By the Way: A temporary steward
By Roland Weisbrot on March 25, 2023.
One of the privileges, and sometimes burdens, of being a pastor serving a church that was established prior to the beginning of your calling to it is the reality that there were pastors before you, and, God willing, there will be pastors after you. This is comforting and humbling because it forces you to realize that the ministry is not about you, or at least it should not be. Ministry should be always and only about Christ. You see, pastors come in all shapes, sizes, and skillsets, and God uses us all, broken and imperfect as we are, to serve a community of fellow broken and imperfect believers. This can be, and quite frankly often is, messy, and it can lead to both pastors and congregants being hurt when we fail to be the community called by Christ of love, forgiveness, and unity. Nevertheless, it is in the mess we call “church” that Christ forms us into His likeness as we hear His Word, receive His sacraments, and encounter His Holy Spirit. If there is one thing I have learned as a pastor, however, it is to always remind myself and the congregation I serve, that I am just a temporary steward. I am just an unworthy servant of the true Shepherd, Jesus Christ, and that ultimately, every person in the pew belongs to Him. I remind myself this so that I do not become narcissistic and egotistical, imagining ministry to be about my goals, vision, aspirations, and glory. I remind the congregation of my temporary stewardship so that ministry is not built around me, but around Christ Who is eternally ministering to us (cf. Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:23-25). This is why the true test of a pastor is not determined while they are serving a church, but after they have left. Only then will it be known upon which foundation the pastor was building: their own, or Christ’s. Pastor Roland Weisbrot is lead pastor of Victory Lutheran Church 10-9
