Knowing Your Source

In nearly a decade of ministry, I have learned a lot about what pastors and staff are expected to do in churches. What is interesting to me is that often times these expectations differ depending on the culture, location, makeup and history of the church. For a long time, many country pastors were nothing more than hired help that a local group contracted to care for their needs.  Visit them, even when they aren't sick or call on their family to share Jesus with them, so they don't have to do it themselves. They were to have a message each service, but it couldn't be a message that actually caused conviction, or the members would get upset and after all, we can't have convicted and upset members.  But as times have changed and more and more "doers" of God's Word have taken their called places in Pastoral leadership, we are seeing the differences between Pastor and Preacher become clearer and clearer.  In this post, I want to focus in on some things that church members have been relying on their Pastor to do, when he/she isn't equipped or capable of doing it. I call this, "Know Your Source" because it is important to know the source of your power.

The following list contains three things that are impossible for Pastors to do and yet God can handle them with ease.


1) Read Minds: My ministry years are full of amazing God stories and awesome experiences. However, they are also full of regrets and mistakes that have served as opportunities to learn. I remember at a church I was serving in, very early in my ministry, when a member approached me with something I had not done. I told this member that I had no idea this person wanted me to do that to which they replied, "You’re the Pastor, you should have known."  My regret was that I reacted instead of letting God react and I said to this person, 'I'm not a mind reader, you know?"  To which they honestly replied, "Well, you have to be if you're going to be a pastor."

Perhaps what they meant was that I needed to see things coming a little better and I can actually agree that as time has passed, God has gifted me to see the storm before it gets here...sometimes...not always.   Regardless, your pastor cannot tell you what is going to happen. The best they can do is tell you what God has instructed them to do, the direction the church should go and what they think needs to happen to get there.  It's not that the Holy Spirit doesn't guide us (all of us, believers!) but that just as you have a hard time discerning God's voice sometimes, so does your pastor.

The God Answer: God, however, can read your mind.  So if you desire something, God already knows. If you are thinking bad thoughts, God knows that too.  That's why the old hymn tells us to take everything to God in prayer.  God knows what we think, need and even want. Your pastor can't be your God. Let God be your God!

2) Be Everywhere: There is a fancy word for this and it is "omnipresent" which means, be everywhere.  If your pastor has a family, he can't possibly be at your beck and call. Believe it or not, his family is much more important to the success of his pastorate than you are.  That may sting a little, but scripture is clear time and time again that a pastor must have things in order at home and that means he must be with his family. The quantity of time is not nearly as important as the quality of time. So if you really want to call your pastor at 8pm and tell him about your day, but it's not an emergency (defined as something life or death, mind you) it can wait. You should respect him and his family and let them spend time together.

Another consideration is that if your church has deacons and they are biblical (which means they don't "run" the church, they support the helps ministry of the pastor) then you probably have one in which you can call in an emergency. This doesn't mean your pastor can't be called, but call your deacon first and then let him call your pastor if the situation warrants him coming.  It's not that he doesn't care, but unless your church has 35 or less, your pastor can't possibly be at every bedside or front door when someone stubs their toe.

The God Answer: God CAN be everywhere and IS.  Why is it that we are quicker to call our Pastor or Deacon than go to God? God is right there with us and when we need to talk to him, cry out to him or pray God is there and willing to listen and help. He loves us so much more than any human ever could and yet we tend to spend more time calling out for human support than that of our heavenly Father.  God is there the second you need him, so there is no waiting on God.  How often do you talk to God? How often do you listen?

3) Heal Your Pain: When I was a Hospice Chaplain I was surprised at how many believers wanted me to make the pain of losing a loved one go away.  For a while, I took it upon myself to try and make things better.  The fact is, I couldn't and neither can your pastor. What your pastor can do is hold your hand, cry with you and point you in the direction of healing which only comes from our Father.   The same goes with physical pain and while some believe that only the pastor can offer healing prayers to be heard by God, the truth is that all believers have access to God through the Son. The hard truth, beyond that, is that God doesn't always answer those prayers.

The God Answer: The Pastor cannot heal you. He can pray for you and he can encourage you. He can point you to scripture and the promises contained. But he cannot make your pain, whether emotional or physical, go away.  What God does is promise that his grace is sufficient to get you through it, even if He doesn't offer immediate healing. These are the times we must rely on him the most. When my back/neck flares up, I know I must rely on God to get me through it. I take it one minute at a time, which at times feels like hours, and I pray every time. I ask God to heal me and take away my pain. Sometimes He does, but it's only temporary.  Yet I remain thankful that even if I don't get healed on earth, I will be healed when I cross over into Glory Land one day!

There are so many things that we expect our pastor's to do and the truth is, our pastor didn't die on the cross for us, so we must stop holding up to the standard of Christ, in that respect.  I am interested in hearing from you! What are some things you've expected of your Pastor, that were way above his pay-grade?  While you think and share, I must tell you that it is that time once again........Off to the River!

 Chester