If pastors were completely honest, one of their biggest struggles would be humility. As a pastor I can attest to this fact. I’ve desired the big platform, the large church, the big impact, to be “known”. I’ve wrestled and still continue to wrestle with each one of these. Only one problem, that’s not the qualifications of a pastor we find in scripture…
1 Timothy 3 is Paul laying out for Timothy the qualifications of an elder. In this we see qualifications that all lead to a man of character, a man of humility. In these qualifications we don’t see the success that so many pastors, including myself, have longed for as a requirement of elder. Rather we see character.
As of late my biggest convictions has been that of my desires for something more. Desiring a larger platform, longing for a bigger church, etc. Rather than desiring for more of the Lord, more of His Word, to be more of a man of character. Maybe I’m alone in this, maybe not. If you are a pastor and you find yourself seeking that of a larger platform, let me first ask you, are you a man of character?