What's your motive?

In the move Apollo 13, the astronauts contemplate what it would be like to land on the moon as they struggle to make in back to earth. Tom Hanks (playing Jim Lovell) says, "Gentlemen, what's your motivation? I want to go home."

My fellow blogger blogged about "Superstar Pastors." In it he talks about how pastors become celebrities, and people go to a church based on the particular pastor's persona. Unfortunately, I agree with this blogger. Often pastors do become superstars, with followings like rock stars.

I want to take this a step further. Having been a pastor, I found myself dreaming of a large church. But, what was my motive? Was it to see lost souls find peace in Jesus? Or, was it so I could be come a superstar?

I have worked in the corporate world. I had to fill out a weekly productivity report. Essentially, I was justifying my position through numbers. I logged the number of reports created, searches done, and so on. I was eager to move up the corporate ladder. How many pastors are seeking to move up the corporate ladder? It seems that many are always on the look out for the next big church. A bigger church means a bigger salary, a bigger ego, and validation. Then there may be a job offer with a district office or the general church. A growing church isn't so much about growing God's kingdom as it is about validating a pastor's existence.

As our church was imploding, a parishioner essentially told me that I wasn't charismatic enough. It wasn't in so many words, but that was the gist.

Man, I sound cynical.

What is our motive?