I wrote recently about another fallen pastor. I shared how devastated I was at the news.
I’ve been amazed at some of the rude comments I’ve received. And I love that this is my blog and I can delete them if I want to. It’s like they never read my post about Christians being less mean online.
Seriously, though, some people seem to think pastors are supposed to be super-humans. Sure, pastors are held more responsible in the eyes of God for how we lead in the church, but we aren’t any better—or more equipped—at living a victorious Christian life than any other Christian. It’s all grace. It’s all a work of His Spirit. Apart from Him, I can do nothing. And whenever I stop submitting my will to His will—I fail. Every time. (One guy commented that since I said something like that in my previous post that I must be hiding an affair also. What? I deleted that comment.)
I think the undue pressure on pastors is one of the leading causes of pastor burnout. And, ultimately, complete failure. And granted, much of this is self-induced pressure. I admit that. And no that is not an excuse. Sin is sin. Sin is a horrible offense to a Holy God. All sin. And all have sinned. And fall short of His glory. (That was my last sermon series by the way.)
I received lots of positive feedback also, but, like us pastors often do, I couldn’t get past the few negatives to celebrate all the positives. (I wrote a blog post about this problem some pastors—and others—seem to have.)
So, it led to this post. Just some random thoughts about pastors. Especially those who disappoint you. And me. Because I’ve been disappointed by pastors too. Shoot, I’ve been disappointed in myself.
Let me share a few things you may not know about pastors. Seven things to be exact.
Because I like the number seven.
And let me be clear. I’m not taking this lightly. Sometimes I write in a more light-hearted way to balance the extremes of those who seem to have forgotten how to even smile. And, yes, I think we are to rejoice—find joy—even in the midst of suffering. Because I read that somewhere.
To the contrary. Times like this, when another pastor falls, always remind me of the horribleness of sin. It always causes me to look inward again at my own life. (And that’s never a bad thing to do; “Search me God”—as David prayed.)
But there are some things you need to know about pastors.
Seven truths about pastors who disappoint you:
