I spent 30 minutes on the phone with a pastor from Fresno yesterday. I don't spend a lot of time with other pastors but a phone conversation is pretty easy. You get to avoid the avoid the quirky debate about who will pick up the tab for coffee. There's no temptation to discretely check your cell phone during the conversation. And, you can cut off the conversation at any time by saying that you are close to your intended destination.
He wanted to learn more about our community outreach programs. Specifically, how we feed and clothe our city's hungry and homeless population. Every week, we feed 300 people, give out clothes, and provide toiletries and groceries at our rented downtown facility. We had a great dialogue and I was happy about how it went but, of course, we talked about me and my church the entire time. I love talking about me. Love it. It's one of my core character defects. These conversations are deeply tethered to a sin that many pastors struggle with but neglect to address because it feels like ambition and motivation for “the Kingdom”. In fact, my ego was part one of the reasons that I was fired at my last ministry job. I started believing my own press releases and forgot that He should have been my focus - not me.
That's just one reason that I don't really "fit" in our local pastoral community. A fellow pastor who I met at a conference in San Diego recently shared some of his thoughts about "good" pastors. I can resonate with some of what he said. Important caveat: I don't offer his thoughts as a criticism of others. In fact, I fall into these ministry traps all the time. Below are some of his thoughts.
Pastors LOVE talking about their church with other pastors. I don’t. In my opinion, those conversations are deeply tethered to a sin that many pastors struggle with but neglect to address because it feels like ambition and motivation for “the Kingdom”. Satan’s one-size-fits-all wrench, if you will.
Lots of pastors LOVE to use fluffy, spiritual language and, if they're really good, make people feel pretty dumb. I gave up on this game a long time ago when I found out that all of my colleagues also use "Christianese" to impress others and that everyone was just plagiarizing each other in speech. Turns out, you can’t copyright dialogue and collect royalties.
Good pastors LOVE arguing theology and methodology. This one is much more recent for me. Don’t get me wrong, I still have opinions about things, but the older I get, the more I learn how little I actually know about God. I firmly believe that if my church’s platform to tell people about the the Gospel grows dramatically, it will be in spite of me not because of me. I have to believe this to keep myself submitted wholly to God’s will for my ministry.
Good pastors LOVE using buzz-words like “reformed” and “missional” and “intentional”. Honestly, I am not sure anyone actually knows what those words mean. I am serious, I have heard them used so many times in so many different ways that I am too confused to say them in public anymore. It’s almost like trying to give a speech at the Kremlin using the words you picked up from watching the Russian-translated version of a Tarantino film. Let me take my best shot at defining them…
missional = doing good works for people who, typically, aren't connected to church
reformed = fundamentalist but cooler
intentional = thinking before acting
Finally, good pastors LOVE to frequent Christian bookstores to purchase the latest Christian books. I don’t. On a side note, I avoid going to the local Christian bookstore because people always refer to me as "Pastor Darrin". I hate being called "Pastor Darrin". Why do people do it anyway? I guess it's ok for "Doctor Smith" but I don't run around calling people "engineer Dave" or "lawyer Susan". Christian books usually fall into two categories for me, books I already agree with or books that just make me mad and aren’t helpful. Instead, I like reading books about history or biographies or stuff from classic Christian thinkers or practical books that I can apply to my life immediately. Pastors think it is so cool to tell others about the latest book they have read and when I say “Hmmm, I’ve never heard of that one,” they look at me like they are the cheer squad captains in high school and I am the female tuba player from the marching band who showed up to cheer tryouts.
Those things help me remember my core responsibilities as a Christian (pastor, mechanic, radio host, etc): To love people, to share the Message of Christ, and to make disciples. If I'm not careful, other things can mess everything up.
2010 now just two days away. I'm not a real "resolution" guy but I'm pretty
passionate about a few things I want to see happen in the next 365 days.
1. WRI...
3 comments:
Pastors have a tough job. They have to identify with sinners, but they can’t make any coarse hand gestures or use any swear words. They have to be good sinners. If they are bad sinners they can’t be pastors. I like pastors who slip up every now and again, and are bad sinners. I like them more than I like pastors who are good sinners. I know, we’re supposed to treat everyone with the same amount of deference, but there is something about pastors who are bad sinners that I identify with. Jesus was called a friend of sinners. I don’t think he was ever called a friend of pastors. Here’s a question for you. If a bad sinner sins, is he more sinful than a good sinner who sins? I know you are going to say that “sin is sin.” But that’s a pat answer. If I’m a good sinner, aren’t I closer to God than a bad sinner? Doesn’t a bad sinner have further to go to get to God than a good sinner? Maybe that’s why we allow good sinners to be pastors, they are closer to God. And good sinners don’t embarrass most of us. Their sins are acceptable sins. So pastors who are good sinners do acceptable sins, whereas pastors who are bad sinners do unacceptable sins.
You know? I like Darrin.
Pators do have a tough job. They get called pastor for one! When what they really are is a teacher and mentor. Some can even be friends, depending on their likeability factor.
Yes, I agree that their are acceptable and unacceptable sins. That is what we do. Categorize a level of acceptance based on the amount of hurt it has done to self or others. God though, looks at us and just knows we have sinned. Or maybe I'm way off base and you could help me with that.
In response to your closeness to God, I think that a person is always close to God if they are sinning or not. He is there for us, never leaves us. Now the sinner might not FEEL close to God, and that is when hopefully the Holy Spirit is in overdrive and transforms that person to realize God is there, never left.
Also, in reading specific passages on sin, maybe you could help me understand the difference between sinning against another man, and sinning against God. Either one is not right, but I guess the ultimate sin of denying the Holy Spirit would lead to more sin.
I get what you are saying!
Darrin,
Keep up the good work! Thanks for your willingness to take off your masks and share the real, vulernable you.
Your sermons have been so helpful, especially your tract on recovery. It is comforting to hear God's word, the "real deal" from someone who isn't perfect! LOL
I promise to never refer to you as Pastor Darrin, but simply as Darrin...the man who can run marathons , teach, preach, laugh at himself, breaks things, make mistakes and know that God loves him anyway! Your message is what we in recovery have been searching for. This is the first time in my life that I feel like I have "value". It must be true because I have listened to three different sermons in the last few weeks and each an everyone are different pastors, different locations, different dates and yet each had the same message... I have VALUE! God must be trying to tell me something. Hard to believe after all my mistakes, mishaps and poor decisions God loves me and thinks I have value. I do believe it and I am thankful that God has spoken to men as yourself and put it on their heart to speak of God's love rather than the old "guilt and shame". It is only through that love and acceptance can we recover.
You go Darrin! Go God!
Semper Fi,
Wendy
Post a Comment