I’ve been sharing a three-part series over the last few days as an attempt to help us remember the beauty of the Bride of Christ. I have already written on what I love about Jesus and what I love about the church. Here I’ll write on what I love about pastors.
Now, first I’m going to have to define what I mean by “pastor.” Depending on your background, you may think of a stiff, black-coated, stern-looking, long-bearded man who stands up front every Sunday preaching from the Bible. Or you think of a bestselling, stylish celebrity with a beauty-model for a wife.
A pastor, as the Scriptures tell us, is someone who shepherds people in the way of Truth (Jn. 21:16, Acts 20:28, 1 Co. 9:7, 1 Pet. 5:1-2). This includes caring for people, preaching the Word, confronting sin, and much more. Specifically, for the purposes of this post, I am referring either to those who the people of a local church have asked to shepherd them, or those who have nurtured new believers and, by default, have become shepherds.
What I love about pastors is that they love God and they love people.
They are men like you and I—nothing special. But a good pastor has devoted his life to not only becoming one with Christ, but actively helping others become one with Him as well.
Now, maybe you’re asking, “Shouldn’t all Christians be doing that?” Yes, all Christians should be doing that. But a pastor is someone who people have recognized as actively doing it. Because of their character, their leadership, their communication, their faithfulness to Truth, people have asked them to shepherd them. Or, in the case of a church plant, people have responded to their already shepherding.
Pastors demonstrate what it means to serve with little or no recognition. Every disciple of Christ ought to serve regardless of recognition, but pastors do. They pour themselves out in return for very little. Good pastors use their office of overseer as an altar for worshipping God and serving others.
That’s what I love about them.
But let me emphasize again, these are men like you and me. They are not perfect; they tire, they get irritable, they have weaknesses and blind spots just as we do. But as you look at the span of a pastor’s life you will see an abandonment to Jesus Christ and His people. Their flesh always comes under the control of the Spirit of God as they faithfully shepherd His people.
I have been blessed to receive this kind of shepherding from the pastors I have been under. In sharing the above about a good pastor, I am not calling for an ideal impossible for men to live up to, but relating what I have personally seen exemplified in my pastors. I desire to emulate them in my life, regardless of whether I am ever an official “pastor” or not.
When it’s all said and done, a pastor is a servant. And we are all called to be servants. So, we all must learn how to serve well.
But what about when a pastor doesn’t seem to care for people (or have much love for God)?
Many people have been hurt by church leaders and, therefore, struggle to trust them. Even if they weren’t directly hurt, they have been neglected and don’t feel cared for.
The sad reality is there are pastors who use their office as a tool for controlling people, not serving them. They use their authority as a way of feeling significant, not worshipping God.
But don’t we all tend to control people? Don’t we all struggle with insecurity at times and place our identity in our positions or accomplishments and not in Christ? And if pastors are mere men, then why should it surprise when they struggle the same we do?
I don’t say this as an excuse. Scripture is clear that leaders and teachers ought to live blameless lives so they are not disqualified in their attempt to further the Gospel and build-up the church.
But shouldn’t we all take that as a motif for life, not holding only pastors to it?
My observation would be that we too quickly blame our leaders for things we are just as responsible for. Furthermore, when we care about people and serve from a worship of God, our pastors sense it. Even when we face points of disagreement and frustration, could handle things far more humbly and sensitively then we often do.
I believe for many pastors, some of what comes across as controlling to people is not so much that they want to control everybody, but that it’s how leadership was modeled to them. Personally, I have experienced and know of many pastors who, while entirely human, serve undoubtedly from a deep connection with Christ.
So, the challenge facing this generation is:
- Are we dealing with insecurities and finding identity in Christ? We don’t wake up at forty and suddenly feel secure in Christ. What we do now to feel significant and have a sense of identity is quite likely the same thing we’ll do then.
- Are we working through hurts so we can lead and serve best instead of reacting? If we don’t find healing from pain, especially any pain caused by leaders, when we are responsible for leading we will react and take people down a road that isn’t necessarily better, just different. And it could end in just as much pain for others and ourselves.
- Is Christ our sole obsession? We can complain about some of the more peripheral things leaders address in church guidelines all the while completely oblivious to the peripheral things we constantly obsess over. I don’t think anyone has a right to confront anybody’s focus on externals unless they themselves are truly not focused on externals either.
- Do we love Christ’s body? This generation is good at picking apart those responsible for us. But one day we will be the ones responsible for others; do we love them? Or do we just care about our ideas and getting things to work how is most convenient for us?
I love pastors because they love God and they love people. If you are pastor reading this, “Thank you,” for your commitment to Jesus and your service for others.
Let’s become another generation of pastors who people look to and see the same commitment and love. And where there may be weaknesses we see in some leaders, lets grow so that we can learn from them; not just ridiculing.
Without Jesus, the Bride of Christ has no purpose. Without the Bride, Jesus has no reward. Jesus has appointed pastors to keep and nourish His Bride. Let’s honor them, and let’s become faithful ones ourselves.
Question: What do you love about pastors? Share in the comments below.
