Confessions of a Pastor

ConfessionsI just finished reading Craig Groscel’s book, "Confessions of a Pastor." He’s the pastor of Lifechurch.tv and widely regarded as one of the "innovators" of church ministries today.

In Confessions, Craig documents his struggles. He talks about his pride, the fact that he doesn’t like most Christians. The fact that he struggles to have a devotional and prayer life. The fact that he’s afraid people won’t like him. On and on he runs through a series of admissions to things that would likely shock most "in the pews" Christians.

This is powerful because pastors live in a fishbowl and are placed firmly on a pedestal in the eyes of congregants. In fact, it’s both the upside and the downside of our position. The Bible calls pastors to be "above reproach" and "worthy of respect" while at the same time Scripture teaches us that we hopelessly sinful beyond the grace of Christ.

At first glance, this books could be taken as offensive or even emo. But I found this book very encouraging. Not only because I have some of the same weaknesses and fears that Craig describes, but because Craig gently and courageously talks about his weaknesses and then points himself to Scripture to be taught, rebuked, and corrected in righteousness.

Living in a fishbowl on a pedestal isn’t easy. The reality is that I will never live up to people’s expectations. The reality is that God’s calling of "above reproach" is an awfully big stretch for a human… particularly in a shrinking world due to technology. But what I loved about Confessions is that he doesn’t say "Yo, fat pastor… be perfect like me." Instead he says, "Join me in striving for holiness in an unholy world."


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2 responses to “Confessions of a Pastor”

  1. Dave Avatar

    when i read the title on my home page “Confessions of a Pastor” i thought i was gonna get some entertainment

  2. Gman Avatar

    I have this book on my “To buy” list and probably need to go out and get it today. Thanks for the reminder.

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