One of the keys our ministry cohort’s focus is the principle of Bible centered leadership: That the life of a pastor should be so grounded in scripture, doctrine and theology, that it pours out of us and into every aspect of our lives.
When a pastor is clearly centered, their congregation shows sign of being centered themselves. After all, their pastor is their vision-caster, the lead worshiper and teacher who starts a God-centered conversation and lives it our with them daily. Over time, the spiritual life of a pastor is reproduced in the lives of his or her followers.
This principle works both ways of course. A lack of depth, study, discipline and solid grounding produces weak followers. I see this a lot in youth ministry. Youth pastors who focus on fun and games and not scripture, and over time, graduate students who are great at playing games but who do not have a handle on the fundamental truths of God. You see this in pastors who “borrow” sermons online or otherwise because they lack the centeredness and creativity to listen to God and bring teach out of their overflow.
The lack of centeredness creates an off-balance life. Really, it’s like a Weeble-Wobble, except you fall down. Constantly off-kilter. As if you were a child asking to be spun around, over and over and attempting to walk afterward. A life lacking a solid foundation in scripture, doctrine and theology simply will not work as God desires. It falls.
As pastors, therefore, it is paramount that we remain centered despite trials and temptations. There can be no dry spells. There are no excuses. Who you are is what you are producing.
A question: Who are you producing?