“John, I have lunch with you daily,” writes Mike, one of our regular readers. “I set my iPad mini on my desk and have a dialog with you as I read ‘The Catch.’ The question of the hidden leader is close to my heart. Churches expect their pastors to be perfect examples of humanity: flawless and untainted by the world. What they get is someone who is always careful what to say and in the manner in which it is delivered. Many times when a pastor is willing to be real in front of his congregation they are offended by the honesty. Having made mistakes as a pastor and having a congregation unwilling to accept a pastor living “unveiled” as in the description of Moses from 2 Corinthians, I have witnessed hypocrisy within the body of Christ like I have never seen outside the church. The thing I discovered that God was doing with me was to thrust me into a situation that would lead to my failure as a pastor to get my attention, teach me a lesson and aim me in His direction for me. Preparation, so to speak, for the next stop on my journey.
“Leadership isn’t for the faint hearted. Symptomatic of our times is the lack of qualified servant-hearted leaders. It is true in the church as well as locally, nationally and even internationally. The best and brightest avoid it, so what we are left with is a second string ill equipped to lead us. My ministry has been in the public high school for the past 14 years as band director. I am retiring at the end of this school year and wondering where He will be sending me next.”
You broke the code, Mike – the unwritten rule that living under the old covenant requires. It requires a cover-up. Your carefully guarded persona is what allowed everyone else to hide, too. And everyone gets comfortable with that low level of exposure and becomes resistant to any kind of openness or disclosure.
God obviously wanted to take that body somewhere they were unwilling to go, starting with you. When a leader breaks the code, it implicates everybody. They saw your vulnerability and went, “Nope … not for us. We’re not going to go there.” This sounds like an old covenant church on the brink of new covenant miracles, but they shut the door on them. They shut the door on your leadership that would have taken them there, and on their own adventure of finding Christ’s power made perfect in weakness.
Meanwhile, it looks as if God lead you outside the church, and that is no less of a place of leadership as you have no doubt found out. You may have accomplished more as a public high school band director than you could as a pastor. My high school band director had a profound influence on my life. He pushed me beyond my limits and gave me opportunities that helped shape my character in a significant way. You are bringing the kingdom of God on earth without the religious fanfare.
And I love the way you are looking at the future. “I am wondering where He will be sending me next.” That is a statement of hope, expectation and adventure. The new covenant always leads somewhere you haven’t been before, otherwise we would be in charge.
All the best to you, Mike! Oh … and thanks for bringing us to lunch with you!
We had an incredible time interviewing bestselling author
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John Fischer The Catch 
I always admire church pastors because they have to deal with PEOPLE. I admire their wives even more. Because a lot of church folks feel like they are getting a package, so to speak. Some of the congregation aren’t going to like her hair or her clothes, or if she has a job, why is she working? It is a good thing I married a geologist, because that would make me crazy!! So, I always make a point to love her hair and adore her clothes, because just putting up with us should put stars in her crown. So, Marty, you have my sincere admiration. Hope I spelled your name right. Sister in Christ. Jan
I think we want someone to look up to, a hero. We hold pastors and gospel singers and missionaries to unrealistic standards and then go from admiring them to ripping them apart.
I do think our honesty needs to be filtered at times, not everything I do wrong is everyone’s business. 🙂
I see sometimes a justification for our sin with the excuse of being honest. I mean that’s what I do (if you want honesty).
Living authentically for me is the key to honesty. Closets are for clothes they say. Example? When we go to church yet doubt our faith and can’t have an honest discussion about it, we’re living in a closet. When we’ve made a mess of things and have to put on a front that says everything is okay, we’re living in a closet. When we have a child gone away from the faith and making bad choices and we have to hide it from the people that are supposed to be our support, we’re living in a closet.
Coming out of the closet is not easy for anyone. Example? We had a pastor that was stealing church funds and cheating on his wife, think that would be an easy closet to come out of? What about parents that have to tell their kids they are getting a divorce? You can only hide in the closet so long.
How about a woman that had an abortion? How many church friends is she going to feel safe with after hearing all the hate toward planned parenthood?
I think we have to stop lying to ourselves before we can begin honest living with others.
When I was a child I was taught that Jesus would take my sins away and like the woman at the well I was to go and sin no more. It was pretty tough on me when I kept on sinning, countless trips to the alter.
At some point being forgiven for being the sinner I was created to be suddenly seemed like an odd way at looking at the gospel.
Conclusion? I ramble too much, I’m a sinner, I will do my best to live in a way that honors the teachings of Christ and I think that is to love others which I’m not too bad at. I just suck at all the other stuff.
This is very good. You didn’t ramble at all. There’s something here for everyone.
Thank you again, John. You spoke to me with this one. I was a pastor’s wife for some years – the unhappiest years in my Christian life. I felt boxed in, judged and had no spiritual joy whatsoever. One Sunday evening I stood up and said I was miserable there and was leaving. Soon after I started getting Our Daily Bread in the mail – misspelled name and wrong address but they found me! My ex-pastor husband and I attend a small church. When our pastor has a story from his past as a dairyman, a marine or from his childhood he includes warts and all. He learned lessons from his failings that he shares with us so we can learn too. That’s the kind of pastor I like! Thanks again – I learn so much not only from you but from the other responders (brothers and sisters) out there!