What is a Pastor?

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I am always asking that question (consciously or unconscionably). What is my center as a pastor? Am I being true to that center or am I lost in the many duties that amount on my desk or issue from meetings or fill my inbox. I must say that I am not totally sure ...

So, I continue to read books about it and look in the pages of scripture. The two things I read today are: 1 Peter 5 saying that elder/pastors are to offer willing (voluntary, not for gain) oversight ... but not through "domineering over those in your charge but being examples to the flock." So a pastor is called to be an example of life with Christ. Does that mean showing people my life? How do I do that, really do that in the life of a church our size?

That makes me think of a line from Augustine: "What I am for you terrifies me; what I am with you consoles me. For you I am a bishop, but with you I am a Christian. The former is a title of duty, the latter, one of grace. The former is danger, the latter, salvation." In Romans Paul (not talking about elders but all Christians) says "we, who are many, are one body of Christ... we are members one of another." We are all Christians and there is no distinction in that because we are all one body of Christ. Yet, we are different members of the body ...

I also looked back at a Peterson book (my most read source on defining pastor) The Contemplative Pastor and he says in one of the first chapters that a pastor: prays, preaches, and listens. All three of these things require stillness and a sort of holy leisure ... time to listen, time to pray, time to personally struggle over the pages of scripture.

Now Peterson (so we don't think him all idealism) offers a caveat farther on in the book: "I am not contemptuous of running a church, nor do I dismiss its importance. I run a church myself; I have for over twenty years. I try to do it well. But I do it in the same spirit that I, along with my wife, run our house. There are many essential things we routinely do, often (but not always) with joy. But running a house is not what we do. What we do is build a home, develop in marriage, raise children, practice hospitality, pursue lives of work and play. It is reducing pastoral work to institutional duties that I object to, not the duties themselves, which I gladly share with others in the church."

So that is probably enough to think about right now. I am still thinking and reading and praying ...

Comments

N.D. said…
You are a pastor. Thank God for all your listening, praying and preaching. It's not where you draw your salary that makes you a pastor, it's who you are in God.
August 20, 2009 at 4:40 PM
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