What makes a good pastor?

Question received:What makes a good pastor?

Response:

The Perfect Pastor preaches exactly 10 minutes. He condemns sin roundly, but never hurts anyone's feelings. He works from 8 a.m. until midnight, and doubles as the church cleaner. The Perfect Pastor is happy with a salary of $100 a week, wears good clothes, drives a good car, buys good books, and donates $50 a week to the church. He is 29 years old and has 40 years' experience. The Perfect Pastor has a burning desire to work with teen-agers, and he spends most of his time with the senior citizens. He makes 15 home visits per day and is always in his office when needed. He always has time for church committee meetings and spends a lot of time with his wife and children. He never misses anything that’s on at the church, including playgroup and women’s meetings and is always busy evangelizing the unchurched. Ok, so what makes this list at least a bit funny? Probably because we can see an element of truth in it – it seems that everyone tends to have some unrealistic expectations of their pastors. So what qualities do we actually need in a pastor, and what does make a good pastor?

First up, a pastor should reflect the supremacy, centrality and glory of God, and serve as an example in a world of temptation and evil. His life should be patterned on the primary attributes in Jesus’ life – full of grace and truth. A good pastor must walk in integrity; there are many temptations that cross a pastor’s path but he must always walk with cleans hands and heart. A good pastor doesn’t put himself up on a pedestal, rather lives humbly in his walk with God and points people to Jesus. He never loses sight of the simple reality that it is God’s church, not his and he remains as a servant leader. A good pastor is purpose-driven – he knows God’s call, he seeks God’s direction and plan and then doesn’t waiver in seeking to enact that which God has given him to do. A good pastor understands who we are in Christ and seeks to lead others into this vital understanding. He knows and values the Kingdom of God, and centres his motivation and direction on Kingdom principles and yields to the exercise and implementation of our God’s will, plan and purpose.