10 Things to KNOW About Almost All Pastors

Or at Least Your Pastor at Resurrection

Here are 10 random things to know about pastors – and especially your pastor at Resurrection Lutheran Church & School:

1) The temptations you face, I also face.  No pastor is immune to temptation.  I’m human.  I make mistakes (no surprise there – and if you don’t believe me, just ask my wife, Rita!).  I need lots of God’s grace and mercy as all of us do!  I should be held accountable, but ultimately I’m accountable to God – just as YOU are.

2) The better the sermon – the longer it takes for me to prepare it.  Sermon preparation has never come easy for me.  There are rare exceptions but they are rare!  If I am going to preach a decent or better message, I will have to take the time away from other responsibilities to study and prepare (and this includes the power points I use!).  This could mean I am not available every time you call, or I am not everywhere you hoped I would be.

3I don’t know everything that goes on at church – and neither does my wife, Rita!  You are welcome to ask, but I may or may not have the answer.  At Resurrection, we seek empower our leaders to LEAD and ACT, and there are times I just don’t know the “who, what, why, how or when.”  It is often better to call or email the staff person or volunteer leader more likely to know.

4) Even though I am preaching or teaching it, I have not yet mastered it.  NO ONE ever masters God’s Word.  I am working on mastering it as I seek to teach and preach the whole counsel of God – but I am still a work in progress (and will continue to be ‘til I go to heaven and have all my questions answered!)

5) I get nervous every time I enter the pulpit – in fact, sometimes sick to my stomach.  If you didn’t notice – well, I’m just thankful that I can cover that so well.  But do me the favor of a tremendous blessing by whispering a prayer as I step up to preach – it does help!

6) Believe it or not: Sunday is NOT the only day I work.  Really!  Honestly!  And preaching is NOT all I do.  I actually work 6 (very often long) days a week (and some weeks I work all 7 days that week!) – and even when I am out of town, I’m often working!  But Sunday does come around quickly!

7) Your “story” or confession will NOT surprise me.  I will never be callous towards what you tell me, but I’ve probably heard similar or worse.  And I’m still going to love you and consider you a fellow brother or sister in Christ Jesus!

8) To my family, I am usually NOT a pastor – just a husband, dad or “Pop Pop.  And believe me, I like that!  I even like to be “just a friend” sometimes.

9) This is IMPORTANT: If you tell me something on Sunday mornings, you MUST back it up with a phone call, a text or an email to remind me.  There is a lot going through my mind on Sunday mornings – and my brain is distracted and I WILL FORGOT WHAT YOU SHARED!  And if can wait until Tuesday – even better! – as I try to take Monday as my day-off.

10)  I can relate to you better than you think.  Yes, I like to have a good time (and I do enjoy a beer or a glass of wine!).  A few might say I have a “warped sense of humor.”  I know how to laugh, and enjoy the life and the family that God has granted me.  I don’t have to be quoting Scripture to do so!  The more you see me as a regular person, the more I can relate to the struggles you face and your friends who are afraid to come to church – partly because they think I’m NOT a regular person.