What you should look out for in a Pastor

There is no gainsaying that Nigeria is a deeply rooted religious country, with Christianity and Islam contending for prominence. Many people have had to question why the level of decadence in the society is incredibly high especially when compared to other liberal societies where religion is quite insignificant among the people. Almost every landscape of Nigerian towns and villages are dotted with churches of all credo and creed. If these churches were to be that effective and impactful, I am pretty sure that our society would be far better than it is today. 

The church is a place primarily for worship. In fact, Jesus himself called it a “house of prayer”. It is also described in scriptures as the ground and pillar of truth. The church is a place of fellowship with other Christians and more importantly, the house of God. However, in Nigeria, people go to church for various reasons. Some of these reasons include socialisation, miracles, prophesies, business transactions, entertainment, and some just for the sheer purpose of identifying with a church. 

Whatever may be our reasons for attending church services, I believe the leadership of the church must be set right so that at the end of the day, people are enlightened and become better Christians. Someone once said that everything rises and falls on leadership – and I believe that strongly! May I just add that the impact of a church is not necessarily based on the sophistication of its architecture or the lushness of its ambience, neither is it based on the sonorousness of the choir nor yet the eloquence of the preacher but it is based on its foundational principles and the reverence and projection of same by the leadership of the church. Suffice it to say that the pastor gives form to a church. How the pastor steers the affairs of the church goes a long way to determine the quality of its members. 

You may want to review the qualities to look out for in a pastor as outlined below:

• Must be above reproach 
• Must be a husband of one wife 
• Must have children that are believers. If they can’t rule their own home, they surely can’t be a church leader. 
• The pastor must be free from debauchery (extreme indulgence in sex, alcohol, or drugs) 
• He must be free from insubordination 
• He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered 
• He must not be a drunkard 
• He must be hospitable 
• He must be a lover of good 
• He must be self-controlled 
• He must be upright 
• He must be holy 
• He must be disciplined 
• He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught 
• He must be respectable 
• He must be able to teach 
• He must not be violent but gentle 
• He must not be a lover of money 
• He must not be a recent convert 

In future posts, I shall be taking on these criteria one after the other in order to drive home the point. 

If your pastor falls short of these standards, you may want to look out for one that possesses them. And if you are a pastor out there and you think you don’t meet the above criteria for pastoral work, why not begin to work on yourself immediately because more often than not, the destiny of your church members depends on how much you are able to impact them with your exemplary lifestyle. Jesus said, “Can the blind lead the blind? Shall they not both fall into the ditch? The disciple is not above his master: but everyone that is perfect shall be as his master.”