Why I am a Pastor

By Rev. Tan Eng Boo

“Why am I a pastor?”

“How did you survive the pastoral ministry for over 40 years as a pastor in the same church?”

I have been asked these questions many times by younger pastors, church members, and even non-Christians. My answer to them is, “I have never thought of being a pastor when I entered the ministry. Missions was my priority. I wanted to be in the mission field. But it was not to be so in the plan of God.”

A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his

steps”              (Proverbs 16:9 KJV) 

I believe in the providence of God. Nothing happens by chance. I am what and who I am by the grace of God (1 Corinthians 15:10). God has been guiding me every step of my life, including in my service for Him as a pastor.

There is a verse which the Lord impressed upon me at the beginning of my pastoral ministry:

He must increase, but I must decrease (John 3:30)

By the grace of God, I have been in the ministry for the past 48 years. I was ordained to the pastoral office on Reformation Day, 31 October 1981, in Life Bible-Presbyterian Church. That was 44 years ago. I will be frank with you.  It has been a tough journey doing the Lord’s work – so much joy, sorrow, and struggle, too. But  it has all been worth it.

John MacArthur once mentioned in his write-up about the pastoral work of Jonathan Edwards, where he quoted Iain Murray's excellent biography of Jonathan Edwards: “Especially the personal heartaches Edwards endured as pastor of the same church for twenty-three years. After all that time his flock voted him out.”

Anything can happen to a pastor. While I do not envision a fate like Edward’s, I know that I need to relinquish this office to the next pastoral candidate who will lead the church. Having said this, let me share with you, why I am a pastor.

I know God had called me to be a pastor (Jeremiah 1:4-8), though I wasn’t sure of this calling when I first entered Bible College in 1975. Since then, I have never seriously considered leaving this office, and one of the main reasons is: The church is the only institution Christ promised to build and bless, and I am called to be a part of this institution.

Jesus told Peter:

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18 KJV)

To be part of the Church and leading God’s people in worship, prayer, the preaching of His Word and serving the Lord’s Supper etc., has always been my joy and privilege. These sacred tasks have been a part of my church life. I would not want to miss doing these tasks which are part of the glorious service, for anything else.

The church is also where I want to be serving in because the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. The full onslaught of satanic evil cannot prevail against the church of Jesus Christ. This is most assuring. Paul said,

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).

Jesus said, “I will build my church.”  Since He is the builder, I want to be a part of His task force. To be part of this task force, I know I will face  full opposition from Satan. But Christ will preserve His church. The gates of hell (hades) will not overpower it. The church is indestructible. What an encouragement!

When Augustine was told that Rome had been sacked, he reportedly said, “Whatever men build, men will destroy…, so let’s get on with building the kingdom of God.” We have God’s promise of eternal success. I thank God for making me a part of this kingdom work.

It is the Lord who has called me to this office.

John MacArthur said: “God reveals the greatness of His power by demonstrating that the world's nobodies are His most precious resources.”

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. (1 Corinthians 1:26-29)

One is called to the pastoral office. He does not volunteer to be in this office. God is the one who chooses him for this task. God can choose or call you to be in a different office in the church (Ephesians 4:11, 12). But the pastoral office takes on a significant role.

“Spurgeon, Billy Graham, and hundreds of other preachers have said that they chose the ministry only because God chose them for it.” (Erwin Lutzer: “Pastor to Pastor”)

I am called to be faithful, not famous!

I consider myself to be just an ordinary pastor. I once read an article by Erik Raymond, titled “The Ordinary Pastor,” and I quote:

“When you read the word ordinary, what do you think of? Common synonyms include unimpressive, typical, normal, and common. As soon as you attach these synonyms to a noun, you will draw conclusions: My day was typical. The movie was unimpressive. The show was average. When we think about pastoral ministry we are tempted to do the same thing: My pastor is unimpressive; rather average, nothing special—he does not speak at conferences and has not written any books. He is just—well, ordinary.

Here is the reality: an ordinary pastor is not likely to be esteemed in a society that gauges success in terms of church size, book sales, and social media influence. However, the biblical perception of success is bound up in the pastor’s faithfulness. In other words, a faithful pastor is never less than an ordinary pastor.”(https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/ordinary-christian-pastor/)

Pastors need to embrace the ordinary and be content with the place and people to which the Lord has called them to, even if the ministry is small in the eyes of man.

I’ve seen 44 years of God’s grace in the pastoral ministry in Grace church. Time has gone by so quickly. My hope in the Lord is to look forward to seeing my successor take Grace church on to the next stage of church life.