Dear future pastor,
Pastoral ministry is a high and holy calling. I am so glad you have decided to serve the Lord Jesus in this manner, pursuing theological studies, seeking to shepherd the flock of God, and preaching God’s word to build up his people. It is a privilege and an honor.
Pastoral ministry will come with bumps and bruises. You’ll be confronted with your own sin, weakness, laziness, failures, and fear. You will seek to serve people who are sinners; many will take their frustrations out on you. You will make mistakes, you will sin against others, and others will sin against you.
In the words of Paul Tripp, pastoral ministry is a dangerous calling. You can inoculate yourself with the very truth that you preach and make shipwreck of your soul. You can disqualify yourself with habits of sin. The character standards are far higher for pastors than for businessmen or electricians. You cannot long pretend to love God and shepherd his people. God will not be mocked — what you sow is what you will reap (Galatians 6:7).
Though I would not yet call myself a seasoned pastor, I’m no longer bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. The early idealism has been replaced by reality. I’ve weathered storms, endured conflict, and navigated seasons of upheaval and turmoil. So, if I could go back and talk to my younger self, or talk to a younger man like you, I would offer the following exhortations.
Don’t Chase Celebrity
In all likelihood, you’re not the next famous preacher. And you don’t need to be.
Instead, aim for what Eugene Peterson calls “a long obedience in the same direction.” Does your heart say with John the Baptist, “[Jesus] must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30)? Be “a worker who [does not] need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). Love the people right in front of you. The Master will commend faithfulness rather than fame on the final day (Matthew 25:21).
Your people don’t need you to be a catalyst for change, a visionary influencer, a cultural architect, a movement leader, a spiritual pioneer, or a transformation specialist. They need you to be a faithful follower of Jesus who obeys all that he has commanded and teaches them to do the same.
Make Steady Progress
It’s alright if you’re not a great preacher from day one. It’s alright if you’re not an expert in the biblical languages or a counselor par excellence. God will help you mature. Your shepherding instincts will get better. Your experience in hard situations will increase. Your muscles of endurance will strengthen. You will gain wisdom.
Heed the counsel given to Timothy: “Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress” (1 Timothy 4:15). Practice loving the flock. Visit the hospital. Do premarital counseling and funerals. Study the Scriptures; labor over God’s word and mine it for treasures. Solicit wise counsel on your preaching. Receive critical feedback. Keep reading. Grow in your shepherding, leading, and preaching so that others see your progress.
By God’s grace, you’ll continue to get better if you trust your Lord and labor in the strength he supplies. Press on, plod away, make progress, and avoid laziness and procrastination like the plague.
Deflate Your Ego
If you’re making progress, your people will likely tell you. They want to encourage you. Yet, as we all know, it doesn’t take much for our ego to balloon and carry us away into daydreams of greatness. When praise comes, don’t let your ego inflate. Kill pride with the practice of giving thanks to God.
Driving home after church, turn compliments into prayers of gratitude: “Not to [me], O Lord, not to [me], but to your name give glory” (Psalm 115:1). “Thank you, Lord, for using a jar of clay to display your all-surpassing power (2 Corinthians 4:7).” “Thank you, Lord, for causing your word to not return empty but instead to bear fruit (Isaiah 55:11).” This practice undermines pride and redirects praise where it belongs. Thanksgiving deflates a swelling ego.
Don’t Let Ideas Undercut Love
You read the latest book on how to do church. You have convictions on how services should go, how community groups should be organized, what curriculum children should be taught, how discipleship should be conducted, and how church discipline should be administered. You love good polity and have thoughts on how to structure elder meetings.
But don’t forget to love the real people in front of you. Yes, have convictions and lead from them, but don’t run roughshod over people because you love ideas more than individuals. Don’t lose sight of your calling to shepherd this flock, to lead and guide this people. Depending on who is in front of you, your strategies and approach may change. Hold your convictions, but act on them wisely.
Resist Dissecting Your Inadequacies
You probably feel insufficient and ill-equipped for the task at hand. The list of things seminary didn’t teach you (and can’t teach you) is long. But don’t fake it till you make it. Rather, consider Moses. In Exodus 4, Moses objects to God’s call to deliver Israel from Egypt. He tells God that the people will not listen to him (verse 1). He laments that he lacks oratorical skills — literally, that he is “dull of mouth and tongue” (verse 10). He does everything he can to refuse the call: “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else” (verse 13).
How does God respond? He empowers Moses with signs to display his presence with him (verses 2–9). In response to Moses’s speech impediment, God reminds him that he is the creator and sustainer of his mouth (verse 11). He controls his tongue, vocal cords, and lips. God’s power goes with his messengers to accomplish his purposes.
God’s abilities are not stifled by our limitations. If he can use a talking donkey, he can certainly use a feeble-mouthed preacher. Stop dissecting your inadequacies, and look to the one who loves to show his strength through our weakness.
Take Up the Word
Lastly, remember that God’s word is sufficient to shepherd God’s people. Scripture wielded in the hands of a faith-filled pastor can accomplish incalculable good. God does not need your latest and greatest ideas or innovations. He does not want AI-generated sermons. He does not need your worldly wisdom and growth strategies. He would much rather take your two fish and five loaves, and multiply them in the lives of his people. He delights to use small things (like you) to display the all-surpassing power of his Spirit through his all-sufficient word.
You’re called to the greatest cause the world has known. You have the glorious privilege of being a participant and conduit of God’s grace in the lives of others. Watch him work, labor with all your might, keep your eyes on Christ, and press on. Trust God and take up the call.
Desiring God