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In
August of 2008, I was teaching a Bible study when I came across a
few passages of Scripture associated with what was defined as a
pastor according to God’s Word. Strangely, I had several
conversations on the same subject around that very same week.
Like any good minister of the Gospel, I, too, want to be the best
Pastor I can be to my local congregation. This thought sparked
a series of questions and answers I would raise to myself as well as
a few others.
What is a
successful Pastor? Is it the Pastor who can take a
congregation of 40 and increase it to 400 in two years? Is it
the Pastor who can take a small church with one or two programs and
establish 10 programs that serve the needs of the local church and
community? Is it the Pastor who has a heart for missions and
is able to raise tens of thousands of dollars to feed children,
educate, build homes, dig wells and support a missionary couple?
Slowly, as I
began to remember pastors from years ago, it occurred to me that I
remembered the pastors who most remembered me during childhood.
In short, the Pastors that had a genuine concern for me, knew my
name, knew my family, and frequently joked with me, those were the
ones I have fond memories of. Is it selfish to rate the
quality of a minister in association with such a self-centered
benchmark?
Like most
people, I want to be successful. Growth is usually a tell-tale
sign of success in most any industry; but what about quality of
growth? Does that matter? Suppose I take a small Church of 40
in Nowhere, USA, and in two years take it to 200, 400 or even more.
If I happen to be seated across from one of my Church families in a
restaurant and have no clue who they are until they humbly decide to
speak to me, does that make me a bad Pastor? Perhaps I am
notified of a deacon’s child that has been rushed to the ER, and,
while there, I neglect to recognize and speak to the parents (Church
members) who have also brought their child to the ER. Finally, they
walk over and ask me for prayer when it becomes so obvious that I
haven’t a clue who they are.
There are so many
pastors who DO NOT visit their own congregation, even when invited.
One pastor I know, instead of meeting face to face with members,
uses a web-cam in one room to counsel with members down the hall
from his office. I wonder if “successful”
pastoring has nearly removed any sort of personal contact with hard
working, tithe-paying parishioners. After all, there are too
many things to do instead of making contact with Church members.
In fact, Pastors
are too busy to pray, and some are too busy to have Sunday night
services. Many Churches and pastors are so busy with the Lord’s work
that they have dropped Sunday School. Are we really to busy?
Perhaps we have fallen into the same trap as the world outside the
wall of the church that is too busy to visit family and friends,
have game nights and other get-togethers.
How
you measure success as a pastor will be a debate until the end of
time. I would like to say that, for me, it is the fact that I
can grow close enough to members that I recognize their face no
matter where we meet and discuss their family, problems and personal
victories. I am reminded of the following passage: John
10: 3-4 To him the porter openeth; and the
sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and
leadeth them out. 4And when he putteth forth his own
sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know
his voice. |