Honoring the Pastor Who Teaches Well

We are continuing our focus this October on honoring our pastors. Perhaps more than any other aspect of pastoral ministry, teaching and preaching get the most attention because they have become the most visible.

What Does It Mean for a Pastor to Teach Well?

The author of Hebrews commends us to “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith” (Hebrews 13:7, ESV, emphasis added). We are called to remember, consider, and imitate those who have faithfully exercised the gift of leadership, especially in the ministry of speaking.

In this verse, we see four ways to honor our pastors by acknowledging and celebrating how it reveals what it means to teach well.

Relationship Over Affiliation: Faithful Pastors Know Their People

We live in a day where we are inundated with content, including solid biblical instruction. At any time, we are one click or prompt away from receiving world-class teaching from some of the most renowned pastors and church leaders. While the word of God is powerful when received from any faithful messenger, there’s a unique difference between being taught by those we have a relationship with and those we are merely affiliated or associated with. Notice the author of Hebrews says, “Remember your leaders…” It’s the difference between having ongoing personal involvement versus belonging to the same group. I may listen to an excellent podcast from a faithful pastor who teaches well and be genuinely impacted, but that shouldn’t replace being taught by my pastor at my local church.

Paul wrote to his messy yet cherished Corinthian church, “For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel” (1 Corinthians 4:15, ESV). Even more personally, Paul addressed Timothy as “my true son in the faith” (1 Timothy 1:2) and “my dear son” (2 Timothy 1:2). The idea here is that while the impact of teaching the word may ripple out widely through the Christian community, it will likely go deepest where there is authentic relationship between the pastor and the disciple.

On the other hand, a pastor who teaches well will not only “rightly divide the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15) but will also exegete their congregation relationally. As one of Christ’s undershepherds, a pastor teaches well when he truly knows the sheep.

A pastor who teaches well will not only “rightly divide the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15) but will also exegete their congregation relationally. As one of Christ’s undershepherds, a pastor teaches well when he truly knows the sheep.

Eugene Peterson was once asked, “What is the most important thing you do in preparing to preach each Sunday?” His answer was unexpected by most. Peterson simply declared, “For two hours every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon, I walk through the neighborhood and make some home visits. There is no way that I can preach the gospel to these people if I don’t know how they are living, what they are thinking and talking about. Preaching is proclamation, God’s Word revealed in Jesus, but only when it gets embedded in conversation, in a listening ear and responding tongue, does it become gospel.”

The Whole Counsel of God Over Personal Preferences

It ought to go without saying, but pastors who teach well teach the word of God. The source, subject, and sustenance of their message will be cultivated and harvested from the Holy Scriptures. Speaking to his young pastoral pupil, the Apostle Paul exhorts Timothy to “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction” (2 Timothy 4:2). So, no matter the occasion, the pastor who teaches well will be prepared to share, declare, explain, and apply the word of God to those entrusted to their care.

Yet this imperative’s robust nature emerges when we examine the relational history between Paul and the church in Ephesus, where Paul planted, and Timothy pastored. In an emotive farewell between Paul and the elders in Ephesus, Paul passionately exclaimed, ^“You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house,” and ^“For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God” (Acts 20:20, 27, ESV). This phrase, “whole will (or sometimes translated council) of God,” refers to the teaching of all of God’s revealed truth and to the entire message of God’s grace, creation, fall, redemption, and new creation through Jesus Christ. It means not avoiding hard topics or staying in the comfort zone of “hobby horse” topics that tend to conflate personal preference with biblical doctrine.

The pastor who teaches well doesn’t add to or detract from Scripture, and aims not to please people or gain popularity, but to be a humble servant of Christ who speaks the truth of God’s word with love and grace.

The pastor who teaches well doesn’t add to or detract from Scripture, and aims not to please people or gain popularity, but to be a humble servant of Christ who speaks the truth of God’s word with love and grace.

Character Over Charisma in Biblical Preaching

Pastors who teach well will live with the message they proclaim with integrity. This does not mean perfection of behavior, but faithfully working out their own salvation “with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). Teaching well does not simply mean declaring what’s true with words, but also demonstrating truth through your life.

Again, when Paul wrote to his young pastor-protege in 1 Timothy 3:1-13 about the qualifications of elders and deacons, he overwhelmingly emphasized these leaders’ character traits and attitudes over their competencies. Yet all too often, in the church today, we do the opposite: we elevate and reward charisma over character and giftedness over godliness. The pastor who teaches well will not pursue a larger stage or greater influence, but will teach authentically from a life lived well, overflowing from the intimacy with the One they proclaim.

The pastor who teaches well will not pursue a larger stage or greater influence, but will teach authentically from a life lived well, overflowing from the intimacy with the One they proclaim.

Imitation Over Idolization: Follow Pastors as They Follow Christ

To be sure, we all have our favorite teachers and preachers. Yet if we don’t guard our hearts, idolization can creep in subtly. Even in the height of Paul’s ministry, we can see this dynamic at play. He addressed this issue by admonishing, “What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:12, NIV). Paul’s solution was to again point the people back to Christ and His gospel. Later in the letter he gave another correction when he humbly yet boldly declared, “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1, NASB). 

This is the path of the pastor who teaches well – not allowing the messenger to distract from the message, so that they’ll declare, “Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 1:13, ESV). Even Jesus did not say, “Come and listen to me.” He said, “Follow me.” The aim of biblical teaching is biblical obedience. In other words, to “bring about the obedience of faith,” as “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Romans 1:5; 10:19, ESV).

Honor Your Pastor Who Teaches God’s Word

This month, take some time to honor your pastor who teaches well. Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. One way you can do that is to nominate your pastor HERE and write them a personal note of encouragement!