Lessons from my first year in Ministry: Lesson #4 - Pastors Need to Stink Like Their Sheep

This post is part 7 of a 10 part series of the most important lessons I have learned in my first year of ministry. While I understand that family, friends, and congregants will read it, please remember it is written more to other pastors--especially those new in ministry.

Previous Posts in this series:

Lesson #10: Never Punch Out.

Lesson #9: They had to hate someone, it might as well be me.

Lesson #8: Poor Pastors Have Pretty Knees

Lesson #7: Know the Waitress by Name

Lesson #6: The Need is Not the Call

Lesson #5: I'm an Idiot

Current Post:

Lesson #4: Pastors Need to Stink Like Their Sheep

For centuries, pastors (clergymen, ministers...whatever term you prefer) have been clearly distinguished from the people in their congregations. In prior ages, the pastor was generally the most well educated person in the community (more so than even than the royals in many instances). Keep in mind that even as late as the 1800s the requirement to get into college was fluency in Latin. The only person in the community that spoke Latin was the local pastor, who therefore became the tutor for all the young intellectuals. Though difficult for most of us to understand today, the pastor was considered higher on the social order than medical doctors and lawyers.

In our "high church" denominations today, this distinct social position can still be seen to some degree. Yet, even in the "low church" movements there generally is a social distinction between pastor and congregants. For example, most churches still insist that the pastor be called "Pastor". For most, it is unthinkable to refer to a pastor by his first name--as this is seen as offensive and disrespectful. In my current church, within the first few weeks of my pastorate, an older gentlemen confronted me on my shameful lack of respect for my position. What, you ask, was my crime? I had not corrected some of the younger families who had called me "Josh", instead of pastor [see note #1].

Odd. When is the last time you heard a pastor refer to a member of his congregation as "Congregant Bob", or "Sunday School Teacher Susan". This emphasis on referring to a pastor by his title cannot be supported anywhere from scripture. Where then does it come from? It comes from centuries of cultures where the pastor lived in a higher social circle than his congregants. He was 'better', more elite, and part of the upper crust.

But interestingly, scripture refers to us as 'shepherds' (i.e. 'pastors'). A shepherd is a filthy, dirty, and smelly job. All day they are out in the hot sun. Dirt been caked onto their bodies from hours on the job. Their hair is matted from sweat, and they are covered in sheep hair. Even worse, from all their handling of the sheep they smell like a wet sheep themselves. All in all, this is hardly the image of a respectable figure who goes by a title.

Pastors, in this first year of ministry I am learning that I must stink like my sheep. My interests and hobbies must take a back seat---something which I find is difficult to do. I have a holy duty to watch football---simply because most people in my congregation do, and to relate to their world I must enter into it. I must hunt and fish, because this is a sportsman's community. If a congregant loves antique cars, it is my duty to learn about these so I can speak into his world.

Furthermore, I am called to enter into the joys, sorrows, and grievances of my people. Pastors, we must weep with those who mourn over their adult son's rejection of the faith. We must rejoice with the young mother who is excited her daughter made the honor roll. We must hear and seek to passionately understand the anger of the man whose hours were cut at work.

But, to do this implies a close proximity. I am most at ease in my pastoral study. It is filled with my precious books---volumes and volumes of scholarship on virtually any subject within (and even outside of) Christendom. Here is the world I love---the world of ideas. I could spend the rest of my life here, and my dream of heaven is the continual pursuit of scholarly interests. To fill my days researching and writing scholarly articles would indeed by a dream.

Yet...I cannot be pastor there. Yes, I can--and should be--a theologian there. I am also the resident theologian for my congregation. They need me in that study, diligently reading, pursuing, investigating.

But even more importantly, they need me in their lives. While they need a Reverend, they also need a "Josh". While there is a place for the positional entity of "Minister", there is also a place for the fellow Christian who stands with them in all their life experiences.

Note 1: There is nothing wrong with calling your minister 'pastor'. This, in fact, can be a good thing. Yet frankly, there are many people who have used the title pastor but have shown more disrespect than any who refer to the pastor by name. In the end, its not what you call the man, its how you treat him that counts.