The time had come for Moses to be “gathered to his people as his brother Aaron was gathered (Numbers 27:13).” Moses, knowing that the people could not go on without the one who would lead, prayed to God: “Appoint a man over the congregation… who shall lead them out and bring them in; that the congregation of the Lord shall not be as sheep who have no shepherd (Numbers 27:16-17).” God heard the prayer of Moses and appointed Joshua, “A man in whom is the spirit (Numbers 27:18).”

Throughout the centuries God has appointed shepherds for his people. Some were determined dynamic leaders like Joshua. Others were fiery prophets like Elijah. Some were gentle spirits like John. Like Joshua, all were ordained to lead God’s people into the promised land of tomorrow.

The question before the church today is what kind of pastors must we have to lead the church into the future? Listen to the answer given in this poem.

Give me a man of God, one man whose faith is master of his mind,and I will right all wrongs and bless the name of all mankind.Give me a man of God, one man whose tongue is touched with heaven’s fireand I will flame the darkest hearts with high resolve and clear desire.

Give me a man of God, one man, one mighty prophet of the Lord,and I will give you peace on earth bought with a prayer and not a sword.

Give me a man of God, one man true to the vision that he sees,and I will build your broken shrines and bring the nations to their knees.George Liddell

Do you hear what is being asked of today’s ministers of the gospel? Do you hear what’s needed for the future? Excellence is what is needed; excellence in faith and commitment. Pastors are asked to give their best to God without excuse, without complaint or compromise, their best for God.

Many writers are telling us about the empty pulpit. We are told that by the year 2000 many pastors of the church will reach retirement age and there will not be sufficient numbers to take their places. The implication is that we need more and more pastors. Even though I appreciate the problem the church is facing in the future, I firmly believe that what the church needs today is not more and more pastors but better and better pastors. We need pastors who are far more concerned about building their congregations than their careers; pastors who are more concerned about glorifying God than themselves; pastors who are willing to work 60 hours a week and count it the least they can do for the One who has done everything for them.

We’ve heard much lately about “burnout” among the clergy. I am sympathetic, and understand why the burnout happens. I know pastors who have been overworked and overstressed. Under the pressure they have burned out and many have dropped out. However, let me be honest with you and say that I am far less concerned about burnout among clergy than I am about cop out. I know far more ministers who are giving too little to the church than those who are giving too much. I am far less concerned about pastors being overworked as I am about their being under-committed. I know too many pastors who are far more concerned about their days off than their days on; more concerned about their vacation than their dedication.

So what’s happening in the seminaries today? I believe the training is good. I believe it is better than it was 25 years ago. I believe there are few pastors who are truly inept and inadequate. At the same time I believe that there are few pastors who are truly extraordinary and exceptional who can assume leadership not only for their congregations but for their communities. In recent years we have pulled in from both extremes. There are fewer poor pastors and fewer good ones. We have, as a result, created a majority of mediocrity. I do not believe that mediocrity will serve the demands of the life of the church of the future. I hear too many pastors who are concerned about security with their jobs rather than service in their church. I hear too many pastors who are willing to promote the appearance of piety and the illusion of progress in order to maintain what they have. When one looks beneath the surface, one discovers that the piety has no depth; that the progress is not real. In fact, across the last 20 years, mainline churches in this country have lost 20 percent of their total membership.

I hear far too much concern about security. In a recent meeting with pastors the conversation around the table was about burnout among clergy. The pastors conducted an impromptu poll measuring on a scale of one to 10 (10 being high) their level of stress. One pastor volunteered, “My stress level is rather high, about seven or eight on that scale.” Others indicated, however, that their stress was rather low, perhaps four or five at the highest. “The truth is,” said one pastor, “I’m pretty comfortable where I am. In fact, I’ve learned that as long as I don’t steal the church’s money or run off with the church’s secretary, I’m pretty secure.” Inherent in the comment was an obvious concern for security. I did not realize that security was the basic issue in ministry.

All of these years I’ve labored under the illusion that ministry has something to do with service to the church. I find it hard to imagine the apostle Paul searching for security as he went from jail to prison to beating to stoning to shipwreck and to prison again. I cannot imagine that Simon Peter was worried much about security when he left Palestine to go to Rome to work with the church under the persecutions of Nero. I find it difficult to imagine Martin Luther being overly concerned about security as he stood before Charles V, the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and said, “I cannot, I will not recant. God help me. Here I stand.”

I can’t help but wonder, where are the mighty prophets with fire in their souls? Where are the men and women with vision who will shepherd the flock, who will lead the people of God into the future?

Where are the lay people who will demand excellence by giving excellence? Through our baptism we are all ordained into the ministry of the Word of God. Some of us go to seminary and are trained for special tasks in the church. Others are lay ministers and carry out the assignment of protecting the purity of the gospel and proclaiming the Word in daily life. We are all ministers of the gospel; and the people in the pew, the lay ministers of the church, have the right to demand excellence only if they give excellence. Excellence is required in your worship attendance, in your study of the Word and in your attendance to prayer. Excellence is required in your stewardship, the giving of your resources and in making yourself available for service in the church. Excellence is the issue. Lay members have a right to expect it and to demand it if they give it. I assure you the future will require it.

You understand, don’t you, the importance of excellence among those shepherds who will lead the people? The church has an awesome assignment for the future. We are called to carry the redemptive process to the world of tomorrow. We cannot do that with a mediocre ministry. The major changes that have taken place in the world in recent years did not happen because the church of Christ was there to champion the cause of the cross. The church has been so preoccupied with making people feel good that it has lost the power to inspire people to do good. The Berlin Wall did not fall and crumble because those people saw the great example of our Christian faith and decided that they, too, wanted to have a Christian society. No, they looked at the Western world and decided they wanted a capitalistic society. Communism is not failing today because the people of Russia have looked to the West and decided that they want to have a Christian way of life. They’ve looked to the West and decided they want to have a consumer’s way of life. The Viet Nam War did not end because the church of Christ stood up in righteous indignation and said we will not tolerate it. It came to an end because politicians stood up and said, “We will not pay for it.”

The important changes that have happened in recent years did not happen because of the influence of the church. The battle that is being fought today for the rights of abused children and battered women is not being fought by pastors and people in churches. That battle is being waged by lawyers in courtrooms. The world cries out for peace of mind but that cry is not being answered by theologians offering new and different ways of worship and meditation. That cry is being answered by psychiatrists who are offering new and different forms of medication.

Do you understand that the church is not having the impact it should in the world? I ask, where are the prophets with fire in their souls and the men and women of vision who will shepherd the flock and lead the people?

Jesus said in John’s gospel, “I am the Good Shepherd. I know my own and my own know me and they listen to my voice.” I ask you, friends, what voice is the world listening to today? Is the world listening to the voice of Christ as he speaks through his ministers? Are we content for the world of tomorrow to be shaped by the voices of politicians, economists, advertisers or consumers?

The issue for the church of tomorrow is not quantity, friends, it’s quality. What the church needs today is not more and more but better and better. The issue is excellence; the issue is always excellence in the church. We are called upon to give our best.

Today let us make a commitment in our minds and hearts, since we are the ministers of the gospel, that we will aspire to excellence and that we will, in this place and at this time, give our best to God. Amen.