Jtcochran

Between a Rock and Hard Place: Concerning Docent Research Group – jtcochran.com

Between a Rock and Hard Place: Concerning Docent Research Group

233 Comments June 8, 2012

Two posts released this last week from Reformation 21 critiquing Docent Research Group . One post was from Carl Trueman whereby he clearly stated his issues and concerns with Docent. The other post, entitled Fire from Docent, was designed to be a satire. This post has conspicuously gone missing from Reformation 21’s blog site, though I have made a pdf of the post that can be viewed here .

In response to Carl Trueman, Jared Wilson wrote a thoughtful reply full of his personal testimony from having worked with Docent Research Group. Wilson does an excellent job of dispelling some of the presuppositions that Trueman made about Docent.

After having read through the three posts, I found myself between a rock and a hard place. What am I to think about Docent, or organizations like Docent?

My perspective akin to Wilson’s is unique. I too worked for Glenn Lucke and participated as a researcher for a Pastor for about half a year with Docent. During that time there were no research captains available to take on a researcher so Glenn was my captain. This experience is unique because I really got to know the brains behind the organization. However, due to life circumstances I had to step down from my research position. Essentially, between new family editions, the birth of my daughter, expanding responsibilities with my work at Dallas Seminary, and a full load of classes, I needed to cut something out of my schedule. Essentially, working for Docent happened to be what needed to be cut out of my schedule.

At the time, it never occurred to me that there would be any sort of ethical issue with working with Docent. I guess you could say that I quite non-discerning or simply just naive. Yet, in every way Glenn presented his organization as a research group. We were not writing sermons. We were not creating manuscripts. We were assisting pastors to find ways to illustrate their thoughts or to do exegetical work for them to review. We were to supply all the possible view on an exegetical scenario and then supply what we thought was the correct one. However, the pastor was always able to review the research and was provided the resource material so that they could check the researcher’s work.

One thought that occurred to me in the process of serving my pastor is how helpful this service can be to a pastor with a small budget. You see, researchers have research tools. I had access to Dallas Seminary’s library. I also have a large personal library and had a large digital library through Accordance Bible Software. A rural pastor who does not have access to such resources, could truly benefit from someone who does have those resources at their disposal. In addition a pastor might learn much about who to read and what to purchase as a result of the researchers work.

Still, Carl Trueman’s thoughts about Docent gave me reason to pause and consider these matters deeply. Right now, I am not in a position to require the service of Docent, nor do I think our lead pastor or any of the other teaching pastors would consider utilizing Docent for the very same reasons that Trueman emphasized. We have quite a resourceful staff of pastors who are able to bounce ideas, thoughts, and insights off of one another. Our church values strong exegesis and protects the perspicuity of scripture. We want our church members to really understand what the text says, what it means, and how it ought to be applied. So overall, I doubt our Church would have a need for such a service.

However, is there a time and place where someone might need a service such as Docent. I am certain of this. I think Docent is an excellent resource for a church planter. In fact, the pastor that I researched for was at the very beginning a of the church plant that God had called him to lead. In such conditions, there is a great need for as much assistance as one can get. In the church planting scenario, it is likely that there is only one staff-member. It is unlikely that there are many people to bounce thoughts off of, though I would encourage a church planter to plant with at least one other elder who has a stake in the plant. Also, the church planter would be quite busy forming new relationships, planning events, counseling, and caring for his family. I remember from my experience with the pastor I was serving, he seemed to be quite strapped for time.

Yet, there are also risks in forming a dependency on a researcher. A church planter should never let the tight schedule of his life encroach on his personal spiritual growth. May it never be that a pastor may go a week without spending some personal time in prayer, scripture, and edifying reading. So my greatest caution to any person utilizing a service like Docent is to be certain that this service will not supplant one’s own spiritual growth.

I appreciate Trueman’s observations, but I would simply not throw out the baby with the bath water, unless you’re willing to toss out other resource categories like “curriculum,” which is the “c-word” to some people, myself included, but that’s a topic for another post. I say let each person determine what is right in his own mind with this one. I may not utilize Docent and I may not utilize a pre-packaged curriculum. Yet, I would never propose the argument that others should not either. I would not be so presumptive as to know the uniqueness of their situation. Though I do not utilize the resources now, that does not mean I have closed the door on utilizing these kinds of resources. There just simply is not a need or urgency to do such at this time.

On a side note, Glenn Lucke has built his organization on solid principles and ethical values. He was very clear about that when he instructed me on how to do research. There were no-no’s to how to perform research, which I valued. If you are in a unique situation, I would heartily recommend this service. As Jared mentioned, it might be a way in which a lone-dog pastor might form a new bond of fellowship and possibly meet his next staff team member.

The Prayer of Faith: Prescribed Privilege, Prophetic Power – Additional Comments

Have We Made Too Much of Grace?

© Jtcochran