Anyone who desires the office of an overseer desires a good thing. (1 Tim 3:1)
I am not a pastor. But I am very close with my pastor and my father is also a pastor. I have seen them both in times of joy and in times of sorrow. The call to pastor is to walk faithfully through both seasons of encouragement and discouragement, to faithfully lead their flock to the true shepherd, Jesus Christ. The glory of Jesus Christ in the gospel must be the lasting motivator for pastors as they continue to daily shepherd their flocks.
Though I have not been a pastor myself, one thing I have seen throughout my life is that pastors are also humans. This may be an obvious statement, but what I mean by this is that they too need the grace of Jesus. They too need forgiveness. Yes, they must live above reproach and continually hold the qualifications of an elder, but they will sin, and they will need their congregation to forgive them. A church will be greatly helped if they better understand the humanity of their pastor.
I wrote this poem to my father and my pastor to encourage them as they lead their flock to Christ. May this be an encouragement to anyone who is under a shepherd to better understand the humanity of their pastor. And may this encourage any pastor to continue to depend on Jesus as they point their flock to the true shepherd.
The Humanity of the Pastor
The uniformity of human corruption
All fallen in Adam into destruction
The church redeemed through Christ
All now live through His life.
The member, deacon, pastor compile
The saints of Christ saved from defile
The church desperately needs his grace
As they long to see his glorious face
The pastor leads his gentle flock
To find refuge in the eternal Rock
See him there in the congregation
Preaching Christ for their spiritual formation
Preaching Christ and proclaiming Christ
Declaring, “Come buy!” without price
Yet needing Christ for his very life
Waiting for the day of his heavenly flight.
See the pastor studying the Word
But all forbid he sin against the herd
Many forget he too is a sinner
Longing to find rest by the peaceful river
See him there with his family
Leading them in joy and calamity
Being faithful to point them to Christ
Throughout the trials of this life
See him there with his wife
Seeking to love her like Christ
Yet needing His grace saying,
” I will fail, but He will remain.”
See him there by his lonesome
Hoping his saints become like the Son
His outer body wasting away
His inner man renewed day by day
The pastor: faithful, sinner, saved
A sinner who was once depraved
Bought by the blood of Jesus
Given a new heart and now he leads us
The pastor, worthy of imitation
The pastor, preaching justification
He is merely a pointer to the Light
Saying, “Press on brother, through the fight!”
See the pastor above reproach
Dressed in His righteous clothes
Yet still a sinner in need of grace
Desperately longing to see His face
See him in the homes of the saints
Those precious hours he will not waste
Giving to all who need his care
Praying for all yet also needing prayer
See him there in the streets
He will be bold, he will not retreat
Yet often lacking boldness to the task
“Help me, Lord! I need you!” he asks.
See him there a sinner yet saved
Not perfect, yet faithful by grace
See him there faithful and new
Pointing to the One who is faithful and true
The pastor: faithful, sinner, saved
See him there nearing the grave
Waiting to hear those blessed words,
“Well done my good and faithful servant.”
I see him there, the Great Shepherd
Up to Your glory none have measured
Your perfect righteousness is all my plea
I now join with all to worship on bended knee.