Your Pastor: The under-shepherd of the Good Shepherd

What makes a pastor a pastor? Going to school for eight years, learning Greek and Hebrew, and having fancy diplomas written in Latin does not make someone a pastor. There is no extraordinary DNA or astonishing superpowers that makes someone a pastor. A pastor is no closer to God than you are. In fact, he is just as much a sinner as you are … if not more.

If we could summarize the office of pastor into a simple theme and job description, what would it look like?

Simply put, the pastor is to be the shepherd of the sheep.

He shepherds, protects and feeds them with the Word of God. He is to be a servant in the Lord’s house. He is the under-shepherd of the Chief Shepherd. When you hear your pastor speaking in worship, that is the voice of Jesus you hear through His called servant. Your pastor may be a gifted speaker, he may stutter; he may be charismatic or an introvert; he may be dynamic or dry – but it doesn’t matter. You are not following the under-shepherd, but the Good Shepherd.

If you are looking for a job description for your pastor, there are no greater and more inspirational words in all of Scripture than the words of St. Peter:

“To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed: ² Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers-not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; ³ not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. ⁴ And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.”

1 Peter 5:1-4

Those who are called by God to lead are elders – not because they are old, but they are experienced, trained, and respected. They are shepherds – their work is not evaluated on how successful they appear, but on how well the sheep in their care are doing. They are overseers – they are entrusted with a spiritual responsibility and with spiritual authority.

Your pastor is an elder, a shepherd, and an overseer. But first and foremost, he is a redeemed and sanctified sinner. Your pastor bows his head and folds his hands in solemn confession with the rest of God’s saints. He feels his sins deeply. He knows when he has failed his Chief Shepherd. He is bothered by the times he has spoken too harshly to his sheep or too meekly to his lambs. At times his pride causes him to do too much. At other times his timidity keeps him from doing anything at all.

What is the pastor’s job in the church?

All too often the pastor receives too much credit when the church grows and he receives too much blame when the church shrinks in membership. It is the working of the Holy Spirit that causes God’s Kingdom to grow and the hardness of mankind’s hearts that pulls them away from Christ’s Church.

The pastor’s job is not to make sure the pews are filled, the offering plate is overflowing, and the people are happy. His job is to rightly divide Law and Gospel, to truthfully preach Christ crucified, and to faithfully administer the sacraments.

All too often we look at the Church as a business and the pastor as its CEO. We have become a business that judges everything by the bottom line of worship attendance numbers and offering totals, instead of a shelter for lost and redeemed souls. We have become consumed with our buildings and properties instead of caring for the precious souls who are baptized, confirmed, and communing within those buildings. We have become a social club in which we find happiness, satisfaction, and entertainment instead of a community gathered around the Word and Table of the Lord. We have turned Jesus Christ into nothing more than a personal trainer, a life coach, and inspirational speaker instead of the Chief Shepherd who will give the crown of glory to His sheep on the Last Day.

And your pastor is the chief of committing these kinds of sins.

Your pastor knows and feels these sins deeply.

That is why he prays Martin Luther’s sacristy prayer on a regular basis: “Lord God, You have appointed me as a Bishop and Pastor in Your Church, but you see how unsuited I am to meet so great and difficult a task. If I had lacked Your help, I would have ruined everything long ago. Therefore, I call upon You: I wish to devote my mouth and my heart to you; I shall teach the people. I myself will learn and ponder diligently upon Your Word. Use me as Your instrument, but do not forsake me, for if ever I should be on my own, I would easily wreck it all.”

Your pastor confesses his sins so he can lead you before God’s altar in confession. He receives Christ’s forgiveness so he can offer you Christ’s absolution. He listens to Christ’s voice speaking to him in his sermon and Bible study preparation so you can hear Christ’s voice clearly from the pulpit and the classroom.

Artist, Jonathan Mayer, of Scapegoat Studio, created a wonderful painting which depicts the role of the pastor bringing children to meet Jesus. The painting was produced for the preschool of Advent Lutheran Church in Indianapolis, IN.

The placement and purpose of the painting largely determined the subject matter for this. It was commissioned out of a memorial fund that was intended for Advent Lutheran’s preschool. So we knew the theme would be Christ with the children, or the Good Shepherd. At some point in the process, it was proposed that Luther be in the painting. Lutherans everywhere are examining their identity. Perhaps paradoxically, we don’t see Luther as a “founding father,” despite bearing his name. We see him as a reformer. His greatest work was simply pointing us to Christ, as he does in the painting. So Luther is peripheral — Christ is central. The sunburst behind Jesus’ head is a substitute for the halo he traditionally wears to signify his deity. There are probably thousands of depictions of Christ with the little children, and frankly, this doesn’t break any new ground. But the nail mark in his wrist is a simple and effective reminder that he isn’t just a nice man playing with little kids — a Jesus the Rationalists and Romanticists alike can love — he is our Savior and Redeemer. So even though it isn’t “deep,” there is at least a subtle reference to sin and salvation.”

Jonathan Meyer

Though Mayer doesn’t consider that he “broke any new ground,” I disagree. I believe it is wonderful to have a Lutheran pastor – one that we would recognize in the visualization of Luther – leading and pointing children to Jesus. Luther continues to do this as pastors make use of his Small Catechism. Luther is usually pictured in his traditional black Geneva gown that he used for teaching and preaching. Mayer, however portrays Luther in a white alb and stole as a way of visually connecting Luther to the present, while at the same time demonstrating the continuity that belongs within a historical church like the Lutheran Church.

By the way, Mayer’s young son is the model for the boy in Jesus’ arms. He is pictured in the arms of Pastor Fiene of Advent Lutheran at the painting’s dedication. You can find more pictures from the dedication here.

The painting visualizes the sage advice that I received long ago from an older, wiser pastor: “Preach the Law and Gospel to your people – from the pulpit, the bedside and behind the desk. When they come looking for marital advice? Tell them about Jesus dying for them. When they come looking for sympathy and a listening ear? Tell them about Jesus dying for them. When they have a new baby, lose their job, or are afraid of retirement? Tell them about Jesus dying for them. No matter what the circumstances, what the situation, you preach Christ crucified. Never compromise the simple truth that has saved you.” I can imagine Pastor Luther saying something similar to a young pastor beginning in the pastoral ministry.

A pastor’s job is not to be your buddy or pal.

I enjoy biking, soccer, and sheepshead. And I enjoy doing all of them with the members of my congregation. However, they did not call me to be their friend. Nor did you call your pastor to be your friend. You called him to be the caretaker of your soul. You called him to stand at the font to baptize your baby who is dead in sin in order to make her alive in Christ’s baptismal waters. Your pastor has been chosen to exercise the ministry of the Keys, doing the unpleasant work of locking heaven to the impenitent and carrying out the pleasant work of unlocking heaven for the penitent. You have asked him to guard you against the savage wolves of false preachers and persecuting pagans. Your pastor is the one authorized by Christ to counteract the accusatory lies of Satan that burden the consciences of sinners. He is the one you seek for God’s comfort when you are depressed, Christ’s love when you are lonely, and the Spirit’s healing when you are sick. Your pastor is ordained by Christ to feed you the body and blood of Christ. He is the one you call in the wee hours of the morning to come to your grandmother’s bedside to read the twenty-third psalm to her and pray the Lord’s Prayer with her family.

These are great responsibilities. But they are even greater privileges.

Just like all good things God gives, this, too, is a matter of grace. Undeserving as your pastor is, Christ has entrusted him with the responsibility of shepherding the members of His flock. There is no greater job than serving those who have been “bought with his own blood.”

There is no greater job than being an under-shepherd for the Good Shepherd. What could be better than talking about Jesus every day? Better than offering Christ’s forgiveness to a repentant adulterer? Better than sharing Christ’s comfort with a cancer patient? Better than deepening a man’s faith in his Redeemer? Better than baptizing a baby or praying with an overwhelmed mother or ministering to an out-of-work dad or ushering a saint’s soul to heaven?

Is a pastor’s job a difficult one? You bet. Leading stubborn sheep and guarding against the wolves and chasing down straying lambs is draining. But it is the comfort of God’s gracious Word that calms the pastor’s heart and allows him to close his eyes in peace at night. And the start of every new day begins with the knowledge that your pastor once again gets to be the under-shepherd for his Good Shepherd. That’s his job.