Most pastors want to be perfect. But we can’t be. So what do we do instead? We try to make people think we are perfect. We put on the mask of perfection and go about our day, never letting anyone get too close. Because, if they did, they might see that we are actually (gasp) human. I hope no one minds if I quote Jim Morrison…

“That’s what real love amounts to – letting a person be what he really is… You get to love your pretense. We are locked in an image, an act. The most important freedom is to be who you really are.” – Jim Morrison

I would add that the most important freedom is to be who you are in Jesus. Thanks to what He has done, we don’t have to walk around pretending to have it all together. The people in our churches don’t want to see our act. They aren’t looking for a performance. They want and need to see leaders who are real people, complete with imperfections, transformed by and walking in grace.

Now, don’t misunderstand me. I am not advocating that we air our dirty laundry for the world to see. I am simply saying that we don’t have to spend our days pretending to be something we are not. We don’t have to be perfect. We don’t have to keep people at arm’s length so that they won’t see the chips in our armor. Some of us need to work on being ourselves, authentically, all the time, no matter who we are with or what the circumstances. Let’s start leaving the mask at home. There is truly great freedom – and great love – in being every ounce of who God has created us to be for this moment in time.

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory…” – Paul (2 Corinthians 3:17-18)

© Nelson Searcy. All Rights Reserved.

About Nelson Searcy

Nelson Searcy is an experienced church growth strategist, pastor, church planter and coach, consulting with churches around the world. As founder of Church Leader Insights and the Renegade Pastors Network, he has personally trained more than 3,500 church leaders in over 45 denominations through live events, seminars and monthly coaching. Nelson is also the Founding and Lead Pastor of The Journey Church, with locations across New York City and in Boca Raton, FL. Nelson and his church routinely appear on lists such as “The 50 Most Influential Churches” and “The 25 Most Innovative Leaders.” He is the author of over 100 church growth resources and 18+ books, including The Renegade Pastor: Abandoning Average in Your Life, Ministry and The Difference Maker: Using Your Everyday Life for Eternal Impact, and At the Cross with the People Who Were There. He and his wife, Kelley, have one son, Alexander.