"Normal" pastors

I like to read a blog by a fellow named Ron Edmondson, who Sunday was elected the new senior pastor of Immanuel Baptist church in Lexington. He really has a heart for encouraging pastors and his blog posts often reflect that. I think he uniquely understands some of the as he says “pressures, frustrations, and joys” of serving as a senior pastor because he has walked in those shoes. He recently shared a post entitled “10 ‘secrets’ about many senior pastors” that I wanted to share on my blog. While I don’t know how many pastors read my blogs I know many laymen and women do, and just maybe this will help them understand their pastor a little better. I am putting quotation marks around what he says then adding some comments of my own.

Here are 10 “secrets” about many senior pastors:
1. “Leading from this position is overwhelming at times. We know Christ is ultimately in charge, but we also know it often seems everyone looks to us to have all the answers.” While I’m not sure if this pressure is applied by others, if it’s of pastors own making, or just something inherent in the job, I do think this is very real, at least for the pastors I know.
2. “People tell the senior pastor all kinds of things about what is happening in their life or in the lives of others…many we would rather not know sometimes…and sometimes the weight of others problems we carry is enormous.” There is no way for a pastor to get around this. A large part of ministry is tending the sheep that the Lord allows you to serve. This means knowing when they stray, when they are hurt, when they are absent from the flock, etc…
3. “Most pastors walk with a degree of uncertainty, which keeps us in prayer, but also makes us question our abilities at times. It makes depression common for many senior pastors. (Need a Biblical example…see 1 Kings 19)”. I know firsthand that this is real. There are days that I question, ‘Lord, am I really equipped to do this?’ I usually get the answer that no I am not, but He in me is able to do more than I could think or ask.
4. “Many senior pastors fear the possibility of failing in their role, so they thrive on the encouragement and prayers of others.” This is not unique to pastors as I think we all need encouragement. But the weight of being a spiritual overseer of souls is enormous and encouragement always helps to lighten that load. Just today I received an email letting me know how yesterday’s message spoke to her. Little things like that are such a blessing to pastors.
5. “Sometimes we allow insecurity to cause us to become overprotective of our reputation and our position.” I believe this is tied to #4 above. Because there is this real fear of failure, whether it’s failing God or His people, insecurity has a way of creeping into the man of God’s life. Moses would be a prime example of this. God called him to a task that he didn’t think he could fulfill, and so with a fear of failure he expressed his insecurities to God.
6. “We face the same temptations and occasional spiritual dryness as everyone else. This means we need accountability, but are often afraid to seek it.” The prayers of God’s people help during these times of dryness. I think it often is acutely obvious to both pastor and people when this is going on. And when it is, the people of God praying for the man of God can help overcome this.
7. “Our spouse is sometimes the loneliest person in the church and often feels extreme pressure to live up to unrealistic expectations.” While I can’t speak directly to this having never been the “spouse of a pastor” I do know the pressures are real. I’m grateful to serve a people who have placed no expectations on my wife other than to be my wife and the mother of our kids!
8. “Loneliness can exist for all leaders and many pastors suffer from it.” In my own discussions with other pastors I believe this is true though we seldom own up to it. Many pastors have this real fear of showing any weakness in their spiritual armor. So rather than be transparent about feelings of loneliness, pastors get used to the façade of “I’m okay, thanks for asking.”
9. “We seldom know who we can trust, which is why we become guarded and appear hard to get to know. Most senior pastors have been burned by someone they once trusted.” Man is this ever true. I’m thinking of a time when a staff member (at another church) betrayed my trust just weeks after arriving at our church. This lead to my best friend in the church, a man I’d spent countless hours with at his house, our house, the golf course, etc… leaving the church over this. For several years our friendship was not what it should have been, in fact it never got back to where it was.
10. “We suspect the staff, church leaders and congregation sometimes talks about us behind our back.” This is just human nature I suppose... both to suspect that folks talk about you as well as others. I know “roasted preacher” is served often around Baptist tables on Sunday … but to be honest, when pastors get together we’ve been known to eat a little “roasted layman” on occasion (grin).

Granted, Ron makes the point that not every pastor faces all 10 of these. He also rightfully expresses how we senior pastors find great joy in our work. He makes a point at the end of his post that is worth repeating word for word … here it is: “When I share any post like this, however, I have come to expect a lecture on the need to depend on Christ for these issues, which only further demonstrates my points. Senior pastors are to fully rely on Christ’s strength, as is every other believer. This is just a reminder that we happen to also be like Elijah… ‘a man just like us’.” (James 5:17)