"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." I Corinthians 10:31
The great man of God, Robert Murray McCheyne, once famously said, "The greatest need of my people is my personal holiness." That is true of any leader in the service of Christ. I have lived long enough to see the role of a pastor greatly change over my lifetime. Assuming a church did not have other full-time ministries, such as a school or daycare, the pastor, along with his wife and perhaps a church secretary, usually handled most of the day-to-day activities of the ministry. One man could easily pastor 200-300 people with only volunteers to help with things such as music, youth work, outreach, visitation, and maintenance. Perhaps one reason for the shortage of pastors today is that a church of 300 people may have 5-6 pastors on staff. I am not judging that as being wrong; I am just saying it is probably a factor.
My point is this: there was a time when everyone in the church considered one man to be their pastor and primary teacher. Of course, such a pastor would stay busy. He would prepare 3 or more messages a week; he might teach a Sunday School class; he would meet with first-time visitors, contact backsliders, and minister to the sick. He might also lead the choir and the music and play on the church softball team. He would likely conduct several funerals and weddings each month. Most evangelistic pastors had a radio program; some had daily programs that reached thousands of listeners each week. The point is, this one man ministered to a lot of people. For some, he would minister to them almost daily.
But now, things have changed. Most churches of that size, or even smaller, have a much larger staff. We have full-time assistant pastors, youth pastors, outreach pastors, and music and worship leaders. We have full-time media people who help the church reach out online, but they still reach far fewer people than we used to on the radio. Please understand, I am not saying all this is bad. Lord knows, additional help can be a real asset. What I am saying is that the modern pastor has far fewer occasions to be a pastor. We've had young people at the academy who didn't even know their senior pastor; the only minister they knew was their youth pastor. I have talked with adults who will not go to their pastor for counseling because they say they don't really know him. Again, that may work out fine; I am just saying it is different.
Let's add the fact that today, churches are holding fewer services. People used to see their pastors several times a week. Today, many churches just have one service. The net result is that many modern pastors have far less influence over their congregations than I did 50 years ago. Pastors have fewer opportunities to pastor, and that brings me to my message.
I totally understand that the ministry of effective pastors has never rested on a few words from the pulpit; however, in today's church environment, we must do more. If the public is not coming to us, we must find new ways to live the Gospel message out in public. We must seek new ideas to pour our lives out in ministry to those whom God has sent us. We must model Christianity in our lives, in our everyday conversations, and in our dealings with the public.
When we look at Jesus, we find that formal and programmed teaching services accounted for only a small percentage of His teaching ministry. Much of His teaching took place while walking with His disciples and ministering to people He met in the normal course of life. He taught as life happened. However, all those little moments were not little at all. Each one would fit meaningfully into the message our Lord was trying to deliver. Every meeting, every conversation, every quiet minute that Jesus had with someone declared His character and revealed His message.
As pastors, fewer people are hearing our words, and those who do are hearing them less often, so we must give them the opportunity to see faith in our actions. What you say is important, don't misunderstand me, but since you are saying less in front of far fewer people, the way you behave in public might mean more. There is never a time when a pastor is not a pastor. You cannot clock out and set aside your calling at the end of the day. Being a pastor isn't just a job; it's who a person is. When God calls someone to be a pastor, He gives them a shepherd's heart. He is a pastor all the time. It's what he thinks about, what he lives for, and his purpose on earth. It's not possible for him to go home at the end of the day and leave his work behind, as most people can. It is an all-consuming task.
The pastor is on duty twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. He often receives phone calls from morning to evening, and sometimes even in the middle of the night. Most of his home activities are related to the church. Most social calls or relationships are church-related. A large percentage of his conversations with his family involve the church.
I've never claimed to be a great preacher; however, I believe we should have some of the greatest Bible teachers in church history filling our pulpits today. During the last days, the Bible teaches us that a greater illumination of Scripture will be available. Add to that the fact that pastors prepare only one or two sermons a week, so they should have plenty of time to study. Add to that the fact that they often have several other pastors on staff. Add to that having a vast online library of Bible study aids at their disposal. The trouble is, I am having a hard time finding all these great pastors and teachers.
Why is that? In part, it is because of the falling away. You can preach the greatest message since Pentecost, but if no one is willing to listen, it will not accomplish a lot. So, we can blame part of it on the hearers. However, my concern is that there has also been a falling away in the pulpits. So many messages are feel-good and do not minister to people's needs. And why is that? Because in the modern church environment, pastors don't know their people.
Here is the message: these days, people watch more than they listen. Pastors teach by example, whether they hold the door for someone with a disability, argue with an umpire over a bad call, or stop to talk to a homeless person on the street. Pastors should never lower their guard in the name of authenticity or relaxation, only to act in ways that don't reflect their high calling. People learn from how we handle conflict. They learn from the way we handle our finances, from the way we maintain our yards and houses, from our personal appearance, from the way we dress in public, and from the way our children behave when they are young, and live after they become adults.
Pastors sometimes fail, just like everyone else, so people can even learn from how we handle failure, betrayal, false accusations, or personal sin. Scripture holds pastors to a very high standard. Titus 1 and I Timothy 3 outline qualifications for a pastor. In I Peter 5, Peter exhorts pastors to be an example to their flock. Much is expected from a pastor's life; in many ways, their lives are to be observed closely.
That's why Paul emphasized these two areas when writing about the qualifications for pastoral work, saying, "he must be above reproach." We must always be on our toes; at home, at the store, and pumping gas. We must not only act like men of God, but we must also look like men of God.
Have you noticed that most politicians dress up? Why is that? These people never do anything without a well-researched reason. Watch any newscast. The anchors are wearing suits and ties. Why is that? At the same time, visit a typical church, and you might be surprised to see that the guy who looks like an illegal immigrant who just crossed the border and has been hitchhiking in the rain for days is actually the pastor. I believe that at one point, the call for pastors to "dress down" was well-meaning. But in my antiquated, Jurassic-era mind-set, I think it has gone way too far. Suits and ties are not required and dressing casual certainly has its place. However, unless our Lord has prescribed a John the Baptist dress code for your ministry, I think looking sloppy and unkempt in the pulpit is disrespectful of your high calling. After all, you are preaching the Sacred Word of God.
Since when do preachers change their approach to appeal to the lost or the most carnal in the congregation? Since when do we allow the unchurched or the immature to set the direction for anything in the church? It's time for the preachers to look and act like the adults in the room. Stop following the kids and begin showing them proper respect for the Lord's house, the Lord's service, and the Lord's worship. It seems to me that far too many of our young men are followers rather than leaders. They make decisions out of fear of standing alone, personal preferences, a desire to fit in with the world, or perhaps they are just too lazy to get dressed.
A few years ago, one of the budget start-up airlines had its cabin crew wear shorts and polo shirts. They encouraged them to be informal with passengers, thinking people would prefer an easygoing impression of the pilots. They were wrong. What passengers truly wanted from the crew was competence and professionalism. We do not want airline pilots wearing tank-tops and flip-flops. We don't want to see them moonwalking down the aisle or imitating Curly from the Three Stooges. We prefer seeing them act professionally and in uniform. It inspires confidence.
Inspiring confidence. That's what it's all about. Pastors have fewer opportunities to influence others through their words, so they must focus on demonstrating it through their lives. So here is the conclusion: for pastors and ministry leaders, most are preaching less often, and to even fewer people today, so your testimony in and beyond the pulpit is more important than ever.
