“Is a pastor a chaplain or a missionary? Is he to focus on tending people who are already Christians, or on winning more people to a living faith in the Lord Jesus? Is the pastor a coach or care giver? Is he a manager or CEO of an organization or a preacher of God’s word and steward of his sacred mysteries?”
[Harold L. Senkbeil]
The Coffee Peddlar.
That’s the name of our local coffee shop here in smalltown Ohio. It’s the place I have had several meetings to organize church events, meet with prospective members, or prayerfully share Biblical counsel to a soul in need. In other words, at a place named for a bean-juice salesman, I am seeking to be a pastor.
A year-and-a-half is not a long time in pastoral longevity. Yet, that is the time I have accumulated so far. As time has progressed, I have learned a few lessons.
I have learned that pastoring an entire church of all ages is much different than pastoring only students. For instance, instead of cheap pizza and an all-nighter, adults prefer a gift card and a short sermon.
Lesson learned. Check.
But some lessons I am continuing to learn. I am finding out along the way that there are some questions about pastoring that can only be answered through experience. One of those questions that I am beginning to formulate an answer to is this—what is a pastor?
That might sound a bit strange because why would I take a job that I don’t even know how to fully describe? It would be like a plumber not knowing it was his job to repair the leaking pipe, a chef who was not aware that dinner was her responsibility to prepare, or a politician who was not ready to govern in such a way that it benefitted the people he or she represented.
On second thought, ignore that last example.
For many occupations, the answer to what the job “is” can be summed up in a neatly typed, 12-point font paragraph that seems more like an essential formality that no one actually reads. But pastoring is different. It can’t be summed up in a job description because every one of a pastor’s congregants would have a different answer.
Once again, I believe this is a question that can only be answered through experience. For as the days of pastoring mount up, the answer to what a pastor is begins to take shape. And, in many ways, what a pastor is depends upon what he is called to do on that given day.
Some days a pastor is the “email response guy” answering the questions about what time a special event starts that has been published in the bulletin for weeks, announced as many times as that, and shared on social media frequently. On other days, it is sitting in the aforementioned coffee shop taking part in one of the aforementioned meetings. There are moments when prayer is the most important thing on a day’s agenda because a tragic phone call has just been received. There are other moments when it is just you, your Bible, and a plea asking the Lord to give you a sermon that will faithfully relay His Word to His people placed under your care.
To spare you every example, the point is that the answer to what a pastor is depends on the day you ask it. This is unlike a plumber who goes to different houses but finds himself still working with pipes nonetheless whether leaking, gushing, or stopped up. It’s unlike a chef who is preparing food whether it is for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. And it’s unlike a politician because…well, you get the point.
So, the question remains: what is a pastor? There must be an answer of some sort, right? The truth is, I should have started with the Bible in defining this term. Because it is there that the best answer is given.
"Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”
[Acts 20:28]
Did you catch the answer? The Apostle Paul gives it in that verse. Actually, the very word “pastor” is in there. Do you see it? If you didn’t, read these.
“Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.”
[1Peter 5:2-4]
Don’t see “pastor” in there either? Then maybe I should explain. The exact term “pastor” is not found in the Bible. Not specifically. But the title is actually a 14th-century term meaning “one who has care of a flock or herd."[1] In other words, you would know the title “pastor” better by another one, “shepherd.”
And that’s what a pastor is. When I’m answering those emails, I am shepherding that recipient hopefully with grace despite their lack of attention in reading, listening, or following along. When I’m at those meetings, I am shepherding those with me hopefully with wisdom that only God can give from His Word. Whether I am praying or seeking the Lord for another sermon, I am asking the Lord, the “Chief Shepherd” (1 Peter 2:4), to lead me in such a way that I can guide His flock placed under my care to a greater relationship with Him.
In all honesty, I have been tempted to believe at times over the last year-and-a-half that my job should look more like that peddler. Except instead of coffee, I trick my mind into believing that I am a salesman seeking to pitch the Gospel of Jesus in such a creative way that I persuade unbelievers to believe whether they want to or not. On other days, instead of pitching the Gospel, I am pitching my local church and why one believer should come, join, stay, and serve at my church. In a way, sharing the Gospel and encouraging others to serve the Lord can certainly be a part of shepherding but that’s not quite it.
Shepherding is a leading. It is a protecting. It is a slow, day-in-and-day-out process along the spiritual journey of life. Unlike a salesman, the Lord will not bless me on commission but on faithfulness (i.e., Matthew 25:21). The winsomeness of my pitch to the lost on a single day won’t matter nearly as much as the continual gracefulness of my response to His children.
As that peddler focuses on that moment of joy counting his sales for the day, a shepherd has his sights set on his flock—leading them from one moment in this life to the next until they reach their joy together: the eternal presence of the greater Shepherd.
That’s a lesson that’s been worth learning.
And an answer I hope to continue to remind myself of as that year-and-a-half, Lord willing, turns into decades.
Decades of being a pastor.
No comments:
Post a Comment