Ask a Pastor Column

Q: What’s the point of going to church just to get a lecture from a pastor who’s just as much a sinner as I am?

A: Friend, your question makes me wonder if you haven’t spent time sitting under some unhealthy teaching. If this is so, it saddens me; because, as a pastor and a Christian, I want people to know the life-changing power contained in Christ, the gospel, and the Bible.

There is certainly no value in forcing yourself to sit through a lecture you are not getting any benefit from. However, there can be great value in sitting under the teaching of a godly and mature believer who has gained wisdom and knowledge through a long and fruitful relationship with God.

In our society, it is not uncommon to find people with full heads and dead hearts who have mistaken data for Truth. And sometimes these individuals find their way into pulpits. They will happily lecture you till the cows come home, and you will go home none the wiser. On the other hand, an effective sermon from a godly minister will seek to connect your head, heart and will to the Truths of God. A good minister will explain God’s Truth in a relevant and understandable way, share how it has worked in their experience, and provide opportunities outside the church service to explain it more fully and deeply.

You called pastors “sinners” in your question, and indeed we are. You won’t find a single leader in the Church who isn’t a sinner (See the Apostle Paul’s confession to Timothy in I Timothy 1:15-16). But it’s important to know that pastors can relate to their sin in one of two ways. Some choose to hide it and prattle about self-righteousness as a smokescreen for their failures. Again, such people cannot help you (Matthew 7:3-4). The kind of pastor you want is one who has owned their sins, confessed them and grown from them. An individual who has declared war on his sins, wrestled his demons and learned to overcome them can help you do the same (Philippians 3:17).

In one sense, every minister you meet will always be just as much a sinner as you are (again I Timothy 1:15). But some ministers have gained godly character from a long walk with God and learned a thing or two about life, wisdom, God and eternity. You can tell what they know by how they live (Matthew 7:15-20). Find the ones who know God and His Truth. Hear them.

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