Message from Tim

Pastor or magician?

For most of the 35 years that I have been in ministry, I have been content with the job title of ‘minister’. Since Michael arrived, we have tried to distinguish between our roles by making it clear that he is Leader of Community Evangelism, while I act as Senior Pastor. Strangely, though, for someone whose gifts land me squarely in the role of ‘pastor-teacher’, I have never really been comfortable with the title of ‘pastor’, although there is no denying that I feel called to shepherd (‘pastor’) the particular flock of God that is Brighton Road Baptist Church.

What’s my problem with the term? Well, although we have a number of sheep farms around Horsham, I’m not sure how many farmers see themselves as shepherds: rightly or wrongly, the pastoral image of a shepherd caring for his flock just seems to evoke a bygone way of life to me. And then there’s the problem with comparing people to sheep. With sheep, if they stay fit and healthy, they will provide milk to drink, lamb to eat, wool to wear and you won’t need to cut the grass ever again. It is a reciprocal relationship, inasmuch as when the shepherd does a good job of looking after the sheep, the sheep produce enough milk, lamb and wool for the shepherd to make a living. And I suppose that’s the bit that I really recoil from, because I really don’t see my job in terms of looking after all of you well enough for you to reciprocate by giving enough to pay my stipend and to keep the church going. That may be a very cosy, mutually convenient arrangement, but it is fundamentally not how our relationship should work. I’d much rather be a magician than a pastor.

If you watched the TV series Belgravia (I only managed the first episode), you may understand what I mean. One of the characters, ably played by Philip Glenister, is James Trenchard, who is known as ‘The Magician’ because of his skill at keeping Wellington’s army supplied with food and ammunition during the Napoleonic campaign. His was not a front-line role, but my daughter (who knows these things) tells me that getting good supplies to the army is the key factor in pretty much every successful military campaign.

So, seen in this light, my role is not just to keep you alive, happy and healthy, but rather to resource and equip you, as God’s people for active service on the front line, where we fight against all those spiritual powers arrayed against his kingdom (Ephesians 4:12; 6:12). We all need God’s armour to take a stand for truth, justice, faithfulness, and to go into the world as envoys of his peace, declaring his victory, proclaiming his message. As you do this, my role (and Michael’s too) is to support you in prayer and to enable you to live for God in God’s world in such a way that you make a difference to the outcome of people’s lives around you.

When we met together week by week, our worship services were never an end in themselves; part of their purpose so was to encourage each other to live well in the coming week for the cause of God’s kingdom. Ministry is not about the church employing me and Michael to make an impact on the world on your behalf. We are called to ministry to enable you to make an impact on the world on God’s behalf. We will support you in prayer, enable you to discover and use your gifts, and stand with you through thick and thin as you take your place on the front line.