Thought About Being a Pastor? Terrified? Good!

By Rev. Caleb Schewe

Behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.

What kind of sadistic man puts lambs in the midst of wolves? Apparently Jesus does. Surprisingly, it’s not the wolves that the pastor should fear. We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things. Stop fearing the wolves.

A pastor should have fear, reverent fear, as he handles holy things. He handles the Word of God. The Word of God is no trifle. God’s Law is a hammer. The pastor must dare to wield that hammer to break prideful hearts in repentance. God’s Word is a sharp two-edged sword. The pastor must dare to use it to cut and lance wounds caused by sin, that the remedy of the Gospel may heal those wounds in Christ. The pastor must dare to preach damning Law and forgiving Gospel and believe that God’s Word will do its work. That Word doesn’t need gimmicks or anecdotes to make it appealing. The Word of God is sufficient, powerful enough to take beaten paths, rocky and thorny ground, and turn them into good soil to bear good fruit.

A pastor should have reverent fear as he handles the holy things of the Sacraments. Baptism drowns. Baptism puts to death. Baptism washes. Baptism makes alive. Baptism makes one a temple of the Holy Ghost. A pastor should have reverent fear as he handles the true Body and Blood of Christ. You hold Jesus. You put Jesus into people’s mouths. If this terrifies you, it should. God is not mocked. Even as it terrifies you, do not despair. Jesus deigns to dwell with sinners and to eat and drink with sinners and to be counted among sinners at the Cross. As you consider the Office of the Holy Ministry, take comfort in the knowledge that God has a 100% rate of calling sinners into an office they don’t deserve. God uses sinful men to preach His Word and administer His Sacraments. The holy angels don’t get to do that. The holy angels cannot stand in the stead or by the command of Jesus. The holy angels cannot handle the Body and Blood of Jesus. The holy angels cannot do those things because Jesus did not become an angel. He became man.

As you realize your unworthiness for the Office, remember those who have gone before you. Moses? He committed murder and tried to hide it. David? Same thing. Peter? He came close in Gethsemane. Paul? Do you think he might have trouble being accepted at seminary with his history of persecution? Do you realize that Peter, James, and John fought just like seminary students (or sometimes professors, for that matter) about who was the greatest? James and John offered to call down fire from heaven on a Samaritan village; how would that go over in a district interview to get into seminary?

I hope those reminders make you chuckle, because we see something of ourselves in them. Despite the profound failings of Thomas, Peter, James, John, Paul, and every man throughout the history of the Church, God used them. God blessed them. God loved them. Even more, God liked them. So it is with you. Some of you are terrified to be a pastor because you have a speech impediment. So did Moses. So did I. Some of you are terrified to be a pastor because your body shakes when you talk in front of people. So did mine. Some of you are terrified to be a pastor because you’re strong introverts and don’t enjoy being around crowds. Same with me. Maybe you don’t want to hurt people with the Law. Neither do I. Perhaps you fear being faithful to the Word of God in a culture that hates the truth of God’s Word. It could be you’re fearful that eight years of schooling, learning Greek and Hebrew, and reading bunches of books by dead people sounds like an awful way to spend your late teens and twenties. Consider this: If you have read this far in this article, you either must like theology or you have a weird way of passing the time. If you like theology now, you’ll love theology in school. The seminaries will only make your love of theology flourish and grow, sort of like love of theology begets greater love of theology.

Some of you are terrified to be a pastor because you don’t know how to handle hospital visits and funerals. Don’t worry. You’ll handle them just fine because you’ll give out Christ. The reality is that you will be called into some of the worst times of people’s lives, but don’t despair. No one suffering the worst of situations expects you to fix their situation. For example, when you’re called to a hospital, no parishioner expects you to lay your hands on them and heal them. Or when you’re called to the death of a parishioner, no one expects you to pull a Jesus and tell the dead parishioner to get up. People don’t expect you to fix their problems. They just want you to give them Jesus. And you will. You’ll deliver Christ. Christ who suffered for sinners. Christ who was crucified for sinners. Christ who deigns to dwell among sinners and turn them from sinners into His saints. Christ, who is our only hope, comfort, and answer in this vale of tears. It is Christ who equips you for this holy task and gives His Word on your mouth for you to proclaim.

I’d be lying if I said there weren’t times I thought about what else I would rather do. I’d also be lying if I said that there’s no joy to be found in the Office of the Holy Ministry. On the one hand, it’s very hard work. On the other hand, it’s been a blast. I’m constantly amazed at how the parish thrives on the Word of God. I’ve pushed them. I’ve hit them hard with the Law, and they’ve taken it. I’ve abundantly given them Jesus and they’ve loved it. They’ve embraced rich hymnody. They’ve wanted to be taught deeper theology. So yes, it’s been a blast.

If you are considering being a pastor, visit one of our seminaries. We need more men to be pastors. The Lord will bless your endeavor, and even more, He will bless His Word. It’s His Church. Rejoice in that. His Church will be just fine. Jesus says so.

Rev. Caleb Schewe is the pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Monticello, Iowa.