This post is a continuation from a previous post in which I want to share my experiences in ministry. As a pastor in my church, I may have this persona of being close with God like as if God and I were tight. The truth is that I am also in search of a greater understanding of God myself, along with many others.
I confess that at times, I may come across as appearing like I know something deeper about God, but I actually feel pressured to at times—just because I’m a pastor, and some, or many of my parishioners expect that from their pastor. But with those who don’t have that expectation, I actually feel a sense of freedom to not have to appear like I know everything about God. I sometimes tell them that I just don`t know. Don`t worry, this is something I willingly and openly share with the people in my congregations.
Sure we read lots of theological-biblical books, and try to read lots of scripture, perhaps more than most people, but that doesn’t make us closer to God than a regular “Joe or Jane Christian”. As pastors, we put on this professional image and become conveyors of truth, at least, what we think we know to be true. I don’t want to portray myself a spiritual authority figure who claims to know all truth. Most people today would not buy it. And neither do I. As Christian leaders in the post-Christian era, we need to be more real to ourselves and to other people. We need to stay real.
And as a pastor, I hope and pray that our generations of young and older people, may begin to find some truth for themselves–at least a proportion of some things in the Christian faith. If I may be more humble, perhaps we have less truth that what we like to claim to have. I believe there is no church, no denominations, no religion, and no educated clergy person or theologian even with 2 or 3 doctorate degrees can even claim to have the full or nearly full truth about God. We are all merely in search of the truth because we desire to know who God is, and who God is in us as a person, or people, and what the will of God is for our lives. And even if I don’t have all the complete truth, which I would never claim to have as a clergy person, I have trust and with full confidence that God would one day reveal all truth to all of us when we meet the LORD God in heaven.
To be continued in future posts…
Read: Experiences in ministry, part 1
I like this recent one from ASBO Jesus.
New Epistles 