Is the pastor one of us?

Dan Edelen hit another home run with this post at Cerulean Sanctum. I just discovered Dan recently through Joe Carter and The Evangelical Outpost and he really has a lot of good stuff.

The crux of the article (and you should read it before continuing) is that we as the modern Christian church don't typically consider the pastor to be like the rest of us. When pastors make a mistake, especially big ones, we tend to send them off and make them someone else's problem. So many times the pastor is elevated to a holier-than-thou, near perfect being when in reality they are not and never will be. They are no more holy than those of us who are not pastors, yet we tend to think of them that way.

I think a typical pastor is someone who is trained specifically in the vocation of teaching, discipling, and dissecting Scripture. Through this training, they aren't given any special “No Sin” card, nor has Satan been given specific orders not to attack them. They are human, just like the rest of us. All of my formal training is in computer software design, but does that mean I'm less prone to aggravation at my computer? No, I'm probably more likely to get frustrated because I try to make my computer accomplish more things due to my knowledge in the area. In this same vein, pastors may be more prone to aggravation at their own sin, since that is what they are trained to try and bring people out of.

We're blessed in our church to have a pastor who is very open about this kind of thing. I consider him to be more of a partner than someone elevated above me. I think that if something were to come out about him that was especially shocking or scandalous, it would be our job as a church body to first, discipline in love, but second, to accept him back. Yes, he would be damaged goods, but so am I. Is my sin more tolerable than his because I'm not a pastor? Absolutely not. Paul himself says in I Timothy 1:15, “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ
Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.” If Paul is the worst, I think the rest of us rank right up there.

I know that some might think that pastors should be held to a higher standard, and I agree to an extent. Yes, publicly they are the face of the church they are pastoring. However, we are the face of Jesus to the world. Who has a higher responsibility? Let's hold ourselves to the higher standard first, and stop worrying about how those on this earth think of us.