I Wanna Be A Reformed Celebrity (yeah, yeah, yeah!)

James McManus

Andy Warhol’s prophecy came true for me - I was famous for almost 15 minutes. This fame came during the Gulf War/Desert Storm. My mom was serving in the Air Force and was deployed in the Middle East for almost the entire duration of the war. At some point during the conflict, a local Columbia, SC news station came to our Baptist church one Sunday to do a segment about the church, which had a large population of Air Force families in the congregation. They wanted to report on how the church was ministering to families who had a family member deployed to the Middle East. As the reporter interviewed people in the church, she heard about a wife and mother who was involved in the war, leaving behind her husband and two sons - which was me, my dad and brother! The news crew set it up to come to our house that afternoon after the church meal, to do a segment on what was then an unusual situation of a wife and mother serving and deployed. They spent a good part of the afternoon with us, interviewing the three of us and taking all sorts of film around the house. That evening, at 6 pm, we gathered around the TV, hit record on the VHS player/recorder, and waited for the segments. The church report was shown first & did a great job of showing all that the church was doing for the families affected by this war. Then, came our segment! As a 14 year old, I was equally excited and mortified by the experience of seeing and hearing myself on the TV. Then, it was all over - the next story came on, we turned off the recording and went about our evening. It wasn’t long before the phone calls started coming in - mostly from family and friends who saw it. There were also calls from “concerned” church members that our segment overshadowed the church’s and took away from the ministry that was being done. It was jealously wrapped up in concern. After a couple of days of these phone calls from fans and foes, it all went away. We still have the tape somewhere, hopefully to never been seen again.

So, I was famous for probably 5 minutes, and in those 5 minutes I learned that fame is fickle and fleeting and comes with sometimes unknown consequences. Over the years, we have seen so many people bitten by fame and how much it has changed their lives, and even sometimes has ruined lives. It seems that fame isn’t all that it seems.

Yet, in our Reformed world, there seems to be a growing fascination with “fame” - I put it in quotation marks because our Reformed world is so small it isn’t the same as fame in the secular world. I will admit that I may sound like an old curmudgeon when it comes to this subject, yet it does seem that there is a growing fascination with pastors wanting to make a name for themselves in certain circles.

Mainly, I am thinking about the growing number of podcasts, conferences and blogging (and, yes, I completely embrace the irony of my complaining about blogs via a blog post) done by pastors. It has become fairly routine for me to open up Twitter/X and/or Facebook and see an announcement from a pastor about his new podcast/article/blog/conference theme. “Hey guys, starting a new podcast on X subject … here is a link to my article about this certain theme … here is my Facebook post about my opinion on such and such going on in the church world.” It comes across a lot like, “look at me and what I’m doing … pay attention to me and my opinions!!”

Please don’t get me wrong - some of these can be helpful to the church and even the broader world. I love to listen to good podcasts … read a well-thought out and written article (unlike this one!) … peruse a blog to see what may interest me. They can be good, they can be helpful … but are they necessary?

As a pastor, a good bit of my decision-making on ministry is based upon necessity. What is necessary for me to do, and in what order of priority? There are the daily and weekly and monthly things that have to be done. There are emergencies that come up that have to be dealt with immediately. There are some curveballs thrown that need attention. It is part of my call to figure out what is necessary. What helps me in thinking through that is my call - I am the pastor of Bethel ARP in Winnsboro, SC. The congregation called me to be their pastor, and take good care of me so I can be a good pastor to them. They understand that there are times when I may be asked to speak at a conference, serve on a committee that requires some travel, be active in presbytery and Synod. But, they called me to be their pastor first and foremost. Like Jesus told Peter, “feed my sheep”, the Lord has called me to feed the sheep of Bethel ARP. That is my priority, they come first in ministry. If that means I have to turn down a conference or speaking at a church because there is something that is happening at my church, then so be it. I am the pastor of Bethel ARP first and foremost. That is the call of the Lord on my life.

So, where does a podcast, speaking at multiple conferences, writing all sorts of blogs/articles, starting up other ministries … where does it fit into the necessary of the pastor’s life? Is it necessary? Is it being done because it’s necessary or because we just want our voice to be heard?

Recently, Dr. Sinclair Ferguson made the comment (and I am paraphrasing), “when I see an article from a pastor about something that no one has asked you to write, there is one elderly lady in the congregation who remains unvisited.” That hits hard because that hits at the necessary … and at seeking fame/name. It’s a piece of wisdom from a respected pastor and theologian that needs to be taken to heart, mine first. Am I doing the necessary of being a good and faithful pastor to my family and congregation first? Am I feeding the sheep God has called me to feed? Am I feeding the sheep that are faithfully tithing so I may be able to comfortably tend to their needs?

So, maybe instead of another blog, podcast, speaking engagement, pastors, let us feed the sheep. Pray more for your people. Read more for the sermon. Go out into the community more. Come home and play ball with your children. Coach a local sports team. Take some tomatoes to an elderly family. Take your wife on a nice date. Get a good night’s sleep. Turn on some good music and work on the Bible study. Take an elder or deacon to lunch and ask them how life is going. Do Meals on Wheels. Feed the sheep in your church and in your community.

Pastors, we have the best calling in life - we get to tell others about the glory of God in Jesus Christ! We get to share the Good News of salvation! We get to baptize babies, marry couples, bury dear saints. We get to stand behind the sacred desk and share God’s word with His people. We get to feed the sheep. His sheep. There is nothing better than that.  

We don’t need fame or a name. Why should we? We serve the Almighty God, who’s glory is proclaimed by creation itself. Why should it be about me? “Preach the Gospel, die and be forgotten.” There is no better advice for men called to be under-shepherds. Will these podcasts, articles, posts, conferences be remembered in 100 years? Doubtful. You know what will be remembered? The time you spent with a young man to help him grow and mature as a Christian, and who passed that down through the generations. The family you counseled through a tough time. Taking someone to lunch to ask how life is going. Playing ball with your kid in the front yard. Loving your wife. That will be remembered.

When we feed the sheep, that is what will be remembered. When we commit ourselves to the ministry of the church, that is what will be remembered. Because, what will be remembered isn’t necessarily you and me, but the Lord. His grace, His glory, His mercy, His love, His faithfulness - that is what we want to be known and remembered. Let us commit ourselves to the necessary so that it’s not our fame that is sought, but the fame of the Lord (Habakkuk 3.2) so that He is the one glorified and enjoyed now and forevermore. Amen.