Who is your favorite pastor? (DD - 25 Mar 25)

The hollowness of internet discipleship.

*Having completed Genesis, we now find ourselves between our Old Testament book and New Testament book (we will likely start in The Book of John tomorrow or the next day). As per our custom, we’ll spend a day or two addressing hot topics and/or current events.*

Today we’ll discuss the topic of internet discipleship.

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Opening Prayer: “Heavenly Father, help me to appreciate and honor the men You have called to spiritual leadership in Your church. Sanctify me in Your truth, that I might see past external appearances and prioritize Biblical qualifications over public opinion and popularity. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

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“For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human?” - 1 Corinthians 3

One of the most common questions I get is who is your favorite pastor?

Though it is typically asked with good intentions, this question is problematic for a number of reasons. Fear not, I’m not going to Jesus juke you, for I assume that we all would agree that in a sense, our most beloved shepherd should be The Good Shepherd, obviously. But I’m talking about those under-shepherds more commonly known in our day as pastors, whom Christ has deputized to lead, manage, and care for His flock on His behalf until He comes again.

I’ll give you my answer before my explanation: my favorite pastor is my pastor(s). I don’t say that to be a contrarian or to pretend that I’m too holy to get caught up in the celebrity of popular Christian teachers. I’m certainly not. Theological hipsters drive me insane, so to be safe, I even shaved my handlebar mustache and took off my Blundstone boots before I said it.

Like the Corinthians, I have often been tempted to identify more closely with one of God’s servants whose internet material I enjoy than with Christ Himself, to my shame. I was radicalized (in a good way) during the Young, Restless, Reformed Movement, when a handful of young guys were teaching the doctrines of grace and boldly calling the church to a more robust faith that permeates all of life, so I naturally feel an allegiance to certain men who pushed me along in my conversion.

The problem lies not in gathering a variety of sources and thoughts from various sermons, books, lectures, and commentaries to inform our own view of the Scriptures and church history, but in elevating the opinion of one pastor over that of our own on account of his popularity and celebrity status, as if one’s social media reach equates to wisdom and godliness.

Through the years, I’ve been blessed by faithful preachers of the word from a wide range of denominational backgrounds and traditions across the world. But what happens when we go from mere learning to being shepherded by public figures in cyberspace rather than flesh and blood? Were Christians really meant to outsource our spiritual formation to men whom we will never meet, break bread with, or even speak to on the phone?

No, and here’s why: