Rev. Aaron Long: What is a Pastor?
What is a Pastor
Every church has one, some might have multiple, but the question I am addressing today is, what is a pastor? In the modern church we have bastardized and destroyed the concept that many going into the ministry have a false idea of what a pastor is of no fault of their own and this spiral is hurting the church.
To start with let me list a couple of things a pastor is not. A pastor is not a CEO. The church is not a business and anyone who would run a church as such I would have to call their salvation into question. The pastor is not a cult leader. The pastor has authority given to them from God and from the people but their word isn’t law, they are still under the plain reading of scripture and should be held accountable by their congregation to live moral and decent lives and rightly teach and preach the Word of God and administer the sacraments. The pastor isn’t a celebrity. The pastor should never seek for personal advancement or popularity; that’s a good way to tell if someone is legitimately called or not. Jesus must come first in everything, and the pastor should recede as Jesus comes forward.
Well, what is a pastor? Here are a couple of thoughts:
1. The pastor is a shepherd. The pastor is called to look after his flock, to put the seep before everything. The pastor is to seek the lost, heal the broken, lift up the fallen and help carry the weak. The pastor is called to lead, but not in the way the world leads. The pastor is called to lead through example, showing people Jesus. The pastor is called to lead through service, being the first to get out there and help and work and strive for the cause of the gospel and for the visible church.
2. The pastor is a scholar. The pastor should spend time, lots of time, reading. First reading the bible, seeking to understand the scriptures in the Greek and Hebrew that he might be able to deliver the Word of God to the people of God. The pastor should be well verses in biblical counseling, systematic theology, cultural studies and apologetics, being able to teach others and to defend the faith day in and day out.
3. The pastor should be humble. The pastor should remember this is a calling not a job. I tell my ordinands if you wouldn’t do this for free you shouldn’t be doing it (not that churches shouldn’t pay pastors, but money is not the first concern when it comes to calling). The pastor shouldn’t seek after titles, nor claim them as social markers. He shouldn’t try to elevate himself above others at any time. A shepherd that isn’t on the level of his sheep isn’t much of a shepherd.
4. The pastor is a man of prayer. Without prayer all of this is useless. The pastor must be in constant communication with God, not only in public worship and sick calls but also in their own private prayer closets praying their own prayer rule.
I could probably go on and I am sure there are other things you guys might add but we need to remember to love our pastors, respect our pastors, pray for our pastors and promote the cause of Christ in this world.
