What a pastor should be

In June I will have been a Christian for 24 years, and in that time I have been in many churches due to moves and various other circumstances. I can't imagine trying to sit down and count how many pastors I have been under. Most of the churches I have been in are Baptist, mostly Southern Baptist. We currently attend a Bible church, which I really love. Being there has also shown me what things can be, and should be. I wanted to share some of my thoughts on this, and would love to hear your thoughts and experiences.

A pastor should be approachable. When I was first saved I was in a mega church that had over 1200 in Sunday School each week. Our pastor was relatively new to the area as were many on the staff. I became friends with the pastor and his wife and many of the staff at this church after I was saved. It may have been because of the radical change that overtook my life that made them take notice of me. Though, I'm not really sure why we had this relationship, because he didn't have it with many people. When Gene and I became engaged he agreed to marry us. I later found that this wasn't always the case. Much of the marrying, burying and visiting of the sick, was delegated to others on the staff. Since I wasn't experiencing this, I wasn't really aware of it, until a good friend of mine went to get married a few months after I did. The head pastor didn't "have time" to marry her because of his busy schedule. Looking at this 24 years later, I realize, that isn't how it should be. If your church is so big that the pastor doesn't have time to talk to you, or marry someone within his body, then there are some problems. I don't believe a pastor should do "everything" like in so many churches today. Though I do feel that he should have a relationship with those within his body. People should feel that he is approachable, not needing an appointment with him to just talk about the simplest things. Sadly, in most churches today, the pastor doesn't even know the names of most people within his congregation, much less have a real relationship with them. A lot of this stems from the mega-church mentality and the pastor being a personality (many are treated more like rock stars than pastors).


A pastor should be like a quarterback. I think the body should be viewed more like a an effective football team with the pastor as the quarterback. The quarterback is the leader on the field, giving the players directions, and calling audibles when needed. But, even on a professional football team, the quarterback doesn't call the plays on his own, he has a coaching staff to help him. Within the church, the pastor has the elders to lean on in helping to make decisions and to help in carrying the load. I had never been in a church where I had seen this work well, until I came to our present church. From what I have observed at our present church, no one man runs the show or makes all of the calls. The elders meet, discuss the issue at hand, pray about it, and make the decision together. As I'm not an elder, (nor could I be; just for clarification, I wouldn't think it proper for a woman to be) I've never been in on one of their meetings, but this is how I understand it works. I think it is wise for their to be a multitude of counsel, and no one man to be making the decisions. We are all fallible, and when we pray together, talk things out, and make decisions together, we are less likely to make a mistake.

A pastor should be humble. If a pastor isn't humble, it's going to be really hard for him to take direction, from the elders, and most likely from God. I have seen this played out numerous times. For some reason, today a pastor is viewed almost in the same way the pope is. People put a pastor on a pedestal and say things such as, "He's God's man." Many even tend to view the pastor as "holy." They seem to believe that he has a special, separate and different relationship with God than an "ordinary" believer. Many believe if the pastor says it, it must be so. This couldn't be further from what the scriptures teach. This thought process has sadly caused many pastors to become full of pride and being wise in their own eyes. There is a prevalent thought that because they have been to seminary, that they have a knowledge the "ordinary" person can't have. It takes a great deal of self-restraint and a person who really sees themselves for the sinner they are (that we all are) to be able to withstand the temptation to fall into pride. It works like a vicious cycle, and I'm not completely sure how to break it. Sadly, I know several young men who are going into seminary, and I already see them falling into this trap.

There is also the rock star or personality issue. Today many churches are only known by their pastor. You here it all the time, their is Joel Osteen's church, Rick Warren's church or John MacArthur's church. Some churches even have two campuses with thousands in attendance and the pastor shuttles between the two on a Sunday. In a church that we know of in Baton Rouge, the pastor flies in a helicopter between the two campuses so that he doesn't get caught in traffic. Is this really the picture of an over-shepherd the church teaches about? Is it any wonder that their are issues with pride, when those within the church look upon them as mini-gods? And they do, one thing I have learned is don't mess with a person's pastor. Some have even intimated that if you question a pastor, you are questioning God.

The thought that pastors are above the "ordinary" Christian stems straight from the Catholic church and is one of the things the reformers fought against. Tyndale was burned at the stake for bringing the Bible to the ordinary person so that they could read and study God's word on their own. But, it seems today that people have reverted back to the mindset of just sitting back and letting the pastor tell them what God's word means. They are not taking responsibility for studying out God's word and coming to an understanding of what it truly says. Sadly, most professing Christians don't even know how to use the simplest study tools, in order to study God's word.


A pastor should be interested in others' growth. This post came to mind after a conversation with a friend in which she shared that their pastor wasn't interested in what the Lord was teaching her & her husband. They are on fire, out witnessing and sharing their faith with others. They spend all of their free time either witnessing or in Bible study. When they try to talk to the pastor about what the Lord is showing them, what they are learning, or an experience they have had, he cuts them off. I've seen this happen many times in many different places. I've wondered why this is, and I'm not sure I have an answer. I think so much of all of this comes from the church not fulfilling the role that it was intended to fulfill. The problems with the church of today are too many to go into here, but no doubt that plays a great deal into the role of the pastor being misdirected.

I wish that many pastors would stop worrying so much about their eloquent speech behind the pulpit, and worry about how they interact with those around them. Sadly I've seen many of the people they have affected, and often their negative actions and words cause a persons heart to be hardened against the Lord. It is truly heartbreaking to me to see the results of this. I was a part of one church for a little over a year in which most everyone in it was a homeschooler. Now many of the teens I knew when I was there are in their 20's and very bitter towards how they were treated, and sadly, even towards the truth that was taught. This specific pastor did not live up to these qualifications and his fruit has borne this out. Many have tried to show him these problems, but sadly he will not listen.

There are many qualifications for a pastor, 1 Tim lists these:

The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.
1Tim 3:1-7 ESV

Please do not think that I am down on all pastors, there are many good ones out there. But, I have observed that the church today isn't fulfilling the role that it did during it's conception. I think we should study the scriptures and how the early Christians ministered to each other, what observances they held, and question what we do today. Do we do things because they are scriptural, or tradition? On what criteria are we placing ourselves under a pastor? Is it because our Sunday School class is fun and that's where all of our friends go to church? Is it the socially acceptable church to belong to? Or is their youth group just really cool? I know many who choose their church with little or no thought to the pastor or teaching they'll be receiving. I want to encourage you to examine your place of worship and ask yourself some tough questions. When we begin to ask ourselves the hard questions, it's amazing what the Lord will reveal to us about ourselves.

To close on a positive note, I wanted to share some of my thoughts on our pastor, Jay Anderson. I find it encouraging to be able to talk to him about things of a doctrinal or spiritual nature, and just simple everyday things. To have good discussions and both of us be able to give something to the conversation. Too often a pastor, who's gift is usually teaching, forgets that he can learn from those within his congregation. Every believer has something to offer, if we're walking in the faith, we should each have examples of things the Lord has taught us that we can share. Jay has caught me off guard a couple of times by asking me pointed questions, but I appreciate that so much. I appreciate his humbleness and how he will truly listen to what I'm saying. I also appreciate that he'll challenge me on something ( in a nice way) asking me why I hold my opinions on a certain topic. I have noticed that Jay isn't in front of the church until it is his teaching time. He's usually sitting with his wife and 6 children until he is going to preach, and if he has to be in the front for something before that time, he'll probably have a baby or little one in his arms, which speaks volumes to me. He is a great testimony in serving God & his family, which comes through in his sermons and interactions with others. I also appreciate his transparency as he teaches and the fact that he doesn't give off the impression that he has arrived. I have learned many things through his teaching and his study of God's word comes through in what he shares with us and the way in which he teaches.

I hope that in some way this will challenge your thinking, and cause some self-examination. I have learned many lessons through the school of hard knocks, maybe my experiences can help you make better choices than I did. Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I hope you'll share your thoughts & experiences.