Ask a Pastor Column

Q: Did you say in a previous article that you are neither a pastor nor a Christian?

A:  Whoops! I’d better clarify! In responding to the question about how a healthy church can benefit its community, I said this: “While I am neither a Christian nor a pastor because I believe all churches are perfect, I do believe that faithful Churches and Christians have the greatest potential for blessing both individuals and communities throughout the world.” In saying this, I meant to say that neither my faith nor my calling as a pastor rests upon the quality of Christians or churches. I did not intend to say that I am not a Christian or a pastor. I am both, and I’m happy to take this opportunity to share about how God has worked in my life.

I was born into a Christian family, surrounded by Scripture and attending church from the beginning. At the age of five I came to understand the essentials of the gospel: I was a sinner who needed to ask God’s forgiveness for my sins and accept Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. I still remember bowing my head at my kitchen table and asking Jesus to come into my life. He answered that prayer and has been with me ever since!

While both of my parents were Christians, they had different perspectives on many subjects. My dad was a scientist for many years at a national laboratory. He was (and is) a rational thinker and accepted many of the humanistic perspectives relating to the age and history of the world. My mom was more inclined to accept the Bible’s point of view in regards to Creation, history, and so on. I knew that both of my parents were good people and sincere in their perspectives, but growing up between the two points of view, combined with a natural curiosity, made me hungry to figure reality out for myself, or at least to reach a set of conclusions that I could be satisfied with. I began at an early age to ask probing questions about the Bible, science, faith, religion, and so on. Some encouraged me, others didn’t want to think hard enough to answer the questions I was asking! Despite this, I found the journey rewarding, and in many ways it has become the central pursuit of my life.

As a pastor, I feel I can sympathize with those who are confused by the multitude of perspectives and truth-claims bouncing around the world today. I am not the smartest person in the world, nor am I the best-qualified to answer many of the questions I have asked or been asked. I’m just a person who has become convinced that God is Truth, that the Bible contains the answers I’ve spent my life looking for, and that God is the only fulfilling answer to many of our deepest questions and needs in life. I am glad to have the opportunity to share whatever answers I’ve found with you all in these articles, and I hope that they will help you grow closer to the God of Truth and His Son Jesus Christ.

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Let us know what you think of the ask a pastor articles! If you’ve found them helpful in any way, been blessed by an article, or have any thoughts on how we could make it better, let us know by sending an email to askapastor [email protected] or by mail to Formoso Church; P.O. Box 66; Formoso, Kansas 66942. And, as always, feel free to send us your Bible questions!