What Are the Differences Between the Seasoned & the Unseasoned Pastor?
Lebron James is in his 17th year of professional basketball.
He no longer jumps as high or runs as fast as he used to in his younger days. He is, however, arguably more effective than he’s ever been on the basketball court.
The years of film sessions, playoff runs, and championship pressure moments have compounded together to forge a seasoned and mature basketball player.
While pastors operate out of different skill sets (and with much more on the line), I do think there are some parallels. There’s something about the time, experience, and faithfulness that produces seasoned pastors.
In my journey to become a seasoned pastor one day, I have had the fortune of serving alongside bosses and various mentors who are seasoned pastors.
Here are 5 things I’ve noticed about them:
1. Seasoned pastors don’t try to be the Holy Spirit for others.
A mentor once shared with me his concerns regarding some life pressures that had been in my life. But he shared this with me long after these pressurized situations had passed. Looking back, I marvel at his restraint in choosing to pray for me during that season rather than mettle and be overly involved.
Seasoned pastors have the uncanny ability to spot and detect what’s going on while accurately determining how much they should speak into someone’s life, if at all. Unseasoned pastors can also have the ability to spot and detect what’s going on in the lives of others. But unseasoned pastors can be too quick to correct, confront, or sub-tweet, to the long-term detriment of the hearer.
2. Seasoned pastors lead multi-directionally.
Seasoned pastors are wise to read circumstances and lead from the awareness of multiple angles rather than simply reacting to something (which often ends up creating more problems). They foresee the ripple effects that follow their words and actions.
To give an example, I’ve noticed they don’t often use phrases like “God was telling me” (even if they felt that way) because of its many unintended effects. The unseasoned pastor, on the other hand, is far more likely to throw around such phrases. Even if one’s logic is exact and said with the best of intentions, one does not grasp the holistic implications of throwing around such a phrase. The unseasoned pastor may be bold in one’s words and actions but often ends up creating and falling into ditches one did not intend to.
3. Seasoned pastors don’t caricature those they disagree with.
A seasoned pastor once told me to always present the other side’s view in a way they would find agreeable if they heard you explain it. I’ve witnessed said leader model this time and time again. This leader certainly has convictions but he is charitable and compassionate towards those he disagrees with. The seasoned leader holds conviction and charity in tension.
Unseasoned leaders, on the other hand, don’t always hold both together. From my experience, they are either vocal about their convictions but not gracious and can come off like jerks or they’re gracious and kind, but appear to sway back and forth in their convictions.
4. Seasoned pastors aren’t just self-aware, but self-comfortable.
During a recent conversation, someone made the observation that the best leaders are unapologetic about who they are. In other words, they recognize who God made them to be and strive to step forward in their most sanctified version without apology. They’ve embraced their wirings and walk into it fully.
On the other hand, I’ve observed a lot of leaders (even those who are self-aware) be uncomfortable with themselves. The unseasoned leader, for example, constantly edits himself to be who he believes everyone wants him to be. Or one feels hesitant to actually lead and make decisions because they don’t want to appear authoritative. These leaders haven’t gotten over themselves. They’re still pre-occupied with themselves.
5. Seasoned pastors think broadly and feel deeply.
I’ve noticed that seasoned pastors have a unique combination of intellect and emotion. On the one hand, they read, learn, and process through multiple disciplines. They can weave in and out in conversation about Bible commentaries, economics, psychology, and sociology. Yet, they feel very deeply. They weep and cry, celebrate with joy, and everything else in between.
This is a generalization, but I think the unseasoned pastor has the propensity to lean in one direction over the other. The pastor is either a broad thinker or a deep feeler. I wonder if this is part of the maturation process of the pastor where one is either in a long season of stretching one’s mind or in a season of engaging in the lives of the people, and the simultaneous operation of both is developed over time.
Conclusion
If you’re a pastor who is still maturing like I am, this post isn’t meant to drive you to despair but further dependence on the Lord. Ultimately, it is the Lord who matures us. Sure, He uses everything around us, but it is He alone.
I encourage you to identify 4 pastors, each who are 5, 10, 15, 20 years older than you, and living the kind of life you aspire to in 5-20 years, and begin asking them for coffee. In this way, you can get a vision of your next 5-20 years. Also, if you get time with these pastors, make sure you come with a list of prepared questions and take notes. Don’t do this just to say you met with so-and-so pastor. Do this so you can sit at the feet of others, learn, and prayerfully act.
If you’re a seasoned pastor, I want to ask you to invest in emerging leaders and pastors. Be available to us. Give us your phone numbers. Let us bother you. Pour out your knowledge and wisdom on us. In doing so, you will not only grow your influence, but the larger Kingdom will be strengthened. Tell us what we need to hear. Be patient with us. Pray for us. Let us stand on your shoulders.
Perhaps the greatest mark of a seasoned leader is their willingness to help younger leaders get to their 17th season.
