The church was in shock, really, with the clip. After reading my biblical text Sunday morning, 1 John 5:13, I signaled to the AV booth, and a clip of a minister popped up on the screens behind me.
“You ask me if there is a heaven,” the voice said smoothly. “To cut to the chase, I don’t know. This is not a phrase commonly associated with preachers. People think that we are supposed to know, that we have everything figured out … but I do not know. I am, as Marcus Borg more eloquently said, in the precise sense of the word, an agnostic about what happens after death.”
The entirety of the rest of my message was simply me extensively quoting people who do know, meaning that I read the actual words of Jesus, Paul, Peter, John, Isaiah and many others from Scripture.
By Monday morning, I was still musing on all of it, and my thinking had expanded to the ministry itself and to what should be the bare basics of being in it. Hopefully, this will be a help to preachers, and also a good way for parishioners to determine what churches they should be part of and which ones they should avoid.
Basic No. 1: A minister should have a clear testimony of being born again. This seems so obvious, and yet, it is now a more needed admonition than ever. In John 3, Jesus chided Nicodemus, a spiritual leader of Israel, because he was not saved and did not even know how to be saved. Every minister should be able to look a person or an entire congregation in the eye and clearly recount the day they realized they were a sinner, repented of their sins and, in the words of 2 Corinthians 5:17, became a new creature in Christ.
Basic No. 2: A minister should actually believe the Bible. The Bible claims for itself divine inspiration (2 Timothy 3:16-17), divine preservation (Matthew 24:35, 2 Timothy 3:15, Revelation 22:18-19), and 415 times makes the pronouncement “Thus saith the Lord.” A preacher who does not believe the Bible makes as much sense as a doctor who does not believe in medicine or medical practice, a police officer or judge who does not believe in the law and a child-care worker who does not believe in taking care of children.
Again, this would seem to be so obvious as to not even need to be said, but it clearly needs to be said. It is also a character issue; for a person to draw a paycheck and make a living preaching a book they do not believe in is crooked and dishonest. If I did not believe the Bible, I would have the character to work a secular job rather than cosplay as a religious leader.
Basic No. 3: A minister should be a servant. Many things are found in Scripture regarding ministers — a red carpet is not one of those things. In Mark 10:45, Jesus said, “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” At the last supper, he, the King of kings, wrapped a towel around his waist and washed the feet of everyone else, and then used that act to remind his men to be servants as well.
John tended to Mary after Jesus’ death. In Acts 28, the Apostle Paul gathered a bundle of sticks to put on the fire to keep others warm. At the Sea of Galilee in John 21, Jesus made supper for his men.
Basic No. 4: A minister should labor in prayer and should believe that it makes a difference. Samuel told the people, “God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you.” Jesus told Peter, “But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not.” Paul told the church at Rome, “without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers.”
Basic No. 5: A minister should have a burden to see souls saved and actively try to win souls himself. Jesus said, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost,” and “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved.” Paul said, “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.” Peter said, “Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Basic No. 6: A minister should clearly and boldly speak on all matters of sin and righteousness. Isaiah 58:1 says, “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.” Jesus told a woman taken in adultery to sin no more. The entire Bible is filled with clear pronouncements on right and wrong, and a minister must be equally clear. Paul famously asked, “For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?”
Basic No. 7: A minister should be respectable. Even if everything else is right, if this one is lacking, the results will be horrible. Just before the days of the monarchy began in Israel, Saul and his servant were looking for some lost donkeys, and the servant suggested they go to the local man of God, Samuel, for help. But as he did so, he qualified it with “he is an honorable man.” Because of dishonorable ministers like Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, it was necessary to say that.
No shock jock, pervert, crook, adulterer, fornicator or liar should be in the ministry. No one with a foul mouth, uncontrolled temper or porn addiction should be in the ministry. No one who abuses others or is greedy of gain should be in the ministry. High bar? Yes, but utterly necessary when occupying the highest position in God’s sight on this Earth.
Bo Wagner is pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church of Mooresboro, North Carolina, a widely traveled evangelist and the author of several books available on Amazon and wordofhismouth.com. Email him at 2knowhim@cbc-web.org.