"Confessions of a Pastor," Craig Groeschel (Multnomah, September 2006)
Somewhere in the past 2,000 years the Scriptural admonitions to confess our faults to each other and pray for each other (James 5:16), and for the spiritually mature to restore someone caught in sin (Gal. 6:1), seem to have faded.
For the average church member to confess faults risks becoming the subject of gossip, condemnation or other harsh reprisals. But what if it’s the pastor who’s so forthcoming?
Craig Groeschel tried it, and his church is still prospering. Hopefully, his admissions of multiple failures will encourage more church leaders to openly confess their failings. That could set the tone for a church more known for its love and compassion than its judgment and criticism.
Longing for honesty
Pastors and laypersons alike who are longing for more honesty in their relationships will thoroughly enjoy this book. Parts contain a laugh-out loud quality, such as Groeschel’s first funeral, when he forgot what came after "ashes to ashes, dust to dust," and blurted out, "I hope this coffin doesn’t rust."
That hilarious line appears in the chapter where Groeschel discusses the many inadequacies he feels, whether as a pastor, husband, father or megachurch leader. He also confesses his post-salvation sins, such as jealousy, pride, envy, doubt and a critical heart.
This kind of candor is refreshing—and amusing. Take the anecdote where the author admits nearly smashing into a sports car that zipped into the parking space he had eyed at the mall. After the driver apologized inside the mall, the men tried to witness to Groeschel.
"Did I mention I hate the way I act?" Groeschel asks.
Imperfect people
That story appears in a chapter that includes a litany of the ways in which Christians can be horrendous bores, whether hypocritical, judgmental, self-centered or prone to spouting pious platitudes instead of honest answers. Or begging for money on TV in ways that would make ancient sellers of indulgences blush.
This book isn’t perfect. Occasionally readers will sense Groeschel lapsing into preacher mode, where he seems more concerned with teaching a lesson than exploring his doubts.
Still, "Confessions" strengths outweigh its weaknesses. More than one big self-deprecating putdown, in addition to its humorous touches it includes some stirring tales of God moving.
The most amazing concerns a camp where Groeschel counseled a teenager abandoned by his father and being raised by an alcoholic mother, and who didn’t think "this church stuff" works.
The pastor prayed for God to reveal Himself to the young man, who started trembling and exclaiming, "God is on me! God is on me!" Two years later, the teen became a part-time youth minister.
Then there is the scene at the hospital where Groeschel prays in earnest for his two-year-old son, who had just broken his leg. Part of the chapter titled "I Hate Prayer Meetings," it demonstrates how prayer ceases to be a boring ritual when deep-felt needs enter our lives.
Dealing with performance issues
A clue to the origins of a pastorate marked by isolation and performance-driven, guilt-ridden shame appears in these pages. Sadly, Groeschel talks about the seminary professor who advised his students to maintain their distance from their congregations and never reveal their inner selves.
Fortunately, he later steered him away from that stance. "Confessions of a Pastor" could help encourage others to abandon it as well. Nearly 500 years after Martin Luther sparked the Reformation, it is time to close the clergy-lay gap and forge ahead together, confessing our faults to each other that we might be healed.
