Pastors Gate-keeping Pastors

Just because it works for you doesn't mean it's a law.

This originally appeared as an X thread on March 6, 2025

I have a hunch that a lot of the gatekeeping pastors do of each other is an attempt to justify their own quirks/methods/weaknesses. A lot of the books, articles, and advice seem to be things that might work for somebody but shouldn’t be absolutized.

Easy example: "You should spend X hours on each sermon." Well, you might end up in a place where you do 2 or more sermons a week. Some congregations want/need more sophistication and technical knowledge, but some don't. Some guys just work more efficiently than others.

Medium example: "Don't be a pastor if you can do anything else." Sounds pious, but a subtle implication is pastors should have no other skills or interests. This means they'll have a hard time connecting with people, and maybe stay too long when they should do something else.

Hard example: "Pastors shouldn't be political." Some probably shouldn't, but some can and have and do effectively. This can also be used as a cover to avoid hard biblical moral teachings with societal implications, given that politics is usually the application of public morals.