O Pastor Where Art Thou? What Pastorship Really Means

There comes a point in the Christian walk when you care less about a spiritual leader, pastor, or priest who can teach well or move in charismatic gifts. There comes a time when instead you would rather have an adequate or simple teacher who knows you, cares about your problems, and actually pastors (pastures) and knows if you are alive or dead than some master of exegesis and exposition on the Bible or a supernatural powerhouse that can wow you with his gift of healing. There comes a time when you realize character and care are more important than charisma and command of knowledge. The great Thomas A. Kempis once said, "What good does it do to speak learnedly about the Trinity if, lacking humility, you displease the Trinity? Indeed it is not learning that makes a man holy and just, but a virtuous life makes him pleasing to God. I would rather feel contrition than know how to define it. For what would it profit us to know the whole Bible by heart and the principles of all the philosophers if we live without grace and the love of God? Vanity of vanities and all is vanity, except to love God and serve Him alone." (The Imitation of Christ, Chapter One).

There are churches with shepherds who do not know their flocks. They may know you name, but they haven't the faintest idea of your spiritual and emotion battle. They tell you to go to a group, program, and Bible study like its a Band-Aid for your battle, when you need a Fatherly figure in the faith like Peter and Paul to listen, pray, and check up on you; if even just in email (or letter, like St. Paul did to Corinth and many others). The truth is many shepherds are not interested in shepherding or caring for congregants, they leave that to programs and outreaches of the church, so they can focus on the fun stuff like theology, exegesis, and teaching. The truth is most pastors are either really teachers (not pastors), "So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers," (Ephesians 4:11) or they are a hired hands, "The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me--just as the Father knows me and I know the Father--and I lay down my life for the sheep." (John 10:12-15).
The charismatic pastor or leader has huge following because of miracles he can preform, but Jesus actually was not interested in miracles himself, "I want ot move on, I have come to teach" (Mark 1). The teacher pastor can intellectualize, philosophize, and theologize to thrill the minds of the learned, but when you experience a crisis, a battle, or even loss he can only recite to you great words from Scripture or the pantheon of spiritual authors from C.S. Lewis to Chrysostom, but if you need emotional comfort and compassion, if you need practical care he isn't anywhere to be seen. There is nothing wrong with being a teacher or apologist, who would rather study and teach, just please for sake of the flock stop calling yourself a pastor! A pastor is suppose to put the sheep out to pasture, that means to actually tend to them, lead them, and care for them; not just teach and throw programs at them. The reason Evangelical and Pentecostal churches are losing members ot Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy is that pastor or priest, is actually pastoring. They know their flock, each person individual, know their problems and struggles, and check in on them and pray for them; offering advice, and counsel; but most of all presence (being there, quality time), listening, and caring if the person lives or dies not because of a paycheck or donation for a remodel, but because he actually loves them like a family member.

Certainly not all priests and pastors are stellar in their care for members, but the reality that many are seeking a spiritual father to guide them, and care about them. Granted we should be content with our Father in Heaven, but the longing to have a man of God care, check up on you, and offer counsel is not evil. What many want is people with a character of Christ, rather than just commanding knowledge of the Bible or the charisma of the Spirit. The Scriptures emphasize the need to have character over command of knowledge and charisma, "If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing." (1 Corinthians 13:2). Character is connected to love and all the Fruits of the Spirit. And yet many leaders have none, nor do they love their congregants; they love only their applause, and money for the pastor's cause. If you cannot make the pastor happy with clapping and "amen!" and if you refuse to give donations under compulsion (2 Corinthians 9:7) you are worthless to the average pastor in America. This is because average pastor in America serve Mammon (money), Vanity, Pride, Ego, and Pleasure rather than The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Pastors don't want to be pastors, they want to be the next Bonhoeffer, C.S. Lewis, Martin Luther, Billy Graham, and John Wesley; only they do not want to go through the hardships each of those men went thru, nor for same reasons those men became famous servants of Christ; they want the fame and accolades and legacy, but refuse to learn the lesson, impart the love, and gain the real treasures of God (Colossians 2:2-3). Pastors these days want to be the next American Idol and Movie Star for the Church, but that is celebrity not a pastor, a pastor seeks anonymity, humility, and gets satisfaction from helping congregants and fellow Christians, a celebrity seeks fame, hubris, and gets satisfaction from being held in high esteem.
Pastoring is rare these days because either most pastors become obsessed with becoming next great scholar and teacher and neglect their flock, or they become codependent and take on the problems of their people rather than assisting and asking for assistance from the Lord; and keeping a healthy amount of boundaries. Most pastors are really teachers, but what many like myself want is a pastor. You can google, stream, and find the greatest teachers of theology, eschatology, numerology, Christology, and more from the comfort of your own home or on the go, but can you find a man or woman who will stop by just to see if you are doing ok, who will come over at night to pray, and who makes times for you and the rest of congregation to catch up and offer genuine practical care like meals on wheels, and etc. in middle of your trauma? You can't google or stream those, you have to find them, and they are rare. Every seminary graduate wants to be next scholar, great teacher, evangelist, and person with an empire like Joyce Meyer Ministries or Joel Osteen Ministries (nothing against these ministries, just examples of what many seminarian and new pastors want), but how many want to care for souls beyond day one or after a teaching and sermon? How many would prefer to be anonymous, and be know by a few and yet be a father, uncle, or brother in those darkest days of need and hardship? My guess is not many.

Addendum:

It is possible to be a teacher and a pastor. This post is not against teachers, it is merely looking at the deficit and lack of pastors in Protestant denominations. There are a surplus of teachers in Evangelical, Pentecostal, and other Protestant denoms, while surplus of pastors who are actually doing duties of a pastor and deacon are in High Churches like Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Anglicanism, and etc.