"Good Morning Pastor"
"How are you, Pastor?"
To become a pastor can be to risk losing your first name. Any of you from Beans Corner know that I have actively and strenuously fought that tendency. Pastor is my job title, not my name. Some say that you should use that term as a sign of respect. While I understand that rationale, unfortunately, what it tends to do is to create a pedestal. Baptists would disdain the idea of an earthly priesthood like the Catholic church teaches. They do not call their leaders "father" yet often they set up an almost identical system. "Good to see you Pastor."
The Bible does say that there are leaders in the church who have responsibility to care for and oversee the flock of God. It does say that those leaders should be respected. It does not say that those leaders are superior, above, or separate from everyone else. I do not belong on a pedestal. I am flawed, weak, and human. Any strength I have comes not from some spiritual superiority, but from the work and presence of Christ in my life-just like any other yielded and growing Christian in church. I have been placed in a position of service and authority, but not superiority. This is why I try to be open about my life and struggles. It is the reason for the blog as well as the things I share from the pulpit. I am a real man. No pedestals for me.
