The Pressure of the Pastorate
A guest post by my friend Bob Allen, a member of the GCD Writers’ Guild.
Pastoring is hard.
Like super, duper hard.
I've not suffered the physical beatings, mistreatment, and hardship of Paul, but something about his words in 2 Corinthians 11:28 resonates deeply in my heart, "And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches." Our cultural moment, the jumbled mess of our political climate compiled with the overwhelming inequality and prejudices in our nation, feeds my apprehension. When I hit the pause button for a moment to consider how to respond to the flood of agitation drenching people in its rancorous reek, my heart breaks.
Life should not be this way. The sins of the world reverberate through time, never fading but amplifying as they are largely ignored or insufficiently handled.
I get it though, right?
Only the return of Christ will bring an end to our tumultuous times. I'm not proposing any complete answer short of the glorious appearing of our Lord and Savior, but as a pastor, the weight of the moment is particularly burdensome and it rouses my conscience. I find myself consistently on the edge of paralysis from trying to say the "right thing", particularly when the "right thing" feels inadequate. The idea that I can contribute to anyone's understanding of truth feels daunting because I know that my possible addition to the jumbled mass of words on issues like reconciliation, justice, equality, politics, relationships, sexuality, family, church, allegiances, etc. can condescend rather than point people to Jesus.
Let me be clear, the gospel speaks the truest word to us that we can ever hear about these issues, but its feels trite to say, "Well, the gospel is the answer." As true as it may be, people don't want to hear it. And maybe that's the point. Maybe, just maybe that's the truth with which I must come to terms, right?
The gospel divides. It is the clear demarcation between God's people and the world. Those who accept the full message of the gospel, not some watered down prosperity gospel or social gospel or moral therapeutic deism, show themselves to be the people of God. While those who reject the truth of our fallen world, that our current situation stems from a millennia-old choice of a man and a woman in a garden, that the only way out of the chaos is to find peace in the One who came to reconcile mankind to God, those who push aside and deny that truth are condemning themselves to hell. My job as a pastor is to be faithful to the gospel and present it to those around me so they can understand and make an informed decision about it.
This gospel-centric viewpoint over the faults and fractures in our culture doesn't give me a free pass to ignore the issues. Rather, when I speak into them and attempt to bring clarity and understanding, I must do so from a place of honesty and transparency about both the manifestations of sin in this life and the deeper resolution that comes through the cross. People will no doubt kick back against the message, going so far as to call it an oversimplification or a rejection of the "problem", but that doesn't excuse me from my duty to share it.
I'm reminded of Paul's words to his son in the ministry, Timothy:
Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. (2 Tim 2:23-26)
God calls me to be faithful in message, determined in truth, and gentle in presentation. That has to be enough because that is the task assigned to me. The gospel message, that God sent Jesus into the world to redeem from it those who would trust in his righteousness on their behalf, changes people, and not just people who have never heard the gospel.
God wants to reform those who have heard the gospel, who have accepted it. "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Rom. 12:2) Christians are to continually shift, for perpetuity, their focus from the world to God, constantly allowing the Holy Spirit to work in their lives to reshape them into the image of Christ. So, whether you've been a Christian for 5 seconds or 5 decades, the gospel should chisel away any attitude or behavior or mindset that is not Christlike. The process takes time. Becoming conformed to the image of Christ is a life-long task. Some days it comes easily, others not so much. Irrespective of the timetable, long or short, submission to God's plan results in sanctification, progressively reforming the individual into the person God calls them to be.
The pressure I feel as a minister of the gospel stems from wanting to see people give more and more of themselves over to this process of renewal. So I take Paul's words to Timothy to heart; I press on, discharging the duty at hand--sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God.
Soli Deo Gloria
Bob Allen and his wife, Mandy, have two daughters, Lucy and Daisy. They moved to Davenport in the summer of 2017 to serve as the Associate Pastor overseeing Youth, Children, and Young Families at New Life Baptist Church. A member of the GCD Writers Guild, he holds a Masters of Theological Studies with an emphasis in Preaching and Pastoral Ministry from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. His passion for serving pastors has led Bob to serve part-time as Baptist Convention of Iowa’s pastor and church support staff for the southeast region. He has an affinity for good coffee, old dead British authors, and the St. Louis sports scene.
