Faith

4 things You Should Know About Your Pastors and Spiritual Leaders

In light of today’s culture where many often place their pastors or spiritual leaders in boxes that they are not made to fit into, I’m here to tell or remind you of what I believe are part of the 4 things you should know about your Pastors and Spiritual Leaders.

1. They aren’t Super Human.

Yes! They are graced, called, anointed and the likes, but you have to never forget that they are of “like passions” as we are. They have sexual urges, gets hungry, can lose their cool, get bitter or depressed, become selfish or proud and every other thing that can happen to any other human being.

Take, for instance, temptations won’t say because they are pastors, avoid them, hence they need as much help (prayers/accountability) as they give us; even more, than they give us because the devil loves to strike the “shepherds” so that the sheep may scatter.

This point is not a bid to give excuse for the shortcomings of ministers and servants of God, but to state the fact that though they are in the position of spiritual authority and responsible for tending and raising God’s flock, they are still very much human themselves, with every of the single human inclination, weaknesses, and tendencies.

Why is this important? I believe this should motivate us to pray for them, to care for them, support and when they make mistake, not go all judgmental on them.

Pray for your Pastors because just as you are tempted and weak sometimes they are too Click To Tweet

2. Knowledge and Maturity are two different things.

Pastors often times know the more about biblical truths and doctrines that their members and congregants, and that’s how it should be, otherwise, how can they lead.

This is also true as pastor receive formal training and theology and related fields to enable them to be better equipped for that assignment, but Knowledge and Maturity; knowing the Bible, being able to quote verses back to back must not be mistaken for the state of a person’s heart (Pastors and spiritual leaders here).

The bible clearly differentiates reading the bible and doing what it says, they are uniquely different and spiritual growth comes from understanding, paying attention to observing and practicing sound biblical truths, amongst others.

So your pastor might know the most in your church, but that doesn’t mean he’s more mature than every other person in the church.

I didn’t put this point so that we can then try and measure up who is more mature between you and your pastor, or as a reason to disrespect or decline their spiritual instructions, but first to the pastors;

  • Be mindful to not mix this two up, neglecting your personal walk, growth to merely acquiring knowledge.
  • Then to members; as much as you follow your pastor’s tutelage, you are responsible for your own spiritual growth as they are to theirs. You can’t leave it all to them. What if they aren’t growing but just learning? This also stems from receiving spiritual instructions and directions, as much as they are spiritual authorities above you, you have to learn to relate to God, learn to pray and hear him yourself. Taking what your pastor says hook line and sinker might be very catastrophic.
As you follow your pastor's tutelage, you are responsible for your own spiritual growth as they are to theirs. Click To Tweet

3. He/She is instituted by God over you.

Jeremiah 3:15 – “And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding”
Acts 20:28 – “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God…”

Ephesians 4:11 – “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers”

A lot of times, we make it seem like we are doing our pastors’ favour by following or listening to them, but the opposite should be the case. We don’t owe it to man to submit to the leader God has placed over us, we owe it to God.

Some people need human commendation or recommendation before they could submit to a fellow human as spiritual authority over them. But the authority they pose was invested in them by God himself, not the person that ordained or anointed them.

When you submit to your Pastor you are not doing Him/Her a favor, you are honouring God Click To Tweet

4. Our pastors need a pastor also.

It is not a known fact that the least pastored people are pastors themselves, everyone needs a pastor, everyone needs a spiritual watch over them, but because pastors are seen mostly in their office as a pastor and we forget that they are still a fellow brother or sister in the faith (just like Paul sometimes referred himself as in writings).

If there be a case where you notice something that needs to be corrected about your Pastor (maybe something they said or did), if your pastor is such that isn’t approachable, talk to “his/her Pastor”, of course, after you have passionately prayed for him/her.
I believe this is another call to constantly list our spiritual leaders to God in prayers.

Pastors need to be accountable to another higher authority Click To Tweet

So that will be all, not that these are only the 4 things you should know about your Pastors and Spiritual Leaders, but I guess these 4 are pretty basic (to me).

Thank you for reading, don’t just exit these page without doing nothing, say a word of prayer for your pastors and spiritual leaders.

Read also; How Should Christians Respond To Church Scandal

About author

Articles

Tolulope Oludapo is a young Christian who lends his voice through the media by sharing practical wisdom for everyday living in the most experiential and simplified fashion. This has fetched him the direct followership of over 30,000 users on his blog, lifegiva.com. A blog he founded. He loves to write on varying subjects that affect life, faith, relationship...everyday living.
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