes and strike them at the exact moment. Since I was never very strong in rhythm it seemed like an “impossible dream” to ever be in a bell choir, because you really had to have a “feel” for the exact moment to ring your bell. It is one of those “dreams” of mine which will have to wait until heaven, but I still love hearing bell choirs.
I share this story because I think it does have an application to contemporary pastoral work. It is challenging (to say the least) to serve as a pastor in the midst of such a conflicted society, with declining moral standards, cultural chaos, and such a fascination with “alternative facts” and “fake news” from every end of the political and social spectrum. Oh, and did I mention the coronavirus? Yes, these are challenging times. To be a good pastor today requires that you strike three “bells” at the exact same time and each with perfect pitch. What are the three “bells” I am referring to. I will call these three “bells” the bells of clarity, courage and compassion.
The first “bell” is the bell of clarity.
To be effective in the pastorate today you must be committed to a high degree of clarity in your messages. You cannot assume that everyone knows what you are talking about. You can no longer assume that people will be satisfied with the kind of pious pablum which is so characteristic of preaching in our day. You must be clear. You must be crystal clear. I am from the “school” of preaching known as “The Big Idea” school. It was pioneered by the late Haddon Robinson. He argued that people can no longer follow the famous “three-point sermon.” Instead, he argued that we should focus on the central idea of the text and just preach the one “big idea.” It really doesn’t matter if you believe in preaching a one-point sermon, or a three-point sermon, the point is this: You must be clear. Vagueness is your enemy.
The second “bell” is the bell of courage.
We are now in a post-Christian cultural setting. Let’s quit pretending that we are still preaching at a time when everyone “was looking for their church home.” Those days are gone, at least for the present. Instead, we are preaching into the face of very stiff cultural winds which are blowing in our face. We have much of the entire entertainment industry standing as a bulwark against our message. We have much of the advertising industry promoting values contrary to Christian values. They are, of course, endless competing messages about human sexuality or identity politics or gun violence or immigration reform and on and on it goes. Our churches are divided about all of these things. If this was not enough, social media creates platforms which can be hurtful and destructive to many in our flocks. All of this swirling around us is like preaching in the midst of a full gale force hurricane. It requires enormous courage to stand your ground as a loyal witness of Christ in the midst of these forces. Yet, we must stand and we must stand courageously. I am convinced that courage is increasingly one of the most important virtues needed in Christian leaders.
The third “bell” is the bell of compassion.
It is too easy to fall into anger or cynicism at all that goes on around us. Your denomination may seem utterly dysfunctional. Your colleagues may be AWOL in terms of any meaningful support of encouragement. Many pastors report that they feel lonely and isolated. It is easy to turn in upon yourself and lose your heart for lost people. I love that one of the key words for compassion in the New Testament means literally, “to have your spleen moved.” The ancient world believed that the spleen was the innermost organ of the human body. So, it is a way of saying (and it is often translated as) being “deeply moved within.” We must never lose our compassion for the world. We must never lose our heart for the lost. We must always ask God to stir within us the chords of his pain as he looks down at a world which has rejected his love. The founder of World Vision famously prayed as he started that amazing ministry, “let my heart be broken with the things that break the heart of God.” This is a powerful and important prayer to pray.
May we learn to ring all three of these bells in such harmony that the clarion call of the gospel might pierce through all the cultural noise so that people will hear and believe the good news of Jesus Christ!
Dr. Tennent,
Such good clarity in your call to us to ring these three bells. Right on! My spleen was moved as I read and said Amen.
In retirement my opportunity to ring these three is a bit different from when I was in assigned ministry, but I see ways I can ring small bells if not the big, booming ones.
I am still blessed by recalling the royal way you and the Seminary treated our class when we celebrated the 50th anniversary of our graduation. Thank you with all my heart and spleen.
Rich heavenly blessings to you as you lead and serve.
John Hawbaker
Class of 1968
Serving in ESL teaching, Advocate for Brethren in Christ World Missions, friendship to local Pakistani Muslims, leading the Missions Committee of our local Brethren in Christ Church, and helping to recruit speakers for Roxbury Holiness Camp Meeting here in PA
I am a graduate of Asbury Seminary. I enjoy receiving the monthly newsletter and view your timely messages. Just this past Friday, I attended the dedication of a beautiful 40 plus foot bell tower erected on the campus of my college alma mater. There was a special moment when the bells rang out the “Halleluiah Chorus.” Your message was well noted and timely for me. Thanks for the truth in “Ringing Three Bells.” God bless you.
Three is a wonderful number!
I understand your thoughts this day. Three sounds like a great number to me.
FANTASTIC article/devotional here – BLESS you! As a campus minister (Morehead, KY) & GRATEFUL Asbury Theological Seminary alumnus (May of ’04) THANKS for reminding me to keep clarity, courage, & compassion at the front end of things with our students, faculty & staff as we re-emerge from Covid-19 conditions of serving those within our campus ministry’s reach! Looking VERY forward to reading your book this summer 🙂