The Secret to Being a Successful Pastor: A 5-Day Challenge by Andrew HébertSample

DAY 1

Poor in spirit. Broken. Humble. Hungry. Sympathetic. Pure. Reconciling. Enduring.

These are not the words that describe the typical picture of the modern-day "successful" American pastor, but these are the words Jesus said should characterize the lives of his twelve disciples, the men who would lead the church after he ascended into heaven.

In the beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus paints a very clear picture of eight attitudes his disciples should embrace if they expect blessing. They are backwards, upside down, surprising, and not at all what typical American congregations expect of their leader.

Many modern-day pastors cut a very different image than the biblical picture of a local church shepherd. We are dreamers, visionaries, catalysts, ambitious, thought leaders, influencers, motivators, and change agents. Much time is spent crafting and sustaining our image, broadening our reach, and extending our platform. Poor in spirit? Mourning? Humble? Not so much. In many circles, the image of what a pastor is or does looks nothing like the picture Jesus paints for his disciples of the character that marks citizens of his kingdom.

This devotional is a call to rebel against much of what our culture understands pastoral leadership to be and return to being the Christ-shaped shepherd God has called us to be. It’s a challenge to swim against the current of much of what passes for pastoral life these days. It’s an invitation to recover the most essential element of pastoral ministry: the character of Christ.

I have good news for you. The most essential component for successful pastoral ministry is not ministerial competence or leadership capacity, but character. Representing Christ well as a pastor means reflecting his character in and among his flock. If you succeed in the area of character, then you can be a successful pastor even in the absence of other gifts or abilities. But if you succeed in church growth, preaching, and leadership, but fail in character, you have failed in what matters most.

But how do we know what the character of Christ should look like in the life of a pastor? Together, we will look at Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, and the beatitudes in particular, to see the very character he wants to shape into our lives as Christians and as Christian pastors.