This post is part 3 of a 10 part series of the most important lessons I have learned in my first year of ministry. My original plan was to publish 1 post every 3-6 days, but the last several weeks have been murderously busy.
Previous Posts in this series:
Current Post:
Lesson #8: Poor Pastors have Pretty Knees
Two places are dangerous as a young pastor seeks to define what it means to "be a pastor". The first is the Seminary, and the second is the bookstore. Don't misunderstand---both places are vital for shaping one's mind. In fact, I am a traditionalist in the sense that I believe pastors should be seminary-trained (or the self-made equivalent) and be avid readers (with a large, growing pastoral library). A pastor who doesn't read isn't worth spit, and one should be cautious of ministers who have never deeply studied systematic theology, historical theology, and biblical exegesis. Yes, yes...the snobbery is highly evident.
The problem arises when pastors come to believe those places (Seminary & bookstore) are the places where our concept of ministry is formed. Seminaries (at least good ones) train men to be rigorous in the exercise of their minds. Many (mistakenly) come to believe that ministry is primarily instilling seminary-level biblical data into the minds of their parishioners. Bookstores (at least bad ones) sell the latest ministry fads and success-stories. Men walk out thinking the latest Emergent Village nonsense is what it truly means to be "church", or that a minister should be defined by John Maxwell's maxims.
In my first year of ministry I have never been more impressed by the power of prayer---and I kick myself for not spending more time in it earlier. My book collection will still be read (with the same intensity as before). I am still very thankful for my Seminary training and consider it indispensable to ministry. However, the power and passion for my ministry is located in my life of prayer. This is the most exciting aspect of my ministry. A pastor who doesn't pray is just a talking bobble-head. He lacks the Spirits power to change lives, and he is a passionless shell of a Christian who lacks compassion, life, and wisdom.
I have come to believe that one way of sorting out a "good" pastor from a "poor" pastor is to look at their knees. I yearn to have calloused knees, made thick and ugly from holding my weight for hours each day. Perhaps, if the Lord sustains me, I will develop a limp because my knee joint has worn away from staying in this rather unnatural position of prayer. That is a pastoral-life well lived. According to one saying, "pastors who don't spend two hours in prayer each day are not worth a dime a dozen".
The Church's first pastors (the Apostles) understood the power and value of consistent, time-consuming daily pray. In fact, the church's first deacons (or "proto-deacons" for you exegetical purists) were appointed because the Apostles felt their prayer lives were being compromised.
Can you imagine that today? What if your pastor came to the congregation and said, "We need to hire an associate because I want more time to pray each day". You would think he was crazy, and might even consider firing him. This is just an indication of how we have turned biblical spirituality upside down. We have majored in the minors, and have turned the true-majors into peripheral matters in our life of faith.
When I pray as a pastor
.....I recognize I am completely dependent on God.
.....I recognize I am His servant, serving His Bride.
.....I grow in my love for His sheep, as I pray for each by name.
.....I find it easier to forgive
.....I preach better, because I talk my sermons through with my Lord.
.....I develop a deep compassion and care for my community.
.....My own sin is exposed and laid bare.
Pastors, check your knees. Poor pastors have pretty knees.
- John Bunyan
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