Most pastors I know tend toward the therapeutic—focusing on healing and recovery, helping others straighten out their inconsistencies. This is all noble work, and good; but those who invest in these shepherding roles also tend to be very critical of successful pastors, especially those with a strong leadership gift, entrepreneurial spirit, or evangelistic orientation.
Of course, their critiques are often well-founded. The mega-church pastor typically has terrible theology which inadvertently causes stunted spiritual development, bigotry, carelessness, and a refusal to mature. However, God uses the “brash and bold” powerfully and mightily, despite their failings. The problem for the therapeutic pastor is that they have to turn around and repair the damage caused by the “charismatic leader.”
But here’s the thing the therapeutic pastor fails to understand. The mega-church pastor, the entrepreneurial leader, and the apostolic preacher can do something the therapeutic pastor can’t. The pastor-shepherd typically can’t get anyone to say “yes” to anything. He can’t get anyone to take a step in faith, courage, or boldness. He can’t get anyone to break free of their old habits and patterns. All the therapeutic clergyman can do is gradually nudge, encourage, bandage up wounds, and heal. So while these pastor-shepherds are doing valuable kingdom work, they should not be critical of these apostolic teacher-leaders who are turning thousands of people onto Jesus for the first time.
Without them, there wouldn’t be anyone to fix.