I remember fighting the calling of God to be a pastor when I was 14 years old. I made an inner vow, “I will never be a pastor”. My father was my pastor when I was a child. He led me to the Lord and baptized me in the pacific ocean. During my teen years, he was deceived that divorce was the answer to his marriage problems. Growing up in high school, my house was often empty of parents. My mother worked two jobs and went to college full-time. When God reminded me, in my mid thirties, He called me to be a lead pastor, I couldn’t help but weep because I knew some of the sacrifice that was set before me. Today, I volunteer for one of the greatest churches as lead pastor for the last seven years but to say the journey sacrifice wasn’t difficult, would be lying.
Teachers, police officers, politicians, and pastors, just to name a few, are a target for “no honor” for serving their community. The history of these roles are tainted by the sins of the fathers of the past. All of these vocations are needed and many pay a sacrifice, to sustain in their community, for the sins of others in their field. As a teenager and the only man in the house, I paid the price for my father’s decision. I was the only one left in the home to receive the pain of my mother’s hurt from men and marriage. As a pastor, I have received the “no honor” from members coming in who have been hurt from other fathers and spiritual leaders. Sometimes I grieve I have responded in my own pain to their pain.
The reason I continue pastoring is not for the money or honor. Very few pastors I know lead churches for the money or honor (Yes, I know there are some that do). I volunteer as a lead pastor, the same reason I volunteered in the local church the past 20 years before becoming a lead pastor, because Jesus loves His bride. You see Jesus took all her mistakes, paid the price for her and calls her righteous. If I never pastor or volunteer I also know that God loves me and He is well pleased with me. This kind of love is what sustains me to constantly lead and hear the hurt of others and offer the hope of Jesus. The bride is worth investing in.
God has sustained this small local church in the last seven years through a global pandemic, through landlords forcing our congregation to relocate, through a partnering church pastor committing adultery and then divorcing. Those are just some of the things truly felt….to say there has been no sacrifice in leading a church through drama would be a tremendous lie. Many husbands and fathers are tempted to give up when the drama is high and the reward seems low. This is possibly the reason Paul said to early church believers, “you have 10,000 instructors in Christ, very few fathers” (1 Corinthians 4:15). Often we have heard from believers, “we don’t do drama” and they disappear down the street to hide from being known relationally. However, I see a glorious bride that is victorious, a family that is transparent, and a chosen generation relationally known in their drama, that is worth the blood of Jesus for her drama. Her beauty may not be revealed until Heaven but her beauty will be felt on the earth. All three of our teens love the local church and know that it has been a tremendous blessing to see God’s family stay together and do life even through drama. As of today, our family has been able to be the greatest financial support to help sustain our local church through our family real estate business. Why would someone pour their time and money into something that doesn’t return honor? Why don’t you ask the parent, teacher, police officer, politician, or pastor who feel truly honored and loved by Jesus.
brandonpollard 