Pastors and Performers

Some pastors do accents. Show me a Presbyterian preacher who has (or can conjure up) a Scottish accent and I’ll show you a very popular preacher.

I’ve known pastors who perform exquisitely. They have the bedside manner of Marcus Welby, MD. They have the financial chops of a corporate banker. They have the intellectual heft of a theology professor. And yet it feels like they are performing rather than pastoring.

I’m not talking about Imposter Syndrome. Most of us wonder if we are up to the task. We wonder if our sermons are impactful. We might worry that we are getting stale after all these years.

Or maybe we do not wonder or worry at all. As long as we can perform our tasks in the presence of Church witnesses (so they know we are doing our job), we are fine.

But this is not what it means to be a Pastor. This is not an all-inclusive list, but what it means to be an authentic Pastor involves these attributes:

• Is our Pastor trustworthy in terms of practicing what they preach? Clearly we all fall short of the glory of God, and yet – are our words the clear opposite of our actions?
• Is our Pastor safe and approachable? Is there anything about the pastor that makes people feel unwelcome or uncomfortable? Pastors and parishioners differ in theology and other matters – of course – and yet respecting people for who they are is essential.
• Is our Pastor spiritually grounded? Are they leading faithfully based on what Jesus teaches, and do they lead confidently because they trust God to guide them?
• Does our Pastor love us? Do they want to hear our stories? Do they care about our ideas? Do they feel compassion when we are grieving? Do they light up when we are excited about something?

As I move closer and closer towards retirement (March 2026) I can look back and see that the most effective ministers are the ones who were more pastoral than performative. Every pastor is expected to “perform” occasionally. We act interested even when we are bored silly the fifth time someone tells us about their hip replacement. We don’t complain (much) when asked to do things we didn’t go to seminary for. We bite our lips when members say for the upteenth time: “if only we had more young families.”

It is the honor and privilege of a lifetime to serve people as their Pastor. It’s also infuriating, exhausting, and mind-numbing at times. But to hear the stories of God’s people and to know and love them is amazing.