The 3 myths about pastors

What is a pastor? “The term pastor implies the duties both of instruction and government, of feeding and of ruling the flock of Christ.” (‘A Complete System of Christian Theology: A Concise, Comprehensive, and Systematic View of the Evidences, Doctrines, Morals, and Institutions of Christianity’ Samuel Wakefield) In the simplest of terms it is similar to a shepherd, one who cared for sheep. The Bible uses such imagery; God’s people as sheep, thus it is not a strain to think of pastors as shepherds, in a sense. Shepherds would generally; lead, feed, and protect the sheep. Notice Peter’s exhortation to church leaders, 1 Peter 5:2 (KJV) “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;” surely this shows the comparison of pastor as a shepherd. Paul’s warning to the elders from Ephesus illustrates the same, Acts 20:29 (KJV) “For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.”

No one expected a shepherd to be able to handle every situation that happened with the sheep. There was certain duties and responsibilities that fell on the shepherd, and no more was placed upon them. Pastors are overworked, underappreciated, and have unimaginable expectations placed on them, no other ‘occupation’ or even any other ‘calling’ could uphold. The statistics are staggering, the amount of pastors that are leaving the pastorate, even completely walking away from the ministry. Often the problem is many men are not called into ministry, sadly this is the case sometimes. Other times, the church the pastor serves is unappreciative of the gift the pastor possesses and take for granted what they are called to do. I think the biggest problem that most churches have (and by extension the pastors) are myths that are believed about their pastor. I think there are three common myths pastors are saddled with, often believed by many in their congregations, often manifested in ways, even if not necessarily articulated as such. I think if we would UN-bridle our pastors from these myths, their effectiveness would be noticeable. Here are the three myths I think pastors commonly have to deal with (and sadly there are many others):

Myth #1 ‘Pastors can be everywhere, all the time”

So often we expect our pastors to be at every function, situation, tragedy, birthday, ballgame, church event, etc. “My pastor didn’t even come see me,” the disgruntled patient at the dentist’s office will complain. Somewhere along the way pastors were expected to be everywhere, at once. Many a person has spoken ill of their pastor because their expectations were not meet by the appearance of the pastor. “Sister ‘so-n-so’ was in the hospital and Pastor X didn’t even visit,” has been said in many a pew, over coffee, or on the buzz line (old school: telephone, new school: social media). A pastor has only 24 hours in a day, can be only in one corner of the universe at a time, and has limitations on how fast they can travel (many states have raised the speed limit in recent years, to help pastors avoid damaging their conscious, unconfirmed reports state). If the congregants would realize the limitations of their pastor, in respect to their ability to be places, the pastor would be well served, as well as the church.

Myth #2 ‘Pastors should be able to do everything’

‘Everything’ in this myth is defined in various ways, depending often on church culture, denomination, and individual expectations. Some churches believe there is no limit to what a pastor SHOULD be able to do. The pastor must preach, teach, counsel, sing, juggle, drive the church van, etc. “The pastor should be able to relate to the youth,” often is said, indicating that a pastor must be able to come down to the young people’s level. A grumble is heard because the pastor doesn’t know how to deal with a drug addicted son, can’t solve the Pythagorean Theorem, and/or doesn’t know how to make punch (or throw one, if you are in a MMA church). Pastors are called to be shepherds, as I stated earlier, this leads me to believe that it comes down to leading, feeding, and protecting are the essential activities of the pastor. That he can’t sink a three pointer for the church basketball league seems less than important, at least to me.

Myth #3 “Pastors should know everything’

Of course it’s silly of anyone to believe pastors should know EVERYTHING. They generally don’t expect the pastor to know geometry, algebra, and philosophy (though there have been known situations that a pastor was dismissed for not knowing how to do simple arithmetic, unconfirmed reports state). No, most members only expect the pastor to know every single word of the Bible, every theological argument, and a thorough working knowledge of every heretical doctrine. It is not unusual for church members to expect a pastor to call from memory Numbers 37:5, everything the Holy Spirit is saying to every person, and what God’s will is for every person within a 50 mile radius of the church. Pastors should never hesitate in giving a word of comfort, need time to evaluate the circumstances or evidence, and/or be able to exegete a passage in .07 seconds, it is believed in some circles of Christendom. I believe churches should be thankful their pastor is well studied in God’s Word, and their pastor spends time in prayer seeking the message they need.

CONCLUSION

If you haven’t already noticed, I believe pastors are not (and we shouldn’t expect them to be) omnipresent, omnipotent, or omniscient. God (Father, Son, and Holy Ghost) is the only one we should expect this from, seems obvious, but too often pastors are burdened with omni-qualities they could not posses or even come close to having. Pastoring is a difficult burden to bear, one full of; joy, blessings, and important ministry. We would SERVE our pastors well if we would not put these undue myths upon their backs, giving them more than anyone need bear. Paul’s admonition seems appropriate for us relating to our pastors, Romans 13:7 (NLT) “Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and honor to those who are in authority.”

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