The Knowledge That Transforms
Dallas Willard on Pastors that help form disciples.
Teachers of the Nations
In a room full of pastors and ministry leaders, Dallas Willard once asked a question that was met with silence: “Are any of your churches teaching people how to love your enemies?” He pressed further: “Do you know of a church where they actually teach you how to love your enemies, how to bless those who curse you?”
These were not rhetorical questions. They exposed what Willard believed was a critical failure in contemporary pastoral ministry: the absence of genuine formation in the teachings of Jesus. Pastors preach about loving enemies, but few actually teach people how to do it. We announce the commands of Christ without equipping people to obey them in daily life.
This brings us to the heart of Willard’s vision for pastoral ministry. He described the pastor as a “teacher of the nations,” someone entrusted with helping people learn how to live in the kingdom of God. This vision rests on three foundational responsibilities: proclaiming the kingdom, teaching the kingdom, and manifesting the kingdom.
Proclaiming the kingdom is what we often call preaching. Announcing the good news that God’s rule has come near in Christ. Teaching the kingdom goes further. It means giving practical instruction on the means of spiritual transformation. How does someone actually learn to love their enemies? What practices form us into people who can bless those who curse us? This is the work of equipping disciples with knowledge they can live by.
Manifesting the kingdom completes the pastoral task. The pastor lives out the commands of Christ and demonstrates life in the power of the Spirit. The teaching becomes visible in a life. This is what Willard meant when he told John Ortberg, “The gift you give the church is the person you become.” The three work together: proclamation, instruction, and embodiment.
Why Knowledge Matters
Willard believed pastors carry “the profound responsibility of transmitting comprehensive knowledge about God and His Kingdom to all receptive individuals.” Notice the word knowledge. This matters because Willard was careful to distinguish between belief and knowledge.
You can believe something strongly and still be wrong. Knowledge is different. Knowledge confers authority and responsibility. It gives the pastor the right to direct, to teach, to guide. When a pastor knows how spiritual transformation actually works, they can lead others into it. When they only believe strongly or feel passionate about it, they cannot offer the same stability or direction.
This is why the pastoral task echoes the ministry of Jesus’s disciples. They taught by both word and example. The pastor becomes a custodian of divine wisdom, a spokesperson for Christ, chosen by God to communicate knowledge of His Kingdom through both teaching and the power of personal transformation.
What’s Coming
Starting next week, I’ll begin walking through the 34 recorded lectures Dallas Willard gave in his Spirituality and Ministry Doctor of Ministry course at Fuller Seminary. These lectures contain the core of what Willard taught about pastoral ministry. They are practical, theological, and deeply formative.
Each week, I’ll take one lecture and draw out the insights that matter most for pastors. What does Willard teach about spiritual formation? How does he understand the work of ministry? What does it mean to help people actually live in the kingdom of God?
I’m curious: if someone asked you Willard’s question today, how would you answer? Is your church actually teaching people how to love their enemies, if so, how?