The Pastor's Call

I've told this story a lot, so forgive me if you've heard it...but when I was a kid, probably in my early teens, someone asked me if I'd ever thought about becoming a pastor. I laughed and said something like, "I can't imagine doing something so boring." Looking back, I realize I had absolutely no idea what my pastor did during the week. All I really had to go on was what friends and family said about him (and it wasn't always complimentary). What I saw was (a) preaching a long sermon on Sunday (or it seemed long to my teenage brain) and (b) occasionally leading a Bible study in his home (which also seemed to go on a long time). The rest was conjecture, speculation and mostly misguided guessing.

My pastor was a great man. I know that now. If I could be half the man he was, with just some of the passion he possessed, I would be content. I am, in part, the man I am today because of all those "long sermons" I listened to (from the second pew, west side of the church, thank you very much) and the ways he let me serve within the church. (Who lets a high school student direct the children's choir, anyway?) I still can't really say I know what he did every day, but I do know this: he touched a lot of lives for Jesus in the years he served at my home church and others (and on into retirement).

Being a pastor is a sacred calling. It is something to which God calls you, and if God hasn't called you, it will eat you alive. That's exactly what my first senior pastor told me, and I've learned he was right. Seminary did a marvelous job of preparing me for Biblical study, homiletical practice (that's preaching...but I learned these fancy words and have to use them!) and leading worship. It did not prepare me for many of the practical parts of pastoral ministry.

Leading meetings, interpreting denominational squabbles, apologizing for denominational squabbles.

Attending endless meetings.

Learning that many people's beliefs are not based on sound theology but on what the culture they grew up in thought was important.

Wrestling with trying to cause Jesus to become the most important thing in the life of a Christian.

We want Jesus...but we want what we want, too.

Preferences become platitudes, choices become confused with culture, and theology is something that only matters if it backs up our own preconceived thoughts.

A number of years ago, a pastor friend of mine retired early, and when asked why he said, "I'm tired of trying to get Christians to live like Jesus."

The call of God must be strong, or today's pastor will not survive in a world where the church is confused about its role, its place, its own calling in a culture that invites us to worship many sacred cows. The pastor's job is to point people to Jesus, whether they want to see him or not. The call of God on a pastor's life is to direct people toward the divine, to become better than we can be, and to grow more into who we were meant to be.

The call must be strong, or else.

By the way, it may be obvious, but I'm thinking (again) through the meaning of the call. More thoughts in the next blog...