“The whole world needs a pastor right now.”

~ Pastor Joe Chambers

That simple Facebook update – “The whole world needs a pastor right now.” – caught my attention when Joe Chambers, Pastor of Mountain Heights Baptist Church in Buena Vista, Colorado first shared it a couple of days ago.

I thought about it all morning.

And all afternoon.

And as I went to sleep that night.

I thought back to advice I heard Pastor Lee Roberson share with other pastors once about the need to show up and be a pastor for anyone and everyone in your town who might need one, whether they’ve ever heard of your church or not.

I thought about Matthew 9:36, which says, “When he (Jesus) saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

I thought about God’s complaint about the spiritual leaders in Israel through the Prophet Jeremiah and his promise to give them better pastors (shepherds):

Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the LORD. Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the LORD. Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the LORD.

~ Jeremiah 23:1-4 NRSV

And I thought about some of the amazing pastors I’ve known.

Pastors are often written off in our culture because the stories that get attention tend to focus on those who are abusive or corrupt. But the fact is, most of the pastors I know love Jesus, love people, and want to help the hurting.

If we are to believe that the church (that is, the church when it is the church Jesus envisioned) holds the solutions to some of the biggest problems people face in the world, then we must also see that pastors are the messengers of those solutions.

The weary world needs a Word from God. And while every follower of Jesus carries around the good news of the gospel to share with others, pastors are called to a special ministry of equipping and empowering God’s people to share that message.

If you’re a pastor, please know that you matter. Your work matters. The fact that you seek to serve Jesus matters. Your desire to apply the message of the gospel to the deepest needs of humanity, and that’s a very good work.

The only practical step in this article is this:

Go be a pastor to the world.

Sometimes, someone won’t want you to be their pastor. That’s okay. Respect that and let them leave gracefully.

But anyone who will allow you to do so, love them, pray with and for them, counsel them, minister to them, and share the saving message of Jesus with them.

Recommended Reading:

• Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership: Seeking God in the Crucible of Ministry, by Ruth Haley Barton

• The Care of Souls: Cultivating a Pastor's Heart, by Harold Senkbeil

I love that part of the story of the early church in which God allows persecution to scatter the Christians from Jerusalem like ants. The Bible says that everywhere they went, they preached the gospel (see Acts chapter 8).

Phillip, in particular, headed to a city in Samaria and became the earliest cross-cultural missionary. When he preached there, the citizens listened and embraced Jesus. The Bible sums it up by saying, “So there was great joy in that city.” (Acts 8:8 NLT)

I’ve spent a lot of time lately reading Acts and other sources of early church history. I’ve found this theme to be recurring. The apostles enter a city and preach Jesus against the backdrop of creation and the story of God. People embrace Jesus and the city takes on new life.

The other reaction that happens is riots break out and people get upset, but it’s usually the established religious leadership, feeling threatened by the dethroning power of this new gospel, that stir up the crowds.

As I’ve looked over the stories, from Samaria to Athens to Rome, I see some recurring themes.

• The apostles establish trust and common ground, often hearing local leaders in the synagogue before engaging.

• They start with the story of creation (with Gentiles) and with Abraham (with Jews).

• Some respond by embracing Jesus. Others reject the gospel. Everyone is free to decide without coercion.

• Churches are formed as disciple-making, disciple-maturing, and disciple-multiplying centers.

• Cities and cultures are transformed as people are influenced with the gospel.

• The gospel travels beyond that city into the surrounding territories and to new fields.

Unfortunately, I think we often bring about reactions other than joy in our cities.

Sometimes we ignore the city by walling ourselves off socially and keeping to ourselves as though we’re better than everyone around us.

Sometimes we imitate the city and lose any distinction as a community of Christian believers walking in the Way of Jesus, which is the way of love.

And sometimes we even irritate the city by shouting at all the nonbelievers who don’t necessarily think or act like believers.

I think there’s still a way to capture the essence of apostolic mission, which infiltrates cities with the gospel as new believers develop a sense of mission in every realm in which they live.

From within political structures, schools and education boards, workplaces, social services, and other realms of city life, the gospel – the good news about God’s redemptive work through Christ – earns a hearing and makes a difference. And in the end, great joy comes to the city.

In more practical terms, we can…

• Plant churches that make the good news both visible and audible to our community.

• Scatter throughout the community as small groups that grow spiritually and serve practically.

• Live the gospel, love people, and share Jesus as individuals.

• Bring down the cultural barriers that keep people of different ethnicities separated on Sunday mornings.

• Partner with the city’s governmental leaders to address real issues that affect local residents.

• Partner with local charitable organizations, Christian or not, that address problems like hunger and homelessness.

• Partner with local schools to improve education, minister to teachers, and help hurting families.

• Partner with other local churches in kingdom-focused projects.

• Minister to the hurting, the broken, the mentally ill, and the emotionally unhealthy through counseling and recovery ministries.

• Support families, not by replacing parents as disciple-makers, but by supplementing and aiding parents in the discipleship process.

Is there more? Sure. This is not some to-do list or official statement.

When you’re a pastor, cultivate a deep love for your city and let your own heart be broken over its pain. Then, be a vessel of the good news that brings joy to people’s lives.

Recommended Reading:

• For the City: Proclaiming and Living Out the Gospel, by Darrin Patrick and Matt Carter