Eugene Peterson employs a trigonometric metaphor to give shape to pastoral ministry: three “essential acts of ministry” form the angles of a triangle:
“Three pastoral acts are so basic, so critical, that they determine the shape of everything else. The acts are praying, reading Scripture, and giving spiritual direction… I see these three essential acts of ministry as the angles of a triangle. Most of what we see in a triangle is lines. The lines come in various proportions to each other but what determines the proportions and the shape of the whole are the angles. The visible lines of pastoral work are preaching, teaching, and administration. The small angles of this ministry are prayer, Scripture, and spiritual direction. The length and proportions of the ministry ‘lines’ are variable, fitting numerous circumstances and accommodating a wide range of pastoral gifts. If, though, the lines are disconnected from the angles and drawn willfully or at random, they no longer make a triangle. Pastoral work disconnected from the angle actions- the acts of attention to God in relation to myself, the biblical communities of Israel and church, the other person- is no longer given its shape by God. Working the angles is what gives shape and integrity to the daily work of pastors and priests.”
(Working the Angles, pp. 3-5.)
The “angles” (according to Peterson, the most essential aspects of pastoral ministry) are among the most neglected aspects of pastoral work. It’s possible for a pastor to carry out a “successful” ministry in the eyes of his church and the public without attending to prayer, Scripture, and spiritual direction. “I don’t know of any other profession in which it is quite as easy to fake it as in ours,” Peterson says. Yet apart from these, the pastor is not fulfilling the calling of his office.
Jacob G. Hanby 