In response to Ben’s post all I would like to say is—ditto.
Just kidding.
Taking on this subject before the election, Ben pretty much covered the gamut. With that said, I want to focus on a word and a title that Ben used over and over again—pastor.
If you are part of a church you are familiar with that title; if not, you may rarely run into such a word. A pastor is one who primarily speaks from the pulpit of a church, but what does such a title actually mean in light of Ben’s post?
A professor of mine in college once told a story of sitting in a leadership meeting at a church he had just been called to pastor. He sat at the table along with the other leaders and the meeting began and ended without one single word or request for his opinion or thoughts on any of the matters that were discussed. At the very end of the meeting they finally asked if he had anything to add. His only response was: “I’m a little confused. Did you call me to be a pastor or just a preacher?” Unbeknownst to those other men my professor believed there to be a difference between the two. The following poem may help define the roles:
A preacher preaches sermons,
A pastor shares his heart;
A preacher watches others,
A pastor does his part.
A preacher’s unaffected by what he sees around him,
A pastor weeps and rejoices right alongside them.
A preacher is there to do his thing and nothing more,
A pastor is there to love and guide always with an open door.
A preacher can come and go unscathed,
A pastor can’t help but bear the weight.
A preacher is doing a job that he is called to do,
A pastor is part of a family that he belongs to.
I realize this may seem like mere semantics (and maybe it is) but consider even the titles themselves—a preacher is known for the message they preach, a pastor is known for the hearts for which they care. With that in mind, I believe had Ben merely been speaking of a preacher blatant politics from the pulpit wouldn’t necessarily be restrained. A good pastor, on the other hand, chooses his words wisely from the pulpit because his heart seeks to be like Christ—”full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). This balance is many times hard to strike but always sought as Jesus exemplified (e.g. John 8:10-11).
Truth alone, from politics to Biblical expository, might make one a preacher or a sought orator; but truth from God’s Word balanced with grace for its hearers makes a pastor. And even when a pastor seeks that balance on a political issue, the message is not a partisan soapbox or a pandering rabbit trail, but as Ben said, “sermons rooted in a biblical text.” Because, unlike the preacher, this pastor knows—the Bible is sufficient to speak for itself to the church that he loves no matter the issue.
Just kidding.
Taking on this subject before the election, Ben pretty much covered the gamut. With that said, I want to focus on a word and a title that Ben used over and over again—pastor.
If you are part of a church you are familiar with that title; if not, you may rarely run into such a word. A pastor is one who primarily speaks from the pulpit of a church, but what does such a title actually mean in light of Ben’s post?
A professor of mine in college once told a story of sitting in a leadership meeting at a church he had just been called to pastor. He sat at the table along with the other leaders and the meeting began and ended without one single word or request for his opinion or thoughts on any of the matters that were discussed. At the very end of the meeting they finally asked if he had anything to add. His only response was: “I’m a little confused. Did you call me to be a pastor or just a preacher?” Unbeknownst to those other men my professor believed there to be a difference between the two. The following poem may help define the roles:
A preacher preaches sermons,
A pastor shares his heart;
A preacher watches others,
A pastor does his part.
A preacher’s unaffected by what he sees around him,
A pastor weeps and rejoices right alongside them.
A preacher is there to do his thing and nothing more,
A pastor is there to love and guide always with an open door.
A preacher can come and go unscathed,
A pastor can’t help but bear the weight.
A preacher is doing a job that he is called to do,
A pastor is part of a family that he belongs to.
I realize this may seem like mere semantics (and maybe it is) but consider even the titles themselves—a preacher is known for the message they preach, a pastor is known for the hearts for which they care. With that in mind, I believe had Ben merely been speaking of a preacher blatant politics from the pulpit wouldn’t necessarily be restrained. A good pastor, on the other hand, chooses his words wisely from the pulpit because his heart seeks to be like Christ—”full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). This balance is many times hard to strike but always sought as Jesus exemplified (e.g. John 8:10-11).
Truth alone, from politics to Biblical expository, might make one a preacher or a sought orator; but truth from God’s Word balanced with grace for its hearers makes a pastor. And even when a pastor seeks that balance on a political issue, the message is not a partisan soapbox or a pandering rabbit trail, but as Ben said, “sermons rooted in a biblical text.” Because, unlike the preacher, this pastor knows—the Bible is sufficient to speak for itself to the church that he loves no matter the issue.
No comments:
Post a Comment