For some reason I’ve been struggling a lot with the idea of being a pastor. Ever since I started school last Fall and began my “Pastoral Ministry” classes I really have started to question the role of “pastor” in church. For a long time now I have known that God has called me into “ministry” and into his service, but I’ve never known exactly what it was. I knew that for awhile I was supposed to be at Multnomah in the “Pastoral Ministry” program, but that never meant I was going to be a pastor. In fact the longer I was in school the more I felt that I might be a “pastor” for a while but that it never was the God intended goal for my life. Recently I have been questioning even more if there should even be such a role as “pastor” in “the church.” Personally I have been struggling so much lately with what the Bible says and what the “Christian” life is all about. I feel that in all I’ve read of the Bible I see a minimal amount of it being followed, obeyed, or even thought about by “Christians.” With that said I am really trying to figure out a few things.
-One: What is God’s call for my life?
-Two: What does following Jesus truly look like? Biblically, not according to other “Christians.”
-Three: What is “Church” really supposed to be like?
I feel that a recent article I read on www.theooze.com answers part of the last question. Read it at http://theooze.com/church/seven-mistakes-every-church-should-avoid/
Here are some bullets from the article.
- Embracing the building
- Misrepresenting the tithe
- Ignoring the poor
- Over-emphasizing the role of the pastor
- Yearning for political power
- Business-minded ecclesiology
- Conversion-focus instead of disciple-making
I am especially connected to 1, 2, 3, and 4. I feel to many churches are stuck on the idea that they must have a building, a pastor, and a tithe. None of these are directly Biblical that I can find. As for the third, I really am struggling with how much God tells us to care for the poor, and how little we do it.
Just some thoughts for now.
Oh Spencer, these are the same questions I’ve really dealt with in the past few years. I’m so thankful to be at a church where these issues are wrestled with regularly – and where we’re challenged to work against traditional church values and instead embrace the biblical picture of what we’re supposed to be about as Christians. Wish you could come do an internship with our pastors. I think you’d be encouraged. Keep living in the tension – I think it’s right where God wants you to be.