The Pastor as Anti-Professional
I must consciously reject the idea that conforming to the external, polished appearances often associated with professionalism is a mark of success.
The pursuit of professionalism in the pulpit has been a stunning failure.
I long for the praise and validation that issues from a well-delivered talk. I desire to be counted as an equal among those who perform duties similar to mine. I aim to meet the standard—good at all the things I am supposed to be good at, master of my domain, doing what everyone else does… but better. In other words: a “real professional.”
But this is unnecessary, and what’s more, it is a hazard. I can be a polished writer and public speaker, but these are skills and not marks of character. And how many pastors have secured new assignments on the strength of these skills? Many. And yet it is marks of character, not talents, skills or charisma, that qualify us to lead.
Now, pastors should not be unprofessional. Not sloppy or lazy or unpracticed, because that would be a distraction to the gospel. I should not dispense with every convention of personal appearance. I should seek to communicate effectively. I should not wallow in a slough of incompetence in the name of casting down the idol of professionalism.
Pastors should not be unprofessional, but they should be, in a sense, anti-professional.
Projecting a Positive Image
I must consciously reject the idea that conforming to the external, polished appearances often associated with professionalism is a mark of success. Projecting a positive image of oneself is not a pastor’s goal. I must make a deliberate shift away from the pursuit of those superficialities, even though they seem like shortcuts to credibility.
And yet, in the same way I should not be unprofessional, I should not be unpolished, not if I understand the true nature of polishing. To reveal the beauty of a piece of wood, a craftsman must work it over and sand it. When that is done, he applies a varnish, transparently encasing a true internal beauty. He can then buff that outer coat to increase its gloss and transparency.
I must be the same. Polish and professionalism can be a coat of paint that hides my flaws. Instead, I must submit to the Lord when he applies the sandpaper of affliction. Only then can he apply a glossy coat of perseverance. He will send trials that will buff me. These will reveal the beauty that Christ, in his goodness and kindness, has worked into my life.
I must not paint over my flaws to hide them. If I do this, I cease to speak, preach and lead as a person. If I do this, I am merely projecting a persona. But I must confess my propensity to pride, the remaining weaknesses of my flesh, and the sins that still hinder my fellowship with the Lord. I must reveal all of these in prayer and repentance—publicly, if prudent, but certainly privately to the Lord and to trusted brothers and sisters in Christ.
Only a person can do this; a persona cannot.
How to Be Exalted
I must be polished, but in unseen ways, and buffed by heartache and adversity and lament so that I may sympathize with others as they are being sanded and polished in similar ways.
I must not seek elevation or pursue higher and brighter platforms for the sake of my pride, for the way of Jesus is to humble myself, so that the Lord may exalt me—at a time of his choosing and in a manner that will reveal his glory and not mine.
A pastor whose primary pursuits are success and professionalism must craft a persona to accompany his “brand”: The authoritarian, the comedian, the salesman, the guru, the motivational speaker, the professor.
But the faithful ordinary pastor submits himself to the shaping of affliction, and through these afflictions, he is humbled and made submissive. He is shaped by Christ, and can then minister as himself because he has become like Christ. He is himself, and the Word is preached through his personality and not by his persona.
The pursuit of humility in the pulpit will always be a success.
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Michael Krahn is a pastor, the husband of Anne Marie, and the father of Madeleine, Olivia, and Sophia. Make a connection on Facebook, X, or Instagram.