Two pastors. Two very different responses to the same threat. One raised his voice in prophetic opposition to a dangerous policy. The other cautioned quiet from Christians to avoid creating any obstacles to the gospel. This contrast is not merely about tactical disagreement, but reveals something more fundamental about how pastors understand their calling.

A battle recently unfolded in Colorado over HB 25-1312—a bill that would have defined a parent’s refusal to affirm their child’s transgender identity as “child abuse.” In its original form, the bill allows the state to remove children from homes where their parents didn’t support gender transitions.

Pastor Chase Davis responded with prophetic courage. He spoke directly and forcibly to lawmakers, calling them to repent and withdraw their support for the bill. “This is wickedness,” he said plainly, without softening his words to make them more acceptable. But he didn’t stop there. He further urged other pastors to take a stand, rallying Christians across the state to oppose the legislation. Together, their efforts worked. The bill was significantly amended, and its most dangerous provisions were removed.

During this crucial battle, Jeff Baxter, the Next Gen Pastor at Mission Hills Church, took a drastically different approach. While Davis confronted the legislation head-on, Baxter reserved his compassion for those advancing the bill. He spoke in gentle, understanding tones about the lawmakers promoting this devastating policy. He discouraged believers from vigorously opposing the legislation, writing (in a since deleted tweet): “Those laws you oppose are written by the lost.” His harshest warnings were directed not at those directly threatening parental rights but at Christians who dared to speak out against the threat. The implication was clear: opposing this bill might hurt our witness with unbelievers who support it.

Two pastors. Two very different responses to the same threat. One raised his voice in prophetic opposition to a dangerous policy. The other cautioned quiet from Christians to avoid creating any obstacles to the gospel. This contrast is not merely about tactical disagreement, but reveals something more fundamental about how pastors understand their calling.

A Voice to Gather and a Voice to Drive Away

To make sense of this divide, we need to revisit the biblical model of pastoral ministry that John Calvin clearly articulated centuries ago. Calvin recognized that faithful shepherds need two distinct voices to care for God’s people effectively. “The pastor,” he wrote, “needs one voice for gathering the sheep; and another for warding off and driving away wolves and thieves.”^[1] Calvin wasn’t just drawing from personal experience. In scripture, Paul tells Titus that an elder must “hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it” (Titus 1:9).

The gathering voice draws believers toward biblical truth, nourishing them with sound doctrine and pastoral care. It’s gentle, patient, and nurturing—designed to feed the flock and strengthen their faith. This voice teaches the whole counsel of God, builds up the congregation in spiritual maturity, and welcomes sinners to repentance and reconciliation with God. Without this voice, a congregation starves spiritually, lacking the nourishment needed for growth in Christ.

The warning voice serves a different but equally vital function. It sounds the alarm against false teaching, identifies dangers to the flock, and stands prophetically against cultural evils that threaten God’s people. This voice isn’t harsh for harshness’ sake, but clear and courageous when clarity and courage are needed. Paul demonstrated this voice when confronting error in the churches, as did the prophets when calling out injustice and idolatry. Without this voice, wolves enter the fold unchallenged, and the congregation has no protection against harmful influences.

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