My Dear Shepherds,
I saw a thread on Facebook asking people to name “Two pastors you can never forget because of the impact they made on your life.” There were over 155,000 posts in that one thread alone. A handful of famous names were mentioned but what moved me was how many un-famous names there are—Warren, Aaron, Mike, Leo, Judith, Isaiah, Sharon, Miles. People added comments like, “He restored my life,” “Tremendous lasting impact on my spiritual formation,” “Taught me how to love and apply the Bible and how to share God’s Word with others.”
In exhorting believers to persevere in their faith, Hebrews says,
Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. (Heb. 13:7)
Put that way, ministry is pretty basic. Whatever else we do—vision casting, programing, hobnobbing—speaking the word of God and exemplifying the life of faith are our lasting legacies. It also reminds me that, as ordinary as we are, people do not easily forget their pastors’ influence.
From the upward bound procession of believers, God calls some to be “apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers,” all with this one thing in common: We are Wordworkers. We speak the word of God like a four-part choir, whether from a pulpit, over coffee, in counseling, or in leadership meetings. We’re called to a one-track mind.
It matters greatly that our people remember us with the Bible on our lips; to remember how we treasured Scripture, how we always spoke it into meals of milk and meat, how God’s “living and active” sword from our lips laid open their “thoughts and attitudes.” They will remember how we taught them the doctrines and promises they stand on, how to love one another, to worship and witness, and how to die well, prepared and homesick.
More daunting perhaps is not only what they’ve heard from us but what they have seen in us, “the outcome of [our] way of life.” Specifically, they are told to imitate our faith. Generally, we don’t think of our faith as particularly noteworthy but even our faltering trust in God reaps a harvest if we faint not. As I often say, pastors go first. We bear struggles and doubts, temptations and opportunities out ahead of our people; we’re their pathfinders.
By hearing and watching their faithful leaders, people are reassured that,
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Heb. 13:8)
You, dear shepherd, are among the witnesses divinely positioned to help God’s people run with perseverance the race marked out for them. You and I say and show that Jesus Christ is the same today. For that, there are people who will never forget you.
I first met Howard when I was a junior high kid attending the Bible camp he directed in North Dakota. (He also pastored a small church nearby.) He was from Chicago and I loved his accent. He was flat-out fun, he took Jesus seriously, and I admired him immensely. We crossed paths over the years. Once, en route to my first pastors’ conference, we rode together. He was drilling Greek vocabulary which told me how seriously he took God’s Word. In his retirement he’d call me every few months. He asked thoughtful questions about my work and family and he’d always pray for me. I learned later I was one of many. When Howard died, I stood in a visitation line for two hours. All those people who, like me, remembered how he spoke the Word and who found in him faith worthy of imitating.
Be ye glad!
