PASTORS ARE HUMAN TOO
“PASTORS ARE HUMAN TOO – THEY LEARN AS THEY LEAD”
Do you have an unspoken belief that Pastors should be perfect?
That they should have:
Perfect manners
Perfect deportment
Perfect speech
Perfect dress
Perfect marriages
Perfect spouses
Perfect children
Perfect homes
Perfect people skills
Perfect leadership skills
Perfect communication skills
Perfect decision-making skills
Perfect scriptural knowledge
Perfect scriptural understanding
Perfect scriptural interpretation
Perfect scriptural delivery
Perfect timing
Perfect strength
Perfect availability
Perfect energy
Perfect discernment
Perfect sensitivity
Perfect clarity
Perfect solutions
Perfect administrative know-how
Perfect financial know-how
Perfect marketing know-how
Perfect technological know-how
Perfect faith
Perfect wisdom
Perfect joy
Perfect peace
Perfect emotional habits
Perfect sexual habits
Perfect eating habits
Perfect recreational habits
Do you have an unspoken belief that Pastors should be perfect?
Well if you don’t, why do you sometimes act as if they should?
Pastors are human too.
They fight the same battles that you fight and many times on a more intense level because they are on the frontline and the enemy knows that if he can weaken the leader it will weaken the Body; if he can smite the shepherd the sheep will scatter.
Pastors are human too.
Just like you, they are on a spiritual journey of becoming more and more like Christ and growing in the things of God. They are ahead of you in some areas, and behind you in others. At times you stumble and fall along the way. At times they stumble and fall along the way.
A key difference though is that your journey and process is more private and theirs is more public. When you stumble and fall, you have the option to metaphorically “drop the curtain” and hide to heal, but when they fall short, most times their role demands that they stay on stage in the spot light and lead while they bleed………this is not easy!
Pastors are human too.
Like you, at times they get tired and frustrated, don’t exercise sufficient self-control, wonder if God is hearing their prayers, battle insecurity, are overcome by a sense of failure, have spiritually dry seasons, make poor parenting decisions, neglect their spouses, make poor health choices, mismanage finances, succumb to sexual temptation, and at times, because of the weight and pressure of the responsibility of leading and caring for God’s people, they just want to quit and walk away from it all……but God!
Pastors are human too.
They are simply people called and anointed by God to feed, nourish, care for, develop and lead His people, the Church, and let’s be honest, with the complex mixture of ages, races, personalities, backgrounds, cultures, experiences, mindsets, and expectations in the Church, this is not an easy task……..but God!
Pastors are not perfect.
If you search the scriptures, you will find that there was, is, and will only be one perfect leader, the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ.
All other leaders are on a continuum heading toward completion and maturity.
For even as great a leader as the Apostle Paul was, he admonished the Corinthian church to follow Him as he followed Christ (I Corinthians 11:1), not just to follow him.
In other words, if I in my humanness behave in a manner that is not of Christ, do not follow me. Only follow me as I follow Christ.
I believe it would do us well in the 21st century Church to adopt this same sage advice and posture toward Pastors.
Pastors are human too.
Instead of placing them on some unrealistic infallible spiritual pedestal, let’s recognize this and follow them as they follow Christ, praying for, supporting and encouraging them along the way.
And when they do fall short in some way, by God’s grace let’s focus on helping them move to a place of healing and restoration and not fall into the enemy’s trap of destructive vilification.
Pastors are human too.
Selah!
Kim
Copyright © 2013 by Kim Sweeting, Author of “Unwalled” Blog, All rights reserved.
Image “LEARD AND LEAD CROSSWORD PUZZLE” by David Castillo Dominici courtesy of www.FreeDigitalPhotos.net
SELAH! Thank you. Date: Fri, 1 Feb 2013 20:22:41 +0000 To: p_rickdean@hotmail.com
By: RICK DEAN on February 1, 2013
at 6:22 pm
You’re welcome Apostle and yes,SELAH!…..it’s time for the Church to be real and recognize Pastors are humans too and learn to deal with it God’s way……it is what it is…:)
By: Kim on February 1, 2013
at 6:36 pm
I think things are harder on pastors, especially if they are isolated from good fellowship. I know in some churches I’ve been in, the pastor is elevated so that, while he may give spiritual advice and council, he doesn’t always have someone to go to himself. Great post. We all need to support and uplift our pastors.
By: David Stewart on February 3, 2013
at 8:05 am
Thanks David!…Pastors need a pastor too…..:)and our encouragement and support.
By: Kim on February 3, 2013
at 10:50 pm