Stop Preaching, Start Pastoring
A short letter to young christians
“People want a pastor; they don’t want you to just be up there teaching… they want shepherding.”
Tim Keller
“I think so many pastors put themselves on this pedestal. And it’s basically, church can be surronded around the man, the pastor, the guy…”
Justin Bieber
I’m not sure if I’m considered a millennial or Gen Z – I’m 28, born June 1996. I still remember a time before wifi, Instagram, and TikTok.
Anyway, what I do know is that the world doesn’t need more second-rate Tim Kellers.
What I mean is the evangelical church is flooded with young pastors and church leaders posting their sermon highlights week in and week out.
Reformed cats want to be the next Keller, Sproul, or Washer.
Charismatic, nondenominational, and Pentecostals want to be Judah Smith, John Mark Comer, or Christine Caine.
Noble but played-out pursuits.
In a world with podcasts and YouTube, how can you compete with history’s best orators and apologists available nonstop at the tip of our fingers?
Our generation (I’ll boldly speak for millennials and Gen Z) needs pastors, not second/third-rate Kellers or Comers. We need men and women to teach us to pray faithfully, to think deeply, and to guide the formation of our souls.
Maybe that’s why James’ challenge is so timeless, that “not many of you should become teachers”1.
In context, James is being practical in saying something like “the more you speak, the more chance you have of leading people astray.” Theological statistics, I guess.
And, as one commentator notes, “in the ancient Mediterranean world, teachers were held in respect, so perhaps many in James’ congregations were trying to attain status2.”
In other words, James saw so many young fellas pursue ministry to build their own platforms.
Our hearts are often subtly deceitful. We begin with a desire to communicate the beauties and wonders of Christ, then post a video of a sermon clip, get a few likes and encouraging comments, and it feels good, really good. Sooner or later, you start preaching to the camera, not ministering to your congregation.
Or you go to seminary with a passion to lead and love, only to come out the other side a talking head full of fancy theological jargon that you flex on friends and fellow church members (not that I’ve ever done this).
As one of the greats writes: “a seminary is not a congenial place in which to nurture spirituality — a life of prayer, a community of love, a risky faith3.”
Neither Instagram nor seminaries are congenial to spiritual formation, nor is a church building, for that matter, but they can become places of worship and wonder4.
And that is the work of the pastor, to usher those who are longing to be led into a deeper spirituality into the presence of God. Not to build a social media following, be God’s political pundit, or God’s Public Relations manager. As former editor and author Katelyn Beatty writes: “The next generation of church leaders is better off abandoning the fixation on cultural celebrity, instead pursuing ordinary faithfulness5.”
I’m grateful to have pastors who care more about my soul and character than my charisma and gifts. I’m grateful that they are committed to helping and leading me in the long obedience.
I’ve fumbled the bags more times than I dare count, and I am so, so grateful to have pastors who care more about cultivating patience than letting my gifts outpace my character. I’m grateful to be in a community that is more concerned with nurturing followers of Jesus, not growing a brand or a church. After all:
“…the church does not exist to grow buildings, budgets or butts (seats in pews). It doesn’t exist to prove that Christianity is cool, credible, or naturally attractive. It exists to make people into little Christs6.”
Time and time again, I have conversations with friends who desire something deeper than quick fixes and bumper sticker prayers.
As John Eldridge notes, young men and women are hungry for spiritual mothers and fathers. Sadly, much of what we get are leaders a few years older than us who are just as anxious and insecure as we are7.
People are exhausting and annoyingly complex, but I believe the fundamental human longing, the deepest ache we all walk around with, is a longing to be seen.
Now, I’m not a pastor, simply the son of a pastor and a friend of pastors, but if you’re a pastor or preacher (heck, a Christian under 60), you’ve got to get off the content machine.
Consider deleting your Instagram or at least never posting a sermon clip, commit to a life of reading, and learning to pray honestly.
We need you to be you, not some curated, half-baked “relevant” you. We need the you who feels a deep desire to bring people to Jesus.
Minister from who you are, not who you are trying to be. As the adage goes, “People do not care how much you know until they know how much you can.”
Your deepest gift will not be how cool you dress, how witty or insightful your footnotes are, or how many followers you reach.
My dear friend, more than your words, let your life be your greatest sermon.
Yours in the long obedience!
James 3:1 NIV 2011.
Craig L. Bloomberg & Mariam J. Kamell, James: Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008) 152.
Eugene Peterson, “The Seminary as a Place of Spiritual Formation,” in Subversive Spirituality, (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), 56. Peterson was by no means against people going to seminary; he was, after all, a professor at a few, he was just aware of the dangers of men and women losing their faith or substituting knowing Christ for knowing about Christ.
Peterson, “The Seminary,” 57.
Katelyn Beaty, Celebrities for Jesus: How Personas, Platforms, and Profits Are Hurting the Church, (Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2022), 157.
Beaty, Celebrities for Jesus, 162.
John Eldridge, https://careynieuwhof.com/episode725/. In this podcast, Eldridge mainly speaks to the masculine soul. Much of this can be found in his book Fathered by God. See: John Eldridge, Fathered By God: Learning What Your Dad Could Never Teach You, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2009).
this is such an important read. I have been wrestling a lot with 'revival' culture or apostolic movements and how albeit the intention has some noble attributes, it can water down the power of faithfulness, waiting, stillness, quietness and waiting in the Lord. It can also glorify the stage, a loud or charismatic personality rather the personhood of Christ and the joy of discovering our identity in Christ which is not cookie cutter, we are not meant to look or sound the same.