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God does not call pastors and make them BOSSES of His churches; He simply makes them SERVANTS.
A boss exercises control over people and demands that he is served, but a servant is devoted to or guided by his master and serves others.
Peter, the apostle, held similar view when he instructed pastors to “Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you…Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example” (1 Peter 5:2-3).
A pastor placed in any church of Christ is the servant of servants even as he leads. In fact, he is the chief servant. He serves the saints who are also servants of God. And if ministers are servants, then they must be humble to first serve God and second humanity.
A pastor is not necessarily the greatest person in a church. Jesus Christ says: “The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Matthew 23:11).
A Christian believer who serves God and humanity in humility is the greatest. He can be an usher, singer or janitor. A humble pastor serves without being bossy.
This does not mean that pastors cannot send people on errands or ask them to do things for them, but that they should not feel too big to involve themselves in doing menial jobs, come to the level of the poorest church members and interact with them, visit them, share laughter with them, provide for them, pray for them.
The humble apostle or bishop who knows who he really is – a servant and soldier of Christ will not ask or allow someone else to carry his sword for him.
The Bible is a sword. And if a preacher is spiritually alive and humble he will gladly carry his sword himself everywhere he goes. Humility will not allow him to let someone else carry his Bible for him.
The humility which Christ Jesus showed when He walked the earth is matchless. Realizing that He came into the world as a servant, Jesus Christ humbly carried His own cross, and even when He was tired He never personally asked anyone to carry it for Him.
Rather, it was His killers who asked someone else to help Him carry it.
“And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross” (Mark 15:21).
Today, some pastors are too bossy and proud; they feel too big that they do not want to do menial jobs for the Lord, their family and the church. In fact, they even ask others to carry their Bibles for them to the pulpit to preach.
And they call it protocol or an act of showing respect or giving double honour to the pastor. Yes, believers must respect pastors, serve them even as they also serve them. But a pastor must be humble if he is a servant of Christ.
True servants of Christ, who read this message and realise their sinful deeds will not be angry, but weep, repent and plead the mercy of God.
By James Quansah
