On Pastoring

1. Minister to an Audience of One: God's Approval Matters Most

When I stand to preach, whatever the setting, I don’t focus on the pastors or the congregation. I just preach to an audience of One.

Focus on God. Ministry is fundamentally service to God, not a performance for people. While we minister to the congregation, our service must be for God and His glory, not for human approval or felt needs. This perspective shifts the focus from external validation to divine commendation.

Divine resources. True ministry occurs when God's resources meet human needs through loving channels, all for God's glory. We are merely channels, not the source. Recognizing this keeps us humble and ensures God receives the credit when others are helped.

• We serve in God's strength (1 Peter 4:11).
• We speak according to God's Word (1 Peter 4:11).
• The ultimate goal is God's glorification through Jesus Christ (1 Peter 4:11).

Master's approval. Like a pianist playing for his maestro in the balcony, our ultimate aim is the approval of our Master, Christ. Seeking human applause is a distraction. Our identity and worth are in Christ's finished work, not in ministry outcomes or human opinions.

2. Your Life Story is Part of Your Calling

Your life experiences—the good, the bad, and the ugly—are a strategic part of your ministerial call.

God's purposeful design. The unique circumstances of your life are not accidental but are orchestrated by God's providence to prepare you for ministry. Your personal history, including challenges and perceived negatives, equips you to minister to others in specific, powerful ways.

• A pastor without a father can uniquely relate to the fatherless.
• A pastor saved later in life can offer distinct wisdom about the world's temptations and restoration.

Don't compare. Avoid comparing your journey or "testimony" to others. Whether raised in the church or saved from the streets, your story is part of God's grace and plan for your life. God uses weak vessels to display His surpassing power (2 Cor. 4:7).

Trust God's timing. God knows your past, present, and future. He integrates your story into His unfailing purpose for your good and His glory. Don't be discouraged by what you perceive as limitations; trust that God equips those He calls, using every part of your life for His mission.

3. Prioritize Spiritual Health Over Physical or Mental

Physical exercise has its place (unless done out of personal vanity), but God is more concerned with the spiritual health of the inner man than the physical health of the outer man.

Guard the treasure. While physical health is important (our bodies are temples, 1 Cor. 6:19-20), it's secondary to spiritual health. Train yourself for godliness, which holds value for both the present and future life (1 Tim. 4:7-8).

Accountability is vital. Pastors face unique stresses and temptations (sex, money, power). You need godly friends, especially other pastors, for honest conversation, prayer, and accountability. Your wife should be your primary support, but avoid overwhelming her with ministry burdens.

• Ask tough questions: Daily quiet time? Prayer life? Marital faithfulness? Sexual purity? Finances? Reconciliation needs? Secrets?
• Ensure friends ask: "Did you lie in any of your answers?"

Self-watch is essential. Many who fall didn't think it would happen to them. Guard yourself (1 Cor. 10:12-13). Your spiritual progress should be evident to your congregation (1 Tim. 4:15-16). Cultivate your own heart before ministering to others.

4. Godliness Trumps Gifts and Reputation

At this point, people need to know that pastors are godly, not just human.

Beyond humanity. The world already knows pastors are human, often too human, which contributes to distrust. What they need to see is godliness—Christlikeness, humility, faithfulness. Reality TV showing pastors' flaws doesn't help; it provides mud to sling.

Character over charisma. Biblical qualifications for pastors are character-driven (1 Tim. 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9). The only required skill is teaching. Your lifestyle should match your preaching; people shouldn't think you should never leave the pulpit based on your preaching, but never enter it based on your life.

Clean vessels. Usefulness to God isn't about your natural gifts ("gold or silver" vs. "wood or clay") but about your cleanliness. A dirty vessel, no matter how precious, is useless to the Master (2 Tim. 2:20-21). Cleanse yourself from dishonor.

Pursue righteousness. Flee youthful passions, pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with pure-hearted companions (2 Tim. 2:22). Avoid foolish controversies. Be kind, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting gently (2 Tim. 2:24-26). Real pastors prioritize godliness over reputation.

5. Leave a Godly Legacy Through Family

Ultimately, the pastor’s consuming passion is to glorify God in his life and ministry.

Divine assessment. The only assessment that truly counts is the Lord's: "Well done, good and faithful servant" (Matt. 25:21). You can achieve great things in ministry but still be unknown to Christ if you practice lawlessness (Matt. 7:21-23). Discipline yourself to avoid disqualification (1 Cor. 9:24-27).

Family as a mirror. Your relationships, especially with family, provide crucial insight into your blind spots. The legacy your children speak of at your funeral is a powerful indicator of your life's true priorities.

Three family legacy points:

• Loved God unconditionally: Live so your children see your love for God is real, not just a performance. Avoid religious hypocrisy.
• Loved mother unconditionally: Don't have an adulterous affair with your church. Love your wife as Christ loves the church (Eph. 5:25-27). Be a one-woman man.
• Loved me unconditionally: Children are a heritage from the Lord (Ps. 127:3-5). Don't sacrifice them on the altar of ministry. Give them time, care, discipline, affection, and point them to Christ.

Cherish your family. Your family is a gift, not a task. Make loving them a delight, not a duty. A pastor can serve in obscurity but win if he is faithful to his calling and his wife and children respect him.

6. Seek Faithfulness, Not Prominence

I think you want to be somebody. I don’t want to be somebody. I just want to preach. But I think you want to be somebody.

The trap of prominence. The desire to "be somebody" in ministry (measured by church size, speaking schedule, accolades) is a dangerous temptation. Your identity is in Christ's finished work, not your accomplishments (Gal. 6:14). Celebrity is an illusion, especially Christian celebrity, which is spiritual warfare against true ministry.

Faithfulness is the assignment. Ministry is not a career but a stewardship. You are a servant and steward of God's mysteries (1 Cor. 4:1-2). Your requirement is faithfulness—nothing more, nothing less, nothing else.

• Don't measure ministry by numbers or apparent success.
• Prominence and significance are not the same.
• Size and strength are not synonymous.

Depth over breadth. Focus on the depth of your ministry (faithfully preaching, loving your congregation), and trust God to handle the breadth (opportunities, growth). The quest for prominence is a trap that can lead you to climb a ladder leaning against the wrong wall (Prov. 16:18).

Last will be first. Beware of seeking the front of the line (Matt. 19:30). Your concern should be pleasing God, ministering the Word well, and lovingly serving your congregation.

7. Bloom Where God Plants You

If you don’t want to ride the bench, you better just play where the coach puts you.

Present assignment. Many pastors pastor three churches: where they were, where they are, and where they want to be. This leads to unfaithfulness in the present assignment. You cannot go back, and the future is God's. Your only responsibility is the present.

Trust the Coach. God, the Coach, knows your ability and assigns you accordingly (Matt. 25:14-15). He knows what's best for the team. It's a privilege just to be in the game. Don't act like you know better than Him.

Don't neglect the present. Even when you desire to move, pour yourself into your current ministry. Trust that God will move you if and when it's time. Complaining or seeking other opportunities without a clear call is like underperforming on defense to get moved to offense – you might just get benched.

Be thankful. Be thankful for your assigned position. Cheer on teammates, even those in positions you desire. If you don't want to get benched, play faithfully where the Coach puts you.

8. Guard Your Convictions Fiercely

On these issues, you must not sell out. Not for a bigger pulpit. Not for a larger platform. Not for a greater opportunity. Not for a better salary. Not for anything.

Defining convictions. There are core beliefs that define who you are and shape your ministry philosophy. These are not minor issues but fundamental truths that "hold us." Compromising these convictions is sin (Rom. 14:23).

Be clear upfront. When considering a new church, be transparent about your convictions, especially on potentially controversial issues. It's better for a church to reject you based on your beliefs than for you to compromise or for them to discover disagreements later.

Not every hill. Not every issue is worth fighting over. Some positions can be held lightly. Learn to love people, teach the Word patiently (2 Tim. 4:2), and wait for God to change hearts. But for defining convictions, stand firm.

Divine providence. Your ministry assignment is determined by God's providence, not human opinion or whether you compromise your beliefs. Standing firm on biblical convictions, even when rejected, can open doors God intends for you.

9. Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing

Whatever you do when you get to Jacksonville, brother, make sure you guard the bank!

Avoid distractions. Pastoral ministry is full of secondary matters that scream for attention. The urgent can become the enemy of the important. Like thieves setting fires to distract from robbing the bank, minor issues can divert your energy from core responsibilities.

Guard the bank. The "bank" represents the most important things: spreading the gospel, building up saints, glorifying God, the preeminence of Christ, the authority of God's Word, and prayer. Don't invest all your resources protecting the "stables" (minor issues) while the bank is looted.

• Focus on what matters most.
• Guard your life and doctrine.
• Yield to Christ's preeminence.
• Make disciples.
• Preach the Word.
• Let God's Word be the foundation.
• Marinate everything in prayer.

Don't be swayed. Don't let others' agendas hijack your time. Don't use your energy climbing the wrong ladder. Don't run in different directions to please people. Focus on your divine assignment: being a servant of Christ and a steward of God's mysteries, required to be found faithful (1 Cor. 4:1-2).

10. Discern What is Important, Urgent, or Ignorable

The challenge is that things are rarely both important and urgent. This requires wisdom to determine what is important or urgent or ignorable.

Prioritize strategically. Not everything demanding your attention is equally valuable. Develop wisdom to distinguish between:

• Important: Core responsibilities like prayer, Scripture intake, sermon preparation, meaningful family time, discipling. These must be prioritized and guarded.
• Urgent: Pressing matters that may or may not be important, like emails, calls, unexpected problems, or crises. Evaluate if they require your immediate attention or someone else's.
• Ignorable: Things not worth your time or energy, like anonymous complaints, foolish controversies, or issues that will resolve themselves.

Put first things first. Follow the principle from Matthew 6:33: Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Schedule your important priorities first. Guard your devotional time vigilantly.

Be open to God's plan. Urgent matters can sometimes be God's sovereign interruptions. Write your plans in pencil and be ready for God to edit them. Look for His hand in what seems like a disruption.

Develop discernment. Learn to have a "blind eye and a deaf ear" to things not worth engaging. Don't get dragged into conflicts that aren't yours or give attention to issues that don't deserve it. Use your time wisely (Eph. 5:15-16).

11. Recover Your Cutting Edge Through Self-Watch and Help

Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Spiritual coldness is a risk. Even diligent study and preaching don't guarantee spiritual vitality. Pastors can grow cold through familiarity or neglect. Ministry can become mechanical if the heart hardens.

Recognize the signs. Like the prophet who lost his axe head (2 Kings 6:1-7), you can lose your effectiveness. This often happens gradually through negligence. Vigilant self-watch is crucial (1 Tim. 4:16).

Steps to recover:

• Regular self-evaluation: Check your communion with God. Don't be too busy swinging to notice the handle loosening.
• Take a break: If you've lost your edge, stop swinging. Rest, pray, read, think. Reconnect with God, family, and purpose.
• Remember stewardship: Your gifts and opportunities are borrowed. You'll answer to the Owner.
• Ask for help: Don't be too proud. Cry out to God and seek help from godly friends/mentors.
• Examine yourself: Ask "Where did it fall?" Retrace your steps. Wisdom helps you succeed (Eccl. 10:10).

God restores. God can miraculously restore what is lost when you seek Him and examine yourself. Don't write yourself off.

12. Make Haste Slowly When Leading Change

As pastors, we submit to the charge to preach the Word. We even embrace our duty to reprove, rebuke, and exhort. But we often struggle with carrying out these sacred tasks with complete patience and teaching.

Patience and teaching. Leading change requires "complete patience and teaching" (2 Tim. 4:2). Patience is long-suffering with difficult people and circumstances. Teaching explains and exhorts biblical truth, demonstrating confidence in Scripture's sufficiency.

Truth takes time. Biblical truth is a seed to plant, not a weapon to wield. Cultivation takes time; harvest doesn't happen in a hurry. Don't try to make changes too quickly, even if they are biblically sound.

• Teach it. Then wait.
• Teach it again. Then wait.
• Teach. And wait.

Avoid rushing. Aiming too low and trying to get there too fast is a common mistake. Building a healthy church takes time—months, years, decades. Don't confuse building a crowd or a prominent name with nurturing saints to maturity (Eph. 4:13).

Trust the Word's work. True spiritual change happens through faithfully teaching doctrinal truth, not just "casting vision." The Word of God works, but according to God's timetable, not yours.

Last updated: May 10, 2025