The Difficult, Tiring, Crazy, Important Role of a Pastor in Society
I have been going to church my whole life. My family came to the United States, from Mexico, to start a Spanish speaking church in a high populated Hispanic city. I know first-hand how a church operates. Many people outside of the church may think that a church must not go through difficult situations because of what we stand for. They must think that a church is probably perfect because there is a good pastor in place. Well, how true is this? Well not true at all. I have seen the inside scoop of what a pastor of a church goes through. Division in the church, the pastor turning away from the faith, the pastor having affairs, members who lie and cause problems for the pastor and more. I believe I have heard all of these things happen in a church to a pastor before. Let’s just say, pastors go through everything and sometimes they just can’t take it anymore.
Religion plays a very big role in our society [1]. In this country, we have the freedom to practice whatever religion we would like. There are people who practice a religion, and people who do not. Christianity (Protestants) is the biggest religion in the United States [2]. There are many different churches that represent Christianity. With so many different churches and dominations in the United States, a person must be careful when they are looking for a good church. The pastor of a church is a very important aspect of the church. He has a big role in the eyes of God and the church. However, there are so many pastors who are not following the Bible correctly, their theology is wrong, and many other things are incorrect. That is why a true believer is to be careful when looking for a church.
Each person in society has a certain status. Their status can be many things, and their status determines their role [3]. A very important status in a church is a pastor. I have never heard of the perfect pastor. The only way there could be a perfect pastor is if the world was perfect. The church is made up of people who are not perfect. that pastor of the church must be a leader, a man who loves God and wants to shepherd his people (2 Timothy 4:2; Acts 20:28). He should also be a man of integrity, and a man who is willing to learn from his mistakes. The pastor of the church is an example for the congregation. When the pastor fails, the church suffers with him.
This past year the world of Evangelicals was not ready for a heartbreaking announcement of a famous preacher. Joshua Harris, the former senior pastor of Covenant Life Church in Maryland, shared that he was not a Christian anymore and also announced his divorce [4]. Joshua Harris was a very beloved pastor by the evangelical community. He was known for being a great author and preacher. When the news of his faith were announced, people were astonished and not happy. Joshua Harris, a pastor, someone that loved the Lord all of a sudden changed. The pastor has an important role, and his role affects the society around him. Like Joshua Harris, who was a pastor and his role was to preach, but since his role changed, there was confusion within the Evangelical society.
Many people look up to pastors for help in all kinds of situations. My dad is a pastor and he is always busy. People are always looking to him for help in all different areas. I can tell that it is a very tiring job. Being a pastor is not for everyone, and that is very important to know. There is a man that used to be a pastor, but he saw that God was calling him out of pastoring to do a different kind of job. He is still serving the Lord, but not as a pastor. As Christians, we can serve the Lord in all kinds of ways, and I think that the role of a Christian is to preach the gospel.
The Gospel is the message of Salvation. Jesus Christ came to die for sinners, and if we repent of our sins, we are able to have a relationship with Him (John 3:16). Pastors are to teach that message of the Gospel. A pastor is many times challenged on how he should preach the gospel. The way in which the gospel is preached at a church is how people in society determine where they would like to attend. People’s worldviews are defined by what they hear on Sunday morning. The way in which a pastor represents Jesus is very important. Comfort theology is when a person tells others only the positive or comforting things about the Gospel. They do not want to tell them that they are sinners because that may hurt their feelings. The way in which the Gospel is presented is many times the way in which society responds to it. People don’t like to hear the challenging part of the Gospel, but only the comfort part of it. That is why many churches or pastors like Joel Osteen have such big churches [1].
Joshua Harris was a pastor of a Megachurch. His church is a good church that preaches the Gospel. Many people heard him preach the Gospel many times. When he left his faith, don’t you think people may have questioned their faith as well? I am not sure, but it must have been confusing for many. Albert Mohler has commented on the transition of Joshua Harris with very insightful thoughts. Mohler noted that Harris was a big influencer in the Christian world. Joshua Harris has commented on how his views on marriage, sex, and Scripture have totally shifted. His worldview has changed and his role as a former pastor has affected Christians [5]. For many believers, this news has been a wakeup call of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Joshua Harris, a man whose role as a pastor was to preach the Gospel. I have no idea what it was that made him make this decision of turning away, but I do know that his role as a pastor affected those around him. Scripture is clear that those who are true believers are not able to lose their faith (John 10:28–30; Romans 8:37–39). While this is a difficult topic, we as Christians have the duty of praying to Joshua Harris and his ex-wife, and for those who were affected by him.
Society is made up of statuses and roles, and those statuses and roles describe you as a person. The different statuses of people also affect their roles. For example, the status of a student whose role is to listen, take tests, learn, and more. Just like a status of a pastor whose role is to preach, teach, disciple, help, and much more. That is why religion has been such a big influence in our society. Leaders in different religions are the ones that define what they are going to teach, and what they teach is brought upon society. If we all had the same status, our society would not be able to function properly [1] [3].
John Piper is a very famous pastor and author who has been a very big influence within the Christian community. His pastoral role of preaching has been very positive within Christians. He has a very important role, and that role has attracted many people to the Gospel. Our society’s response to men like him either in a good or bad way. That is why religion is a big factor of our society. I would say that pastors have a lot of pressure on them. Good or bad pastors have a big influence in our society. It is up to us as the people to see how that affects us as a society.
As I mentioned in the beginning, my dad is a pastor. His role is to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Therefore, he has a big role in our society because people may like or dislike what he teaches. I will never forget when we first started the church. There were only like 10 people for the first service. However, as more people heard about us and what we preached, people started to come. Also, since he was a pastor, many people came to him for help. Society looks to pastors for help, they also look to see what they teach. Religion is a very big part of our American culture because people are always searching for answers. Pastors have the hardest job when it comes to religion. They are the face of it, and people come to see what they have to say.
As Christians, we also have a specific role, not just the pastor. We also have the role of spreading the Gospel and making disciples. Although it is not our specific job, we are still called to do so.
[1] Stellway, Richard J. “Religion.” Christian Perspectives on Sociology, edited by Stephen A. Grunlan and Milton Reimer, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2001, pp. 245–263.
[2] “Religion in America: U.S. Religious Data, Demographics and Statistics.” Pew Research Center’s Religion & Public Life Project, 11 May 2015, www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/.
[3] Heddendorf, Russell. “Status and Role.” Christian Perspectives on Sociology, edited by Stephen A. Grunlan and Milton Reimer, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2001, pp. 90–108.
[4] Rogers, Kevin. “Letter Regarding Josh Harris.” Covenant Life Church, 26 July 2019, www.covlife.org/letter-regarding-josh-harris.
[5] Mohler, Albert. “The Tragedy of Joshua Harris: Sobering Thoughts for Evangelicals.” Albert Mohler, 1 Aug. 2019, albertmohler.com/2019/08/01/joshua-harris.
