“I love your sermons. I don’t mind being late each Sunday as long as I can hear the sermon.”

“I am so glad we put the sermons online. That way, I don’t have to miss Church.”

“You are a great preacher. Don’t ever leave because I like coming to Church here.”

These are all statements I have heard this year. I know that all of these are meant to be compliments, and I appreciate the sentiment of kindness directed at me.

But you need to know how I hear it. Here is what I heard in each of these conversations. “I am an immature disciple who likes the Pastor more than Jesus.”

Before you get upset, please hear me out. Pastors like me want to see you connected to Jesus and not to us. We want to see people love to worship the Lord and not hear us preach. Our desire is for people to connect to God and one another every Sunday, even if we are not the ones preaching. All of these statements tell me that you are building your faith on me, and know this: I WILL disappoint you sometime.

My dream as a pastor is to have people who love to come to Church out of a commitment to Jesus and nothing else.

If you think of the Church only in terms of the pastor, then we have failed to do our job.