“Preacher Boys”

I feel I have to preface this blog with the comment this is not intended to insult or offend anyone, this is my personal experiences of attending and working in predominantly Baptist churches through the years. My studies of the scriptures and what the scriptures say about this subject are what I have utilized to draft this post.  I have heard the term “preacher boys” used much growing up, and many times in the last month.  I know many people who use this term have good intentions and mean well when they use it.

I however cringe, like I was hit with a lightning bolt when I hear this term.  I personally take this term as demeaning to pastors and preachers.  I think of pastors as the strongest among us spiritually, and wearing the Armour of our God, ready to lead us into battle.

Lets first look at the word “boy”.  I am taking the definition from Dictionary.com and Merriam-Webster, but a boy according to these references is: “a male child, from birth to full growth, especially one less than 18 years of age.” Also,”a young man who lacks maturity, judgment, etc.“, further, “a male child: YOUTH”. Plural version is “boyish” which is defined as “of or befitting a boy; engagingly youthful or innocent” or a good one for this post, “of or like a boy in looks, behavior, or character“. 

I find it interesting that Dictionary.com in there usage notation section described the term boy was used in early America to address adult slave males and those lesser in social status to show they were inferior to the upper class or slave masters. Being a student of the American Civil War era, maybe I have a different take on this word, as it was used during that time period, and actually up until the 50’s and 60’s in the U.S. as a degrading term to show certain people were inferior. 

I find it interesting that Christian pastors adopted this term for men that come straight out of high school and go to college to be in the ministry.  I have heard this term used in the south for young males under 18 years old, who want someday to be a pastor or are in youth programs.  It may be fitting for them, but I have mostly heard the term used for young men usually over 20 years of age that are attending Bible college or surrender to go into the ministry. 

I don’t know about the rest of you reading this post, but the definitions of “boy” above is not someone I want LEADING my church.  On top of that, do we want a pastor who should be held inferior within the Christian faith as the term “preacher boys” suggests, or someone who should be held to a higher standard?

Should he be the example and leader for others to follow? I think the Bible is pretty clear on who the pastor should be, and yes I am going down the road regarding pastors coming right out of high school going to Bible College and being pastors. I know I am not alone on this topic as I have discussed it with many of my Christian friends, and I think the Bible is pretty clear.

In Acts 20 we see Paul addressing the elders as the Shepherds of the churches, and I think most people take this chapter to describe the elders were the pastors of the church at that time.  Also, in 1 Peter 5 we see the elders again are addressed as the leaders of the church, and the younger men are to obey the elders and follow their guidance in the church. 

I find it interesting we hard line Baptism so much in some churches, but we have elders in the same church that have been in church most of their lives and have a preacher/pastor who is 25 years old and not had many life experiences, or experience with Christian living or scriptures. 

It would seem that is a contradiction to what the apostles have taught the early Christian church.  We see plainly in Acts 20:28, Paul charges the elders to shepherd the church.  The Latin form of the word pastor is “shepherd”, Old English language translated pastor to mean “shepherd of souls”. The scriptures in many verses speak about the elders shepherding the flock.  This means the pastor leading the congregation of the church as an “Elder”.

I will not discuss all the qualifications for a pastor, for brevity reasons, but they are primarily in I Timothy 3:1-7 and  Titus 1:5-9.  I think many younger in age Christians may not meet many of these qualifications. They may meet some by default of not having time to experience them, does that mean we don’t include the qualifications? 

I have seen people who have been married for a long time, go through marital problems and go to a young pastor for help and not get any, because they do not know how to provide guidance and counseling other than read the verses out of the Bible.  The scriptures provide good advise in this area, however knowing how to relate and provide life experience and knowledge to help them work through the problem with Biblical reference is how to solve this problem. 

I find the guidance in the scriptures to always have a sound backing of why it was provided.  I think there is a sound backing for ordaining the elders of the church to be the shepherds and pastors of the church.  The big question now is where are the “Men of God” to fill this role? 

The majority of pastors I see taking the pulpit in recent years are the young guys, right out of college. Is this because we have a new norm for the Christian faith, or is there a lack of church elders willing to follow the scriptures and shepherd the flock?  There are some great men out there who go into ministry right out of college, are standing in pulpits and preaching good sermons.  They are great men, but is preaching the only job of the pastor? 

If not, and hopefully you said no, then how proficient are these young pastors at all the other tasks of the pastor?  Would an elder in the church be more fitting for the position as pastor? I would think yes, but if so,  where are they?  In churches I have attended, the church tries to raise the youth to serve our Lord and Savior, and many try to guide young men into the ministry.  I am not saying this is wrong, I was one of those young men raised in a church to go into the ministry.  However, in high school had problems with what God really wanted me to do.

Then right before I graduated I heard a sermon on “Momma called and Daddy sent Preachers”.  It hit me like a bag of rocks, and I changed course, amazing how God works.  I have had a great life so far and have a great Christian family and friends.  Things may have been different if I went a different way, and I have felt God guiding me along the way. I have heard criticism regarding I should have went into ministry, but is it better to follow God’s guidance or man when it comes to God’s plan in your life? We are not all called to the same pathway in our Christian journey.

One of my favorite passages is the parable of the marriage of the king’s son, Matt. 22:1-14.  Verse 14 being a verse that stands out from others, and I have heard sermons just on that verse, “For many are called, but few are chosen”.  I could do an entire blog on that, but Christians are called to do different things in life.  I heard the story once of a Christian man who owned a business in Australia.  It was a major tourist area.  He would pass out Christian tracts to people as they came by his store every day.  He never knew what impact he had with those tracts until he was elderly,  and a man informed him thousands had been saved because of people reading his tracts, getting saved and joining churches. 

We are all used in different ways, the question is when we hear the call, what do we do?  If we do not hear the call, what do we do?  I like the verse I Kings 19:12, when Elijah had a strong wind, an earthquake, and a fire, but God was not in them.  But, then the Still Small Voice appeared.  Do we hear the wind, earthquake, and fire and respond, or do we wait for the still small voice to come to us in a way only God does. 

I did not want this post to offend any young pastors out there doing Gods work, but I believe the Bible is clear on this, I meant this more to hopefully awaken the elders in the church to hear that still small voice. 

It is easier I think for a young man who does not have a job/career and family to be a shepherd to a flock than it is for someone who has all of that to give up.  To give up his job/career and have to trust God to provide for his family, to give up family time to tend to the flock,  but is that not what most of the apostles did for our Lord, in order to start his church. In Christ.