Mentor and Dad: 40 Years

Today, my dad celebrates 40 years of ministry. Yes, 40 years ago my dad had placed upon his shoulders the stole that it marks those that God through his church has set aside to be pastors. My dad has served churches in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Arkansas. And there is no doubt in my mind that each of those congregations have been blessed through his service in those places.  My dad is now retired from full-time ministry and helps out at his local church from time to time as we waits for God to open up any opportunities he might pursue.

While there have been many people who have served as mentors in ministry to me, certainly my dad was the first and perhaps the most influential. I wanted to reflect today for a few moments on a couple of the things I learned from my dad about ministry. Dad and I generally did not sit down to have in-depth talks about ministry. These are things I learned from watching and listening.

1. Pastoring  people means being involved in their lives. There is nothing sterile about being a pastor. Any pastor who tries to pastor in a way it that guards his own spiritual and emotional well-being too closely will not be as faithful of a shepherd as he should be.  I saw my dad moved in all sorts of ways to all sorts of emotions because of the things he was a part of as a pastor.  I admired the way he never just quit caring.
2. Pastoring is not easy. There is the mourning you must do  with your people. There is this struggling with God over the things he has done and has not done. There is the persecution that comes to all who speak in his name.  While this might of been something that at times my dad would have liked to hide from me, I am glad that he did not succeed.  I knew the hard part of ministry long before entering the ministry.  It has served me well.
3. Preaching must be at the level of the people. In some ways, my dad and I have quite different preaching styles. He likes to use many more illustrations than I do. But anyone who is heard both of us preach knows that there is much similar as well. And I hope that one of those similarities is that I preach like my dad does, bringing the message right at the level of the people.  I love to delve into all sorts of theology and the intricacies thereof during the week, but I strive to keep those things out of the pulpit unless I am able to put them in words that the people can digest easily.  I learned this from my dad and am glad I did.
4. Pastors must study.  While my dad lamented as many pastors do the lack of time to read and to study and to think, throughout my dad’s ministry I always saw him continuing to learn and to study. It was important for his work not as a scholar but as a pastor.  I strive to walk in his footnotes.
5. Pastoring is about Jesus.   More than anything else, it was obvious in my dad’s ministry that it was ultimately all about giving Jesus to people. My dad served in small congregations and in a fairly large congregation. And while both had different challenges and joys, my dad’s goal at both was to tell people about Jesus.  Whether he was preaching near wheat fields or city building and whether he was preaching to farmers or CEOs, his goal was to make sure that people understood how Jesus was the center of life.  He wanted them both to know the forgiveness of Christ and the way in which Christ was active in their lives each day.   I hope people will say the same about me in 40 years.

Well dad, here’s to you! 40 years in the ministry telling people about Jesus and teaching me how to be a pastor.  I am grateful for both.  – Your boy Phil.