Pastor VS Teacher
On Facedown, I take a half hour to go through a chapter of the Bible. It’s meant to be a summary review, looking at common questions and controversies in the passage while communicating the main point of the story being presented. Because I’m the only person in the room, and because of my own roots, this kind of expositional teaching has the feel of a sermon.
Over the last few years of teaching on Facedown, there’s one thing that has become a constant pet peeve of mine. Some people, in an understandable and relatable zeal for politeness, refer to me as ‘Pastor Ezra’.
I don’t mind that tic, not really, but it’s interesting enough to me to write about the difference between a Pastor and a Teacher, the latter being what I actually am.
In Titus 1, and in 1 Timothy 3, we’re given a very thorough description and definition of what a Pastor is. Here, the word used is Overseer, but the purpose of the office is the same. To summarize, an Overseer must be above reproach, temperate, respectable, able to teach, free of the love of money, able to manage his own household, and not be a recent convert.
Furthermore, an Overseer/Pastor is to lead his local congregation. He appoints deacons and elders, as Titus makes clear, and is the primary teacher and shepherd of the church. Teaching, I would argue, is second in the responsibilities of a Pastor. The first responsibility being the control and guidance of the church itself, so that it does not fall into infighting, unnecessary schisms, ruthless slander, or worse.
We tend to call anyone a Pastor who fills two of these positions. If one is a Teacher, and teaches many people simultaneously, we call him a Pastor. It is in that sense that some call me a Pastor, and again, I understand the impulse. My argument is simply that this is a misuse of the word.
Some facts should be entered into the record here. Firstly, I do not lead a church. (Humorously though, if you google the phrase ‘Facedown Church’, this website is the first result.) Furthermore, I do not have any current aspirations to lead a church. This may be too honest, but I look at the way the American church treats their Pastors, and I want no part of it.
Furthermore, I do not meet the qualifications. I am not self-controlled, though I strive to be. I am not above reproach, as I have not yet found the willpower to turn down a seventh slice of pizza, much to my own detriment. My friends have assured me that I meet the qualifications otherwise stated, though I know my heart too well to fully agree with them.
To summarize, I am a Teacher, not a Pastor. I am humbled by how many call me Pastor, but please, save that title for the great men of the church who earn it. They who are overworked, underpaid, underappreciated, constantly abused by their parishioners, having to endure every attack of the enemy and yet still keeping themselves in complete dignity. I don’t know that I could endure such a life.
