THIS POST gives a good synopsis of how I view pastoring. I am grateful for these words. This what I envision for the church I am blessed to lead!

Let’s be honest. I think the evangelical tendency to obsess over the Apostle Paul and his letters for local church life has created this visionless, pastoral inwardness. Pauline-obsessed pastors may demonstrate this “I’m-in-my-study-don’t bother me” ivory tower view of the pastor more than anything you will find in the life and ministry of Jesus. Shepherds, pastors worth their salt, leave the flock, weather the storms, fend off the dangers, even laying own their lives if necessary. Pastors are, in essence, risk-takers. If they are not, then they are not like their Chief Pastor, Jesus. Please hear me. I am not trying to exalt the pastor over the other gifted people in leadership and laity in the church. Pastors deeply long for an activist congregation and eagerly help people discover, develop, and deploy their particular gifts, abilities, and passions for the sake of the mission of God. Pastoring is not just a gift; it is a vocation. Not everyone likes to hear this in the church these days.