The pastor is human, and that by itself tells us that he is subject to all the same fundamental conditions and circumstances that mark what it means to be human.

Ask the question another way. Is there such a thing as a pastor who does not need to grow? Is there such a thing as a Christian who does not need to grow? To whom is 2Peter 1:1-11 and 3:17-18 addressed? Is there such a thing as a Christian who does not have sin of which he does not need to repent? To whom was 1John 1:6-10 written? Yes, of course, the pastor is to be an example to the flock he has the duty and privilege to shepherd. What does that mean? What kind of example is he to be? Let me be as direct and clear as I can: The pastor is nothing other than a sinner saved by the grace and mercy of God, and his salvation is not qualitatively any different than any other Christian’s salvation. Only immature and ignorant Christians think of their pastor, or any pastor, as somehow not needing to grow. And such growth presupposes some things about the person who needs it. I cannot address them all, but let’s consider a few.

First, and foremost, the pastor must repent of sin on a daily basis. This is the way all Christians grow, or perfect their holiness (2Cor. 7:1). Every Christian is called to “work out their salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in [them] both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Phil 2:12-13). The pastor is not anything other than a Christian man who is willing and able to lead the flock in “laying aside every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles,” and “run with endurance the race that is set before” all of them, “fixing [his] eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith” (Heb. 12:1-2). The pastor is to lead the way in doing this, but he will not do this perfectly. He will have to repent of his failures in this area. Yet, he is not merely a fallen sinner, but a finite fallen sinner. Some of his growth is not merely due to his sin, but because he cannot ever be anything other than a finite human being.

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