The Public Nature of Pastoring and the Inescapable Reality You Always Represent Your Church

“. . . because you’re the pastor.”

Most pastors have heard the end of this sentence at some point. Perhaps you bristled at hearing it. Maybe your feelings were justified, depending on what preceded the phrase. But there’s truth in “because you’re the pastor.” The call to shepherd a church is a call to shepherd a community. People expect you to represent your church. And you should. If you’re a pastor, you’re also a statesman—there’s no way around it.  

I use the term “statesman” not in a politic...