Pastoring a church can be a challenging trek in many ways. The challenges sometimes are not so obvious. It is easy to see such things
as when your authority as a leader is challenged or when financial pressures challenge your ability to fulfill the vision of your church. But
there are challenges you need to be aware of and be cautious towards that are subtle and hold great potential for destruction. One of
those challenges is the subject of this instruction, and it has to do with you personally. My prayer here is that you will have ears to hear
and a heart to receive this good word from God.
Some really good counsel I heard years ago came from a wise older minister who had been in the trenches of ministry for over 50 years,
and of course we all know to listen to such people and glean the wisdom they possess. His admonition to the class of would-be pastors
was simple, yet quite profound. He simply said, “Pastors, it is not about you.” His explanations to this statement were sparse, but all in
attendance clearly understood what he meant as he expounded further. This is also a word for you and for me and for all who shepherd
the flock of Jesus and lead His Church.
THE WARNING.
What was this learned man really saying? He was both warning and guiding those who would follow him in ministry. The warning was
obvious. Anyone who has been in leadership for very long will attest to the fact that it is sometimes difficult to remain humble because of
your high profile. Those under your charge tend to praise you and to lift you to levels of respect or admiration beyond what is right. It is
good that you as a pastor receive double honor according to the Bible; however, the way in which you react to that honor can be
dangerous to your spiritual well-being. Never, ever receive the adoration from the crowd as your own. They mean well when they tell you
how good your sermon was or how they are impressed with your leadership of their church; however, there is deadly poison at hand to
the one who absorbs these compliments and who elevates himself to himself. We call this condition PRIDE. Be advised in this regard. The
right thing to remember is that you must learn to deflect the accolades of men and clearly direct them to Jesus; the One who is
responsible for what is going right.
THE GUIDANCE.
Not only were these words a warning, but they were intended to guide these young pastors in a way so as to avoid the pitfalls of pride.
After all, it is far better to know where the holes in the road are than to know how to get out of them once you have fallen in. He was telling
them where the holes are. This was accomplished by establishing a clear doctrine of humility in them early on, long before the temptation
to fall into pride presented itself. The admonition is this: remind yourself often that Jesus is the reason for your success. It is not about
you. Drill it into your thinking until no compliment that is given to you can possibly be absorbed into yourself. I will tell you that this level of
humility takes an all-out effort employing the power of Romans 12:1-2 – it takes a constant renewal of your mind. This should be one of
your usual pastoral duties.
GOD’S PLAN FOR YOU.
The plan of God is to elevate you, Pastor, so you can elevate Jesus in the eyes of all men. That is the way Kingdom leadership works.
But, it is not about you. You are simply a tool that God uses. It is about Jesus. Everything you do is about Jesus. Look at it like this: God
uses you to draw attention to Him. He does this through your words. He does this through your successes through faith. He does this
through your demonstrations of His power that flow through you that exhibit the resurrection power of Jesus Christ. But He must be able to
trust you to deflect the praises of men and walk humbly before Him. REMEMBER: The level of humility you attain to will determine the
levels of power and success you will achieve in ministry.
The design of God is abundantly clear in that He made the choice to use fallible man to lead His Church. Jesus is indeed the Head of the
Church, but He has commissioned folks like you and me to lead it. This presents a potential problem. The problem is called flesh. Your
flesh will desire the good feelings that accompany the spotlight in your pulpit. Your flesh will desire more and more “respect” from those
who are ministered to. Your flesh will begin to measure pulpit time by the responses of the crowd rather than by the fruit that was
produced. Your flesh will move you from a servant mentality to a ruler mentality, and thereby expect others to serve you rather than you
doing what Jesus taught you, which is to be a servant of all. Flesh will cause you to act and think and speak in ways that in no way look
like Jesus; and, after all, imitating Jesus is what your ministry is all about, Pastor. It’s not about you. It is about Jesus.
You have been separated for Kingdom service and anointed by the Holy Spirit to carry out the work to which you are called. However,
your calling and anointing do not automatically cast off those human, carnal proclivities you possess as a mortal man. That is why it is of
utmost importance that you take care – great care - to rule over your flesh so it will not hinder the work of God and His divine plan for
ministry through you. I again point to the method noted in Romans 12:1-2. Therein is your key to success in this regard.
YOUR IDENTITY.
I have spoken about this revelation before, but in this particular study it is so very applicable, so please indulge me. This has to do with
our own identify as a pastor. The day came when the Lord taught me the importance of my ministry office and its priority over my own
name. This revelation came about after a Sunday morning worship service when a visitor approached me in the foyer. He asked me if I
preferred to be called “Pastor”, “Reverend”, or “Randy.” My answer was intended to be a humble one, “Oh, it makes no difference to me; I
am not hung up on titles.” I was later chastised and instructed by the Holy Spirit for making that statement.
The lesson learned that day was that it does matter how people address me, especially those under my spiritual charge. I was instructed
to teach my people the need to call me “Pastor.” This was not meant to elevate me in any way, but rather to do just the opposite. It was to
be a constant reminder that I was sent to serve God’s people and that He had installed me as His leader to carry out that servant-hood.
There is an element of respect and honor in such a greeting, and that is good; however, this is one of those areas to be cautious in.
Psychologists tell us that our own name is the sweetest sounding word to each of us. It denotes who we are and is particularly sweet when
someone else knows our name. Perhaps this is why the Lord needed for this servant to set my own identity aside and assume His ministry
office title in its place. Your own identity must be a reminder of your calling and service to God, not something that elevates you in your
own eyes. I admonish you to walk humbly before the Lord, for after all, it is not about you.
THE PULPIT.
Have you ever been preaching along only to discover that you were being led by the audience? I have. It was not my intention, but
unwittingly their responses were subtly leading me along a path that was different than the one God had planned. I am so grateful I have a
Teacher! The Holy Spirit lovingly showed me what was happening. My “need for acceptance” from people was driving me to say what they
wanted to hear, and even more importantly, it was diverting me from speaking the truth to them. Can you see where subconsciously it was
about me? It is not about me! Whether anyone in the congregation likes me or likes what God has to say, must be of no consequence to
me as His mouthpiece. It is not about me. It is about Him and what He desires to say to His saints. Pastor, it is not about you either in your
pulpit. Preach and teach exactly what you told to preach and teach. Give no thought to yourself in the matter. Humbly obey God and you
will experience the glory of God in your church. Hallelujah.
THE CONGREGATION.
We have looked at several different areas within your ministry in which pride can surface. There is yet one more area that I feel is worthy
of our attention in this brief study, and it has to do with those to whom you minister.
Once again I draw from personal experience in order to show you the way not to go. The first church Kay and I were assigned to by the
Holy Spirit was just adjacent to the hood. It was a rough part of town to say the least. In fact, for a couple of young suburbanites who had
never known hardship or poverty it was a real challenge. We have spoken about it in latter years as “those early years on the mission
field.”
My eye-opening experience came the Sunday morning when we were privileged to have our first millionaire visit the church. As I walked
from the back building where my office was to the sanctuary building I noticed the new Mercedes parked amongst our usual cars: a
Rambler station wagon, multi-colored pickup trucks, and dilapidated old Chevy’s. In a flash I felt good about the fact that this luxury
automobile was outside our church. It made us look good. What did not occur to me at the time was this flash of feel good was actually
nothing less than pride.
I could not for the life of me understand what prompted this man of great wealth to come to our humble, little church, but here he was. His
family dressed well, so it upgraded the overall look of the congregation. And his money fattened our bank account which enabled us to do
more and be more than before. He and his family were wonderful people who loved Jesus, and we were glad they were a part of our
church family for a season.
The fact of the matter is that whether there are shiny, new Mercedes or old beat-up Chevy’s filling your church parking lot, it should make
no difference in how you view yourself or your church. If it does, if it makes you feel a little more stable or a little more attractive to
potential church members, then you need to take a long hard look at your heart. Remember: it’s not about you, Pastor. The value to God
of each and every attendee sitting there in your sanctuary Sunday morning is not measured by his financial statement or by his social
status or by any other carnal measurement. God loves each one equally and He is equally interested in lovingly ministering to each one.
So it must be with you. When your ministry is not about you, you will not have thoughts of favoritism or elitism. That is when God will be
able to visit your worship services with power and He will demonstrate His power and Jesus will be glorified.
FINAL ADMONITION.
Admittedly, there is so much more that I have to learn about the ministry. But one thing I can declare to you is this profound truth: In the
equation of ministry the less there is of you, the more there will be of Jesus. This is all about Jesus. It is not about you.
Be blessed in your Kingdom service.
PASTOR, IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU!
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