
Pastors wear a lot of hats these days: event planner, public speaker, conflict mediator, taxi driver, office manager, fundraiser, journalist, funeral director, and wedding consultant, among other things.
From one pastor to another, I sure hope you don’t have to do all of those things—or at least not all of them, all of the time. But I also know that when you’re responsible for a community of people you love, you will do whatever you can to meet the different needs of the people you lead.
And so, at the risk of adding even more hats to your already overfilled head, I would like to share with you what I have noticed to be 5 often overlooked, but critically important, roles of an effective pastor – a few (more) of the hats I try to wear.
1 – STORY COLLECTOR: Noticing, honoring, and remembering God-stories.
After the Lord delivered the Israelites out of Egypt and fed them manna in the desert, he told them, “Take a jar and put an omer of manna in it. Then place it before the Lord to be kept for the generations to come” (Exodus 16:33).
Altars & scrolls, memorial stones & manna jars, miracle songs & redemption stories – It seems like all throughout the Bible, God wants his people to memorialize the stories of his power, provision, and grace.
The command to remember (including its inverse don’t forget) is one of the most repeated commands in all of Scripture, second only to do not fear. Because of that, I think Christians (and especially pastors) should be intentional about “story collecting”: remembering, reciting, and repeating the stories of God’s power, provision, and grace.
I’m not naturally good at this, but I aspire to be someone who keeps a record of these “God moments,” both in my own life and in the lives of others. Why? So that it can be remembered and retold “for generations to come.”
Practically, I don’t think you need to literally build an altar or write a scroll, but I do think you should literally have a Google Doc. Title it something like “Memorial Stones” and keep track of all the inspiring God-stories you encounter as a pastor. (Side-note: Don’t trust your memory, write it down. The weakest ink is more powerful than the strongest memory).
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” Psalm 103:2
2 – SECRET KEEPER: Becoming a vault of confidentiality & trust
First off, here’s what I DO NOT mean: I do not mean hiding sin (your own or someone else’s) from the people who deserve to know.
Here’s what I DO mean: Our default response to sensitive information should be confidentiality, not disclosure. Secret-keeping, not gossip-sharing.
Pastors know a lot. Most of us wish we knew less than we do. But the nature of our work requires it. Good shepherds know the sheep well, and that means they know when the sheep fall, trip, and get lost. And they also know the pain it causes when some of those trips and falls are broadcasted to people who didn’t already know (and don’t need to know).
To put it bluntly, people who have an appetite for gossip are simply not fit for pastoral ministry. That appetite will destroy them, or it will destroy their church, or both. There is no place in the pastorate for weaponizing or circulating sensitive information.
And one more time, just to be clear, I’m all about confessing your own sins. James clearly taught us to do that. I’m more concerned here with those who find joy in confessing the sins of others. James’ older brother taught us about that.
3 – QUESTION ASKER – Listening to others with humility, curiosity, and patience.
Some people are naturally so in tune with others that they are able to effortlessly ask timely and insightful questions in the moment.
I’m not one of those people.
And so I keep a list of good questions (another Google doc you should have!) that I can refer to when I’m not quite sure how to draw out and help the person in front of me. To be honest, this has basically been my personal discipleship “curriculum” for the past decade of ministry. I don’t use a lot of books and Bible studies. But I do have a long list of simple and helpful questions I keep coming back to during shepherding conversations. Here are a few of my favorites from that list:
- How are you doing right now on a scale of 1-10? (all time favorite)
- Where do you need grace this week? Where did you see grace last week?
- What TASK is most important for you to accomplish this week?
- What RELATIONSHIP is most important for you to invest in this week?
- What is the most and least healthy part of your life right now?
- What’s the best and worst relationship you have right now?
- Which fruit of the Spirit most and least describes you right now?
And then after the question comes the real work: listening. I almost labeled this whole section “patient listener”, because really they are two sides of the same coin. Usually people who become great question-askers have first committed to becoming great listeners.
Great pastors don’t only preach great sermons and build great ministries, they also ask great questions, and then listen with great patience.
4 – HERO MAKER – Elevating others above and beyond yourself.
Dave Ferguson has a whole book with this same title, “Hero Maker.” In some ways, it’s just a fresh take on what it means to be a disciple maker. In discipleship, I’m not trying to reproduce myself; I’m trying to help others become all that God wants them to be. We aren’t just trying to get people to follow (although there is definitely a place for that); we are trying to help others flourish.
I’m reminded of the story of David in 1st and 2nd Samuel. There is such a contrast between how Saul and Absalom treat him and how Samuel and Jonathan treat the rising star. Both Samuel and Jonathan go out of their way to elevate David – to make him the hero. In contrast, both Saul and Absalom do just about everything they can to eliminate David. While Saul is throwing spears at him, Jonathan is giving away his armor to him. While Absalom tried to steal the crown, Samuel was the first to recognize and anoint him.
I think all of us have a little bit of Saul and Absalom in us, a desire to be the hero, and therefore I think pastors need to internally resolve to make others the hero, not themselves. We are not caesars and kings, we are foot-washers and armor-bearers. Our aspiration to “make” heroes should far surpass our aspiration to be one.
5 – INVISIBLE PRIEST – Sacrificing even when (especially when) nobody is watching
In the Bible, the priests were those who, among other things, made public religious sacrifices for the people of God, generally visible to the community of faith. A pastor does some of that for sure, but so much of what a pastor does is not public, but private. In fact, some of the holiest work seems to be the secret sacrifices that nobody sees. The prayers nobody hears. The menial tasks nobody applauds. The intense study nobody notices.
The invisible stuff.
If you’re expecting a high-five for every good deed or secret sacrifice, you’ll probably walk around aimlessly with your hand raised awkwardly. But if you’re content to do a lot of meaningful things for God and for others that nobody notices or celebrates, you’ll be blessed.
To all the invisible priests out there who are living faithfully and doing the unseen (and holy) work of pastoral ministry with joy, remember this: “Your father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”
Being a pastor is a high and holy privilege. We wear many hats. May God help us to wear them well.