“Beware of Pharisees. They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called by men, Rabbi. But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers; and do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. And do not be called leaders, for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. But the greatest among you shall be your servant.” Matthew 23
Pastor, when given a choice–and you always have a choice–try not to look and act like a Pharisee. For my money, the best way–the very best way in the universe to come across as a big-shot–is to use this phrase: “When I got my doctorate…”
I’m not sure why that sets me off, but it does. And I haven’t the slightest idea whether it’s only me or the rest of the universe.
Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, that phrase is completely unnecessary and is inserted only to call attention to oneself, to make sure the hearers fall to their knees in abject horror. “Oh my, you have a doctorate?! You must be of superior intelligence, far beyond most mortals.” “Forgive me for thinking you put your pants on one leg at a time!”
The plain truth is doctorates are over-rated. There are people with earned doctorates who scarcely know how to sign their name or use the telephone.
The chairman of a search committee said to me, “Should we be concerned that this preacher does not have a doctorate?” I said, “My friend, I know people with doctorates who have a hard time putting two sentences together. Those degrees are easy to come by these days and are vastly over-rated. Pay attention to the pastor’s preaching, listen to his conversation, and get to know the man. But ignore the absence of a doctorate.”
I assured him his candidate was a godly minister of the gospel whom he would come to appreciate in the years ahead.
Two years later, that chairman went out of his way to thank me. The pastor, whom they had called to their church, was doing splendid work far beyond anything they had a right to expect. And they call him by the finest title I’ve ever known: “Pastor.”
If you are the preacher, get all the education you can, by all means. And then, never mention it again. Never. Mention. It. Again.
