Pastors' Perceptions

God has given us a precious gift in the body of Christ; in addition to our personal study of God's Word and fellowship with Him, we have Bible teachers, including pastors and those teachers you hear on Faith Radio, to strengthen us in our spiritual walk. Ephesians 4 lays out their call and purpose:
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ...

In verse 11, you see that list of those Biblical offices, including pastors and teachers, those who can teach us God's Word and enhance our personal study. You can find the lineup of Bible teachers on Faith Radio through our website at FaithRadio.org and through our app. We can actually pray for and receive from those incredible resources that God has given to us, so that we might receive direction, in order that we might grow in the Lord and to reflect His glory.

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There is a certainly a critical role for those who are called into pastoral ministry who serve in our churches and lead ministries. 1st Timothy chapter 5 states this:
17 Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine.
18 For the Scripture says, "You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain," and, "The laborer is worthy of his wages."
19 Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses.
20 Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear.

Believers in Christ ideally should reflect a sense of credibility and trust to the people around them. And, there's some new data from the Barna research group that shows that pastors are suffering in the area of credibility.  To me, this indicates a need to prayerfully support and encourage those who are called to spiritual authority in the local Church.

A Barna summary states that:

Recent Barna data collected amid the pandemic show that just 57 percent of all U.S. adults agree at least somewhat that a pastor is a trustworthy source of wisdom. Christians, naturally, are far more likely to agree (31% definitely, 40% somewhat), while non-Christians tend to disagree (18% not really, 29% definitely not).

The big takeaway, according to the summary: "Still, many Americans—including one in five Christians—admit feeling unsure whether pastors are trustworthy (24% all adults, 21% Christians, 31% non-Christians)."

But, pastors apparently don't take this trust factor lightly.  The summary relates:

While four in five pastors (82%) agree their local community "somewhat" views them as a trustworthy source of wisdom, just one in five (21%) states this is very much the case. On the flip side, all pastors say their congregants consider them to be a trustworthy source of wisdom, 67 percent of whom strongly affirm this.

This identifies the responsibility that each of us has to be people of credibility - and the pastors, as the people "out-front" in the community have a high standard to meet. It's a standard that cannot be met without the power of God and devotion to the Word.  So, again, we need to pray for our pastors to fulfill the calling that the Lord has placed upon them.

Just as Biblical principles can be applied to every area of life, those who are called into ministry are called upon to demonstrate a versatility to address various issues.  Among U.S. adults, 7-in-10 adults and 8-in-10 Christians see pastors as very or somewhat reliable in "spiritual matters." Regarding "relational matters," you see slightly lower percentages.

Pastors also see themselves as reliable in those general areas: 84% see themselves as very or somewhat reliable in the spiritual and 69% in the relational. But, there is a huge dropoff in pastors' self-perception in the political and cultural arena, with slightly less than one-third seeing themselves as very or somewhat reliable regarding their reliability as "sources of information and counsel for how Christians should inform our political and justice systems."

I would say there is little doubt that pastors have been through a very rough stretch over the last two years.  That can indicate to us the need to pray for those who are called to spiritual leadership over us. This poll shows that there is a sacred trust between the pastor, the congregation, and the community, and have an opportunity and obligation to represent our Savior well.  They are being looked to for leadership and influence.

But, while pastors see themselves and congregations see them as reliable in the "spiritual" and "relational" areas, there is that decline in the area where there are so many challenges today - what is referred to as political and/or the cultural.  The fact is, what is called "politics" is a simple matter of being salt and light.  All of us should be educated on these trends in our culture and show the world that the Bible has an answer to dangerous ideologies and a solution to the dilemmas we face.  We have the opportunity to show the world a better way.  Pastors and those in the pews can be challenged to use discernment to speak truth into our culture.

Pastors can be emboldened and supported by their families, as well.  This month has been designated as Pastors Wives Appreciation Month. Energize Ministries is doing a weekly drawing for a gift basket, and you can register at its website, EnergizeMinistries.com.  Faith Radio is also sponsoring another Pastors Prayer Time during Holy Week this year - mark your calendars: it's Tuesday, April 12 at 7am at Trinity Presbyterian Church - it's a special time of prayer during a time of year in which, I think, people are particularly sensitive to spiritual matters and pastors and church leaders have a real opportunity to affect people for the Savior who died and rose again.