The Servant Pastor?



In July 2011, I became the pastor for a small struggling Presbyterian church in northwest Houston.  I jumped into this job and tried to help as many situations as I could.  I found that it is a VERY different situation from the one I always pictured in my dreams during my years in seminary.  I always thought that if I practiced good preaching, good teaching, and good pastoral care, I could make a difference.  While I still think those three are my strongest skills, I have noticed that other skills take a large amount of my time - and get much less respect.

When I recently taught an evening lesson at my former "home" church, one of my friends there asked me what I had been up to at my church lately.  I remarked quite truthfully, "Well, today I fixed the Coke machine."  It got a huge laugh - and yet I had answered him honestly.  I guess that if they saw me struggling to repair the youth group's soda machine earlier in the day, they might not have expected so much from me during the lesson.  But that machine needed repairs - it provided an easy source of income and funding for our youth group.

Recently, an elder asked me how the window on the second story of the historic chapel had been fixed.  I explained that another elder and I had put the big extension ladder up there, I climbed up and repaired it using tools and materials from a bucket that I pulled up and lowered down as I worked.  I balanced myself in the small entrance roof while I fixed this window.  She was aghast at my actions and lovingly fussed at me for doing such a thing.  But that window was rotting away, and several people had seen it as they drove past our church.

When I buzz around the campus, hurriedly going from place to place as I work on various tasks, there is an elder who always stops me and tells me to "take it easy."  I love her and I know she is concerned about my well-being and probably my long-term health.  But I did the same thing for 29 years of teaching...sort of hard to break that habit.

And yet...I continue to do these jobs around our church.  I know that including others in various church jobs is a good thing to do, but I also want to help as much as I can.  I cannot and will not be the type of pastor who sits around "thinking thoughtful thoughts" while others do the physical labor that is often required in a church.  If boxes need to be moved, I'll move boxes.  If benches need shifting, let them see me on the other end of the bench.  If an event needs setting up or taking down - especially if everyone is tired or the weather is lousy - let them see their loving pastor as a totally willing part of the crew.

A very long time ago when I was still a classroom teacher, I once told my students that I would never ask them to do anything that I was unwilling to do myself.  They held me to that statement.

Same thing goes for this church that I serve willingly and lovingly.  I will never ask any of them to do anything I am unwilling to do myself. 

Notice the verb in the sentence above: SERVE
Jesus came to SERVE.
Good enough for me!

Dying To Self

I worked for a boss in Austin years ago who gave me a copy of this. I haven't seen it or thought about it in a long time, but it still resonates with me. Hope it does with you too!

- Pastor Mark

DYING TO SELF

When you are forgotten, or neglected, or purposely set at naught, and you don't sting and hurt with the insult or the oversight, but your heart is happy, being counted worthy to suffer for Christ - THAT IS DYING TO SELF.

 When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice disregarded, your opinions ridiculed, and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart, or even defend yourself, but take in all in patient, loving silence - THAT IS DYING TO SELF.


When you lovingly and patiently bear any disorder, any irregularity, any impunctuality, or any annoyance; when you stand face-to- face with waste, folly, extravagance, spiritual insensibility-and endure it as Jesus endured - THAT IS DYING TO SELF.


When you are content with any food, any offering, any climate, any society, any raiment, any interruption by the will of God - THAT IS DYING TO SELF.


When you never care to refer to yourself in conversation, or to record your own good works, or itch after commendations, when you can truly love to be unknown - THAT IS DYING TO SELF.


When you can see your brother prosper and have his needs met and can honestly rejoice with him in spirit and feel no envy, nor question God, while your own needs are far greater and in desperate circumstances - THAT IS DYING TO SELF.


When you can receive correction and reproof from one of less stature than yourself and can humbly submit inwardly as well as outwardly, finding no rebellion or resentment rising up within your heart - THAT IS DYING TO SELF.


Are you dead yet? In these last days, the Spirit would bring us to the cross.




"That I may know Him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death." Philippians 3:10