When a Pastor isn't a Pastor

The article linked above details a woman "pastor" who was arrested after seemingly breaking into a parishioners house and stealing a laptop and fur coats. She claimed that she found a broken window, crawled in, and took the things to keep them from being stolen. The woman whose house was broken into doesn't quite understand, but says, "She seems to have this connection with God; she seems to be a woman of God," Agnew told WFAA. "I made a decision not to let it shake my faith."

Now that is nice, but what is the basis for this faith? What makes her "seem" to have a connection with God? Here are a couple of more tidbits from the article.

"Citing records, WFAA reported that McGriff has a long rap sheet and has used several aliases — including Kathy Robinson, the name under which police booked her. McGriff conceded to WFAA that the name is a fake."

So, even when she was arrested, she gave a fake name.  Hmm.

Just because a person works at a church, or calls themselves a pastor doesn't make them a pastor.  In our culture, pastor has come to be a professional job referring to someone who runs a church.  But that is not the original picture.  A pastor is supposed to be a shepherd, taking care of the sheep, not managing the pasture.  Too often someone is considered a pastor because of administrative ability or a vague sense of spiritual atmosphere.  This may mean that a person is good at doing the mechanics of church rather business or liturgy, but is not someone who is actually going to take care of people.  This woman was apparently shearing the sheep, not caring for them.  Too many churches have been victimized by pastors who are more interested in themselves and their agenda than in caring for the members of the flock.

Caring for the flock can include correction and reproof, but it is always in the interest of seeing people draw near to Christ and live in Him.  We are in the business of the gospel of reconciliation.  We're not looking for earthly riches or exalted positions.  We are here to serve.