PASTORS

In an article for Christianity Today (Friday, April 29, 2022) Glenn Packiam writes,

“Pastors do not hold the place of community esteem they once did. According to Barna’s State of Pastors report (2017), only about one in five Americans thinks of a pastor as very influential in their community, and about one in four doesn’t think they’re very influential or influential at all. The truth is, influential or not, many Americans don’t want to hear what pastors have to say. In 2016, Barna found that only 21 percent of Americans consider pastors to be “very credible” on the “important issues of our day.” Even among those Barna defined as evangelicals, the number only rises to slightly over half. Think about it: Nearly half of American evangelicals don’t see their pastors as being an authoritative voice for navigating current affairs.

In a new study Barna and I did in 2020 for my book The Resilient Pastor, we learned that the picture might be getting worse. Only 23 percent of Americans said they “definitely” see a pastor as a “trustworthy source of wisdom.” Even among Christians, that number only rises to a mere 31 percent. Less than a third of Christians said they “definitely” consider a pastor a “trustworthy source of wisdom.” As you might expect, a mere 4 percent of non-Christians think of pastors in this way. That’s a pretty bleak picture.

Living in a digital age has added further complications. In one sense, the internet has been a great equalizer, disrupting traditional hierarchies of power and granting anyone the access and the potential to amass a following. Anyone can post; anyone can search; anyone can learn. But access to information is a double-edged sword. It does not simply tear down or destabilize existing structures of authority. It creates new ways of establishing authority and gives rise to new authority figures, like Instagram influencers, bloggers, videos, and memes floating around Facebook. And with new “leaders” come new “tribes.” This can lead to the dangerous assumption that all views are equally valid. Each person becomes their own arbiter of religious truth, each doing what is right in their own eyes—or in the eyes of the podcaster they listened to this morning.

It would be tempting to focus on how pastors can regain credibility. There is, of course, a need for that. Taking our vocation seriously means recognizing the weight of our words, the sacred nature of our duties, and the importance of a life of integrity. The declining credibility of pastors is bad news for the church. If we are going to invite anyone to follow us as we follow Christ, we have to work to regain the trust of reluctant followers. It will mean doing the right thing for the right reasons for a really long time.”

In a time of great change in our culture what should churches look for and be aware of as they search for a pastor? The role of a pastor requires multiple gifts. The task is challenging and affects the lives of many people. It is difficult to find candidates who have all the gifts. They may be strong in some and weak in others. Pastors have to have gifts of administration. They must be visionary leaders to fulfill the mission of the church and not just caretakers. They need the gift of friendship and approachability. They need preaching and worship leadership gifts to officiate with dignity at the various public services that take place. They need personal integrity and moral character that inspires trust and confidence. They need the convictions of the Christian Gospel to give substance to their ministry. They include:

1. The supreme authority of Holy Scripture as the source of knowledge of God and the guide to Christian living. This is displayed in making the sermon an exposition of Scripture.
2. The centrality of Jesus Christ as the incarnate Son of God and the Savior of sinful humanity through his substitutionary sacrifice on the Cross and his resurrection.
3. The Lordship and Filling of the Holy Spirit.
4. The need for personal faith, spiritual rebirth and growth in grace.
5. The priority of evangelism and social concern for each Christian and the church as a whole.
6. The importance of Christian community for spiritual nourishment, fellowship, growth and witness.

Then there is the personal style and history of the congregation. Some congregations are more liturgical than others. Some more formal and some more informal. Some more sacramental in their worship than others. I have experienced both emphases and tried to do justice to the value of both. It is my conviction that we need both Word and Sacrament and not one at the expense of the other. In a world of distraction and division we need holy places of reverence to experience the spiritual kingdom of God. The public face of the church is Sunday worship which should be a powerful time of prayer, praise and proclamation of the Gospel of Christ. Leadership of this time should be reverent and Spirit-filled to usher us into the courts of Heaven and to send us out strengthened to serve the Lord in our community.

Let us pray for our church leaders, our pastors, and lay leaders that they may be able to fulfill these awesome responsibilities to the glory of God and the benefit of his people.