Tuesday
May202003
Pastors
Tuesday, May 20, 2003 at 3:51PM
Of all the ideas expressed in last week's discussion on the church, the most troubling for me were some that talked about pastors. I am one, so I suppose it's easy for me to get defensive, but the problem wasn't that the comments were unfair. The problem for me was that many of them rang very true. Some people said or implied that pastors are on a power trip, that they claim to be God's spokespeople, that they are insecure, and so on. I know many fine pastors, but it's true - we're all a bundle of insecurities and mixed motives. The smart ones among us know it, but there are enough of us who don't that it can be scary. I wanted to shout last week, "But they mean well!" but the reality is that everyone means well. It didn't seem like enough of an excuse. This isn't to say every pastor out there is bad. I know many who aren't. But of all the problems in the church - self-absorption, an over-reliance on programs, a drivenness to be "successful", bad use of money - I'm most concerned by this issue. The other issues can be resolved, but they won't be without the wrong type of pastor trying to lead in wrong and unhealthy ways. Talk to me. Am I being too hard on pastors? Why were pastors seen as more of a problem than part of the solution in last week's discussion? What advice would you give a pastor on being the right type of servant in today's church? Is there a role for pastors, for leaders who "watch over your souls" and who "know they are accountable to God" (Hebrews 13:17)? Or do we need a new understanding of church leadership, for lack of a better term?
Reader Comments (3)
The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Are ministers really trained appropriately? I mean in seminary. Do you learn much that counts in the day to day? And when you lead a church, who takes care of you guys? You are insulated, isolated....who takes care of the caretakers?
Man, it must be tough not to take comments/criticism/stories about pastors (in general/or specifics about others) to heart all the time! I don't know if I really took the comments about leaving "church" mainly as a criticism of pastors, but of the way things are set up in general. What it comes back to for me is, is today's role of "pastor" biblical? When I say this, I'm not focussing on attacking pastors like yourself, I honestly wonder if it's fair for people to be put in such a position. Too much is expected of them and all too often they fail. Pastors are often one-man-bands. I read in the NT that everyone has a part to play when we get together -- and all for the common good of building up one another. The laity/clergy split also doesn't seem to be found in the NT -- we're all ministers of God's grace. We've all been given gifts and strengths. At the same time, leadership in and of itself isn't what I have concerns with -- I liked Leighton's thoughts on this topic. What do you think?
Hey Rachel: That helps. It's one of those cases of "Everything you've heard has been wrong." I'm finding people like Eugene Peterson and Henri Nouwen refreshing - much better than the the CEO/savior model of pastoring. I'm also re-reading The Younger Evangelicals - it has some good stuff in there. Lots of growth going on here...