Lately I have been thinking about the role that the pastor plays. It seems that often times, we as pastors strive for the glorified, upfront position in which we are essentially the lead singer of a rock band. We seek to make a name for ourselves by fighting the battles and then coasting into our prime ministry years after making a name for ourselves by paying our dues playing in the smaller clubs and venues, before making it to the big stage.

This view of pastoral ministry has left me with quite a disgusted feeling inside. I am essentially performing to a certain level to entertain a certain crowd in order to achieve a certain level of achievement. How is this different from entertainment. A man by the name of Marshall McLuhan about thirty some years ago made a now famous statement saying “the medium is the message.” By making this statement he was essentially saying that what we communicate by what we do is making as much or more of a statement than what we are actually saying in our words. In other words, by performing to a certain level, attaining this rockstar status, we are in essence proclaiming that a pastor is a celebrity of sorts.

Mike Pilavacci when he spoke at our church a couple months ago made a statement similar to this. In one of his sermons, he spoke of himself beginning to think of himself at one point in his career as a “minor Christian celebrity” because of how he was becoming known. At this point in the message he proceeded to turn it around and talk about how meaningless and worthless this prestige is.

It is interesting to ponder what Jesus thinks of rockstar pastors. Does he become glad that some use his name to gain personal fame? Is he thrilled when we make it to the big time?

Didn’t he just seem thrilled with the religious leaders of his day who seemed puffed up with themselves? Didn’t he just love it when they prayed on the street corners and paraded around showing off their vast amounts of wisdom and superiority?

Why did Jesus say that some would say “Lord, Lord” but he would say to them “I never knew you.”? Are there some among us that are saying “Lord, Lord” but who do not have the right motives?

In a rock band, it is the lead singer and/or lead guitar player who get all of the girls. They are usually the showmen of the band. Meanwhile, the rhythm guitar, bass, and drums sit back and do most of the work, and less show, receiving much less glory. Many of us strive to be in this pastoral position of leadsinger/rockstar, calling the shots and getting the glory and credit. This is far different from Jesus whom did not call us to stardom but self-denial and self-death. Are we ready to put others before ourselves and lead as Jesus did or is our glory more important than that of the one whom we claim to serve?

Phil