Pastor or Vending Machine
- Phil Sweeting
- Mar 27
- 5 min read
Updated: Apr 2
In sixth form, I used to run the school vending machine.
It was one of my favourite jobs.
Stock control (‘smell what sells’, as Alan Sugar would say), price setting, and counting the revenue—the whole process filled my budding entrepreneur’s soul with satisfaction! I was reminded of this school enterprise when I saw the above comic-strip online recently. I think Sophie is highlighting something I’ve observed in different forms over the years as I’ve talked with pastors from various churches. The ‘vending machine’ view of the pastor doesn’t necessarily arise from malice or lack of compassion in the congregation. Instead, there seems to be a blurring of the distinction between the pastor’s identity and their role.
Let me explain by quoting from the apostle Paul.
So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Eph 4.11-13
It’s clear from this passage that Christ has given different grace gifts to the church, and that pastor-teachers—like the other roles listed here—are given ‘to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.’
Notice a couple of things.
EQUIPPED FOR WORKS OF SERVICE
First, the pastor-teacher is there to equip the people for works of service—not to do all the service themselves. ‘Every member ministry’ is at the heart of the New Testament idea of church. We’ve all been given different gifts, and we should all be using them for the building up of the church, and to be a witness to the world. Because of this, whenever we see a situation in which the pastor-teacher is the only one fulfilling a particular service role, this should ring alarm bells.
Quite apart from the fact that this is what the Bible teaches, it should be immediately apparent that if the pastor does everything, they become a bottle-neck for growth in the life of the church. I love these verses, because they make it abundantly clear that growth in maturity is a corporate activity—we can’t grow in isolation.
Which leads to the second, perhaps more important, point.
WE’RE ALL MEMBERS OF THE BODY
Paul continues in verses 15 and 16.
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Eph 4.15-16
The pastor-teacher has a certain role in this process of building up the church, but what’s their identity? Who are they? Well, they’re members of the body, of which Christ is the head.
This is vitally important, and I use that word ‘vital’ intentionally.
Vital. He’s the source of our life.
When we treat the pastor as a vending machine, we’ve forgotten that Christ is the source of our life; he’s the one to whom we must go to ‘find grace to help us in our time of need’ (Heb 4.16b). When we forget that our pastor-teachers are members of the body, we fail to recognise that they too have the same needs as everyone else in the body. They need the same things in order to grow that we all do.
The New Testament is full to bursting with ‘one another’s. We’re exhorted to . . .
Love one another (John 13.34).
Bear with one another (Col 3.13).
Carry one another’s burdens (Gal 6.2).
Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs of the Spirit (Eph 5.19a).
The pastor is a member of the body, just like everyone else, and is therefore in need of these encouragements as much as the rest of the church.
Of course, they have a specific role, and they might exercise their gifts in particular ways. But when you look at the list above, none of these exhortations relate to one person. They’re addressed to everyone in the body. We all need support, love, and help with our burdens. All our hearts are lifted when we hear beautiful psalms and songs of the Spirit. And most importantly, we all find our true life and support from Christ, the head of the body.
Which takes me back to the vending machine.
REPLENISHING THE STOCK
So there I am, thirty years ago or so; I’m in the sixth form common room. Pupils are lining up at the vending machine, coins in hand, ready to buy. Me? I’m looking at the length of the line, thinking about the supply of Curly Wurlys. I know they’re popular, and I’m hoping the machine won’t run out. Did I stock enough? I’m getting nervous. If I didn’t, we’ll have unhappy customers and we’ll make less money. It’s a serious business running a vending machine!
The connection with pastor-teachers should be fairly obvious.
Like the vending machine, if we want to serve others, we need to be filled up. And while we are definitely NOT vending machines, we do share this in common with them:
We can only give out what we’ve first received.
This is fundamental to Christian ministry.
You can’t share what you haven’t first received.
And that is why, at Living Leadership, we are not embarrassed about bashing the same drum repeatedly. If you are in any kind of ministry role, it is vital that you’re making time to feed and replenish yourself. Ephesians 4 uses the imagery of a body—with Christ as the head—and we must maintain that connection to the head in order to function.
Jesus uses the imagery of a vine and makes it explicit.
Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
John 15.4
So, the pastor-teacher must make a priority of spending time with Jesus, in personal prayer, study, and worship. We must place ourselves in situations where we will receive teaching, encouragement, and refreshment. (Do check out our Refreshment Days and Conferences). We should also find others who can walk alongside us and offer encouragement and support. Again, Living Leadership can help.
If you’re a church member reading this, I’m addressing you too. How could you encourage your pastor to take time to nurture their walk with Jesus? Could you speak words of encouragement, or share a word from Scripture that might lift their spirits? If you have some influence in your community, how can you make it easier for your pastor to take time out for spiritual refreshment?
For those who are pastor-teachers—or indeed for any kind of leader in the local church—what steps do you need to take to ensure your own spiritual tanks are full?
Take a moment to reflect on what you have to share.
For you can only give what you’ve received.
And you can only receive when you’re abiding in the source of life, Christ himself.
