The pastor is our shepherd and the servant of God. Too often the congregation gets that confused. Here are 9 things I want in my pastor. I want my pastor to:
1. Teach me HOW to think about God more than I want him to show me WHAT to think. Plato said the great teachers awaken the teacher in the pupil who then instructs himself for the rest of his life. My pastor is not responsible for my spiritual health any more than my doctor is responsible for my physical well-being. Each guides, but the ultimate responsibility is mine.
2. Be a spiritual dietician, helping me to develop a spiritual plan uniquely suited to my gifts, opportunities, and situation. I don’t have devotional times anymore --- I have “feeding times.” I want my pastor to develop my eating habits to grow strong.
3. Remind me he isn’t my agent, hired to negotiate a better deal with God than I can get directly. I don’t want him to be my “hired pray-er” because he has better access.
4. Let me be myself around him so he can be himself around me. The “pastoral image” robs each of us. The reality of relationship allows us to avoid alienation and isolation which is so prevalent among pastors.
5. Maintain spiritual vitality. I want him to be a candle in the darkness. I want his walk with God to be honest and active --- I don’t want him piggybacking on somebody else’s faith.
6. Know truth, not just Bible stories. I want him to understand the spirit of the Law, not just the Law. Just as information is not knowledge, and knowledge is not wisdom, so facts and word studies do not complete the truth of revelation.
7. Demonstrate humility. I want him to be humble, not just act humble. Our son, Fred, gave me a good definition of humility: “Accepting your strength with gratitude.” I have always liked this definition: “Humility is not denying the power, but admitting it comes through you and not from you.”
8. Form community within the local church. We live and work in fractured environments. It is such a relief to go into a group of believers and feel the fellowship of community. A healthy church depends on healthy community.
9. Be a resource. I want my pastor to be current enough to identify trends that directly affect my Christian thinking. He can demonstrate hope and bring encouragement. After a particularly dire message by Paul Harvey at one of the Laymen’s Leadership Institute meetings in the 1960s, Dr. Louis Evans, Sr. immediately followed. Without preface he said, “Kruschev, take your fist down! Your arms are too short to fight with God!” That’s resourceful reassurance.
Chad Schapiro
