One of the greatest challenges for me as a pastor is to not succumb to the constant pressure of expectation. Members have fantasies of what their pastor should be. Church organizations, denominations or movements have fantasies of what its pastors should be. But worst of all, pastors themselves have fantasies of what they should be or would like to be.
I make it my personal challenge to be exactly who I am: myself. I also encourage others to be exactly who they are.
I often took great comfort from something Karl Barth wrote in his fine little book, Homiletics:
It is as the persons they are that preachers are called to this task, as these specific people with their own characteristics and histories. It is as the persons they are that they have been selected and called. This is what is meant by originality. Pastors are not to adopt a role. They are not to slip into the clothing of biblical characters. That would be the worst kind of comedy. They are not to be Luthers, churchmen, prophets, visionaries, or the like. They are simply to be themselves, and to expound the text as such. Preaching is the responsible word of a person of our own time. Having heard myself, I am called upon to pass on what I have heard. Even as ministers, it matters that these persons be what they are. They must not put on a character or a robe. They do not have to play a role. It is you who have been commissioned, you, just as you are, not as minister, as pastor or theologian, not under any concealment or cover, but you yourself have simply to discharge this commission.
I would encourage pastors everywhere to find the courage to live up to this arduous but simple task. I realize and personally know the cost of taking such a risk. You might risk losing support, popularity, your church and even your job. But would you rather lose that or yourself?
I made this image of Karl Barth based on the last photograph taken of him, smoking his pipe in his study. You can get the Barth t-shirt HERE.
Get my book. It also has commentary on many of the cartoons.
Get fine art cartoon prints & original art.
Get my t-shirts.
Please join my newsletter.
My name is David Hayward, and I am the nakedpastor. I am a graffiti artist on the walls of religion.
Right on David. And yes, one will lose their job. But as I tell people, at least they didn’t nail me to a cross.
I love that, and subscribe to it based on the fact that the incarnation freed us to be sacred as the humans we are. However I am in selection for ministry at the moment where a different theology is at work and the individual as themselves must be subsumed and disappear under the role.
Absolutely beautiful. I needed this.
Thanks Gibby. Hope it helps some.
That goes for everyone, not just pastors!
But to truly be who you are, you have to find out who you are. We’re so used to filling roles.
Kim,
I want to cry out ‘DON’T DO IT!’. I’d love to hear that you jumped through the hoops, walked the gauntlets, and participated in whatever other initiation rites that pass as ‘selection for ministry’ at the moment without having to subsume who you are and play a semi-fictitious character. Unfortunately, I suspect it won’t be worth it to try to slip yourself through as a real person.
At least if you try it and are challenged about it you have the ‘prophetic’ voice of the Barth man to lend a little weight to the rationale for your attempt.