The pastor will face many difficult, daunting, demanding, and sometimes dangerous situations, both outside the church and inside the church. That is why the military model of leadership is used so commonly in Scripture. It also addresses the perennial issue of cowardice in the ministry. Let us look first of all at the power of fear.

The Power of Fear⤒🔗

The vast majority of people are cowards. We avoid danger, we walk away from conflict, and we prefer comfort and ease to sacrifice and pain. Christians especially may have a tendency towards timidity rather than bravery. Fear comes more naturally than faith. Why is this? Let me give you seven reasons.

Firstly, it is because the Holy Spirit has wrought a new tenderness and sensitivity in the Christian’s heart. The sanctified Christian feels things more deeply. He used to watch, for example, war films with cold and steely hardness; now the loss of precious life pains him to the core of his being and moves him to tears. Suffering and death impact him much more than before.

Secondly, there is often a rather unbalanced teaching emphasis on Christian humility, patience, love and peacemaking. This tends to produce weak, timid Christian leaders that are characterized by retreat, hesitancy and indecision.

Thirdly, pastors are dependent on the voluntary giving of their congregations. Unlike CEOs or civil leaders, they have no financial or judicial levers of power to pull. They cannot sack or jail disobedient or problematic members. They have probably tried to address problems before, and the person or family and their money have just moved to the church next door.

Fourthly, when a pastor takes a public stand on a moral issue, it usually resolves in media misrepresentation and a backlash of opposition in the local, or even national, level. And this embarrasses the more nominal members in a congregation and arguably hinders evangelism and outreach.

Fifthly, a pastor often has to take decisions alone. Even when there is a plurality of elders, the buck often stops at the pastor. It is much harder to be brave alone. Even with a plurality of elders, it is usually down to the teaching elder to initiate programs, begin reformation, and execute the elders’ decisions.

Sixthly, in some contexts there is a very real possibility of persecution, of suffering loss if we are faithful to the cross of Christ. Sometimes a pastor maybe willing to face this but his wife is not.

Seventhly, the Christian pastor still has a sinful nature that usually prefers easy compromise rather than courageous confrontation.

So seven reasons why fear comes more naturally than faith.

Calls to Courage←⤒🔗

These tendencies we have looked at explain why we need the more aggressive and offensive (as in: “going on the offensive”) model of the courageous captain, and why the military metaphor is so common in Scripture. It is used in the Old Testament (Joshua 1:6, 9, 18) and in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 9:26; 1 Timothy 6:12; 2 Timothy 1:7; 2:3-4). And of course, Christ himself is called the captain of our salvation (Hebrews 2:10). “Captain” implies authority, bravery and a proven track record. In pastoral ministry these take a while to develop. The office or role does not bestow it on a man automatically. He has to earn his stars. And he does so not by keeping his powder dry for major battles of his choosing, but by courageously marching into the small battles that God often decides to send his way in the early days of his ministry. And as these battles are faced and won, the pastor will grow in stature and gain the respect of the congregation. His authority will also grow as they see him more and more like Christ in character, word and action.

Examples of Courage←⤒🔗

So we have looked at the power of fear. We have looked at calls to courage. Let’s look thirdly at examples of courage. Various Old and New Testament believers are set forth as examples of courageous believing, speaking and doing. Moses before Pharaoh, Joshua before the Jordan, Rahab before the soldiers, David before Goliath, Nathan before David, Elijah before the prophets of Baal, John the Baptist before Herod, Paul before his accusers, and so on.

Example of Jesus Christ←↰⤒🔗

Of course, our supreme example of courage is Christ himself. And he demonstrated that in many arenas. We see his courage in evangelism. He came to sinners with an authoritative summons: “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” We see his courage in preaching. He addressed the most powerful religious leaders of the day as a “generation of vipers”, and told them that woe was coming upon them unless they repented. We see his courage in private dealings. He was not just brave when everyone else was watching, but also when no one else was there—witness his true full dealings with Nicodemus at night and with the Samaritan woman at the well. We see his courage in dealing with friends and family. Some men find it easy to be frank and fearless with their enemies, but Christ was frank and fearless with those closest to him as well. We see his courage in reforming the church. He cleansed the temple of greedy business men with a scourge of leather, and of greedy Pharisees with the scourge of his tongue. We see his courage in the public square. Christ was not afraid to raise his voice in public and speak up for the poor and against the abuse of power. We see his courage in fighting the devil. Christ knew at times that the devil was about to step up his attacks, yet he did not flinch. Rather, he faced it head on. We see his courage in crises. Christ continually faced the threat of physical pain and ultimately of death itself, yet steadfastly “set his face to go to Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51).

Examples from Church History←↰⤒🔗

We can also learn from numerous examples of courage in church history. In his books on spiritual leadership, Oswald Sanders describes how Martin Luther was among the most fearless men who ever lived. When he set out in his journey to Worms to face the questions and the controversies his teaching had created, he said, “You can expect from me everything save fear or recantation. I shall not flee, much less recant.” His friends warned him of the dangers. Some begged him not to go, but Luther would not hear of it. “Not go to Worms?” he said. “I shall go to Worms though there were as many devils as tiles on the roofs.” When Luther appeared there before the court of Emperor Charles V, he was shown a stack of his writings and called upon to recant. Luther replied, “Unless I can be instructed and convinced with evidence from the Holy Scriptures or with open, clear and distinct grounds of reasoning, then I cannot and will not recant, because it is neither safe nor wise to act against conscience. Here I stand; I can do no other. God help me. Amen.” A few days before his death, Luther recalled that day and said, “I was afraid of nothing. God can make one so desperately bold!”

Arenas of Courage←⤒🔗

Let us look fourthly at arenas of courage.

Courage in Evangelism←↰⤒🔗

First of all, courage in evangelism. The pastor and elders should take the lead in evangelism. This is not something that should be left to the young people. One of the most encouraging times in my own ministry was when we started an annual door-to-door delivery of an evangelistic newspaper. We had about thirty volunteers, and a good number of them were elders. Some of them elderly elders. And I thought it was a great example to everyone in the congregation. They said, “We are not too important to engage in evangelism.” The pastor should not just be willing to go door-to-door, or hand out tracts in city centers, or preach in the open air, etc. He should take the lead in this! And let him take on some of the hardest cases as well. If there are real skeptics in families or people who follow cults, let the pastor be unafraid to visit and engage with them. If you do this, it will develop a huge amount of respect for you in the congregation.

Courage in Preaching←↰⤒🔗

Secondly, courage in preaching. Courage in the pulpit does not mean bombastic arrogance that lambasts everyone and everything. Neither does pulpit courage means saying things that you would never say to someone’s face. But it does mean avoiding the posture and attitude of apologetic and apprehensive caution. Preach the truth without apology. Expose and denounce sin. Take on challenging passages. Balance the encouragements with the warnings, God’s sovereignty with man’s responsibility, and sermons about heaven with sermons on hell.

Courage in Private Dealings←↰⤒🔗

Thirdly, courage in private dealings. Paul not only taught the truth publicly, but also from house to house (Acts 20:20). Some may find it easy to be brave in the pulpit but wilt when they are one-on-one. People will ask you tough questions, so answer them. People need to hear some painful truths about their attitudes or actions. Tell them. And don’t avoid your critics. You will gain their respect, and often even silence them if you visit them and listen to their concerns.

Courage in Dealing with Friends and Family←↰⤒🔗

Fourthly, courage in dealing with friends and family. People will be on the look out to see if you are prejudice against certain people or show favoritism to others. They will look to see if you are consistent in dealing with your own family, and to see if you are as straight and honest with those closest to you in the congregation. Are you willing to oppose them if they are wrong?

Courage in Reforming the Church←↰⤒🔗

Fifthly, courage in reforming the church. You will have to attend church courts locally, probably on a wider level as well. You are going to be tempted to avoid these meetings, especially if there are controversial issues and cases to be considered. People will be watching you here too. You are in these courts as their representative, and they are looking to you to do your duty according to the word of God. Never vote for a friend’s proposal because he is a friend, and never vote against an enemy because he is your enemy. Do not keep silent for the sake of popularity. Do not put peace above the truth. Do not ignore issues or procrastinate in dealing with them.

Courage in the Public Square←↰⤒🔗

Sixthly, courage in the public square. The preacher must not become a politician, nor a running commentary on the latest national events. However, neither should he be afraid of speaking up on matters of public morals and religion. From time to time you may as a pastor have opportunity to interact with the media. I am thinking here especially of the old media—TV, radio, newspaper journalists. Unfortunately, these opportunities will usually have a negative context (questions about church controversies and scandals, interviews about moral decline, medical ethics, etc.). The temptation of most pastors is probably to ignore such media interest or to run away from it as fast as possible—and that is understandable. After all, it seems that most journalists are hostile to Christianity. “They are just out to trip us up or twist anything I say!” However, despite the usually negative context to media interest, despite their general hostility towards us, and despite their frequent misrepresentation of us, I would like to encourage you (and other well-educated Christians too) to engage more with the media as opportunity arises. I am afraid if sane Christian voices remain silent, there is no shortage of Christian egomaniacs to fill the journalistic void.

One of the most useful days I spent in seminary was a day of media training at a studio in Edinburgh, where a BBC TV journalist came and put a group of us students through the media wringer. After a tutorial from him, we did a mock up TV and radio interview, followed by a debate and practice runs at “three-minute thought for the day” slots. It was a bruising day, with some students reduced to tears and others to quivering wrecks. Most of us concluded that the journalist much have been trained by the Gestapo at some point. However, as my own contact with the media increased over the years, I realized more and more that he was the norm, and he was just preparing us for reality. Many is a day I thanked God for the verbal and psychological brutality of that experience, because for one reason or another I ended up doing quite a number of newspaper, radio and TV interviews over the years.

As I would like to see more pastors venturing into this intimidating arena, I have listed a few tips I have learned along the way, most of them through making painful mistakes myself.

Firstly, pick your targets. Don’t shoot at every issue, but save your bullets for the most important ones. Because so few pastors are willing to speak to the media, those who are willing tend to get contacted quite frequently. The temptation, therefore, if it is you, is to speak every time. However, you will rarely have the requisite expertise on every issue, and you may also become known as a kind of Christian “rent a quote.”

Secondly, ask for time. I rarely did an interview right away, but usually asked for at least thirty minutes to get prepared. I often ask for an indication of the kind of questions that were likely to be asked, and then spent some time organizing my thoughts, composing myself, praying for help to be clear in thought and expression. One journalist told me that I should prepare three points to get across in every interview, and try to get them across no matter what questions were asked. Well, although that is exactly what politicians do, and I have tried to do it sometimes in a limited way, I think we have to be careful that we do not become spin doctors. But as long as we do answer the questions, I think we can feel free to add some of our own main points too.

Thirdly, keep your target in view. Some journalists will try draw you into secondary issues that complicate and confuse. Keep the main issue in view, and keep returning to it. If you feel that a journalist is simply trying to trip you up, ask him if he is really interested in providing his hearers or viewers with helpful information, or if he is just in the business of humiliation.

Fourthly, get your facts right. Say nothing that you cannot backup with Scripture or other reliable sources. It can be very tempting to overstate your case or to just say something that gets you out of a tight corner, especially if you know the interviewer is not able to check what you say there and then. That will almost always backfire, and you will lose credibility and future opportunity. If you do not know the answer, admit it rather than trying to waffle.

Fifthly, be respectful. One of the best ways to lose an argument, especially on TV, is to lose your temper. Some journalists are expert at provoking this. However, on the other hand, if you can maintain a calm and gentle demeanor in the face of hostility or scorn, many listeners and viewers will sympathize with you and give you a better hearing. It is very easy to get frustrated with journalists, and there are some you may eventually decide they are simply too biased work with. There was one newspaper journalist who I tried to work with, despite the numerous times he misrepresented me. Eventually I started emailing him my answers, thinking, “He can’t misquote me with that.” But when he still did it, I told him I couldn’t trust him again. On the other hand, if a journalist gives you fair treatment, follow that up with a note of appreciation.

Sixthly, listen carefully to the question. When you are nervous you can very easily lose concentration. This is especially true if there is a camera in your face and a lighting guy and an audio specialist working in the background. In these circumstances it can be really easy to miss or misunderstand the question. So you have to really work at shutting out all distractions and really listening to the question. If you miss it, ask for it to be repeated. It looks really bad when a journalist says, “Well, you didn’t answer my question.”

Seventhly, keep your most important answers short. In fact, keep everything as short as possible. That is not easy for pastors, is it? But however much we detest the sound bite culture, if you want your words reported, you have to work really hard at simplifying and summarizing your thoughts into short sentences. Whatever you say will be edited down, and news editors will almost always go with the shorter answers. So whatever is your most important point, keep it short, or it will not be broadcast. And the more you speak, the more likely it becomes that secondary material will be broadcast or printed instead of your main point. Most TV interviews I did maybe took five, seven or ten minutes in the filming, and usually only twenty or thirty seconds were broadcast! Radio interviews do usually give a bit more time.

Eighthly, don’t insist on the last word. Some Christians seem to think that unless they get the last word, they have lost the argument. However, if you have stated your case well, you don’t need to have the last word. And if you are in a debate setting, don’t interrupt people or make faces as other people are speaking. And be careful what you say when cameras and mics are around. There is no such thing as “off-camera” today.

Ninthly, learn from your mistakes. As I have said before, most of these tips were learned the hard way for me. Especially at the beginning, you are going to make some verbal blunders. However, as with everything, you will grow in ability and confidence if you persevere. I sometimes ask journalists for a critique afterwards—what went well, or what could I do or say better. And we have to trust the Lord to use our feeble efforts. Just as the Lord uses less than perfect preaching, so he is also pleased to use our stumbling interviews.

Tenthly, love the journalist. Although they may be enemies of Christ and his people, journalists are also lost sinners who need to hear the gospel and be saved. Although it is unlikely to be reported, do try to get the gospel into your interview—at least the journalist will hear it. Ask if you can send him a book or a sermon. Show an interest in them as people. They are not used to people asking them questions about their job or their family. In fact, they are used to people ignoring them or treating them quite badly. Why not contact some local journalists and ask to meet them? Take the initiative and indicate your willingness to speak or write on certain issues. Ask to meet them. One of the greatest benefits of giving media interviews is that the Lord’s people who hear them or view them are usually greatly encouraged when they hear a pastor doing his best to speak God’s word in the public arena. They will pray for you and appreciate your efforts to stand up for truth in a day when lies and falsehood abound. Ps. smile more than normal on TV, and talk faster than usual on the radio.

Courage in Fighting the Devil←↰⤒🔗

Seventhly, courage in fighting the devil. That is not a public courage; it is more of an internal and spiritual battle. However, it is at the heart of every other battle and is the ground of our confidence in fighting every other battle. If we lose here, then there is no point in fighting elsewhere—we are holed below the waterline. Get to know your adversary and fight him with spiritual weapons.

Courage in Crises←↰⤒🔗

Eighthly, courage in crises. You will probably have to suffer some pain or loss or difficulty in your family at some point. Your congregation will want to see how react to that. Will you crumble, or will you practice what you preach?

Courage in Failure←↰⤒🔗

Ninthly, courage in failure. This, of course, is one arena that the Lord Jesus did not have to fight in. He never failed. But we do, and we will. We will make mistakes, take wrong turns, say something we regret, make a wrong call. Failure is inevitable. It is what we do in response that really matters. Will we run and hide, or try to cover up and obfuscate? Or will we be open and public about our blunders, and honestly admit them? Take responsibility, refuse to make excuses, humbly ask for forgiveness and learn from our mistakes. That is true courage.

Building Courage←⤒🔗

Lastly, let’s look at building courage. So far I have pointed to biblical commands and biblical examples of courage. And that sets the bar very high, but does not really provide help in reaching it. So although I feel I have more expertise in cowardice than courage, here are a few things I have found useful in times when I have been enabled to put my head above the parapet.

Memorize Scripture←↰⤒🔗

Firstly, memorize Scripture. When I studied at Glasgow University, I did a bit of open air preaching with some other young guys. Most of us did so with ghost white faces and jelly knees. We also published and distributed a Christian newspaper for students. I remember handing it out to three hundred students at the door of my moral philosophy class and then entering the lecture auditorium to find 598 angry eyes staring at me (there was one Christian in the class). I must admit that I had sleepless nights before such baby steps of Christian witness. However, I still remember the spiritual power I enjoyed when I tried to memorize Scripture before venturing forth on these mornings. I used to look for two kinds of verses. One to remind me of God’s greatness. Something like Isaiah 40:12: “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?” Then I would also look for one to remind me of human smallness. Something like Isaiah 40:6: “The voice said, ‘Cry.’ And he said, ‘What shall I cry?’ All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field.” So memorize Scripture.

Ponder the Potential←↰⤒🔗

Secondly, ponder the potential. When faced with challenges, I have a tendency to focus on all the possible negative outcomes. “He will laugh or shout at me.” “They will leave the congregation.” “She will slam the door in my face.” “They will assault me.” Etc. I have to battle to think and keep thinking about the possible positive outcomes. I especially want to remind myself of the potential of my pathetic witness being used to save a precious soul to the glory of God. “Come on David! Think of what one verse of Scripture can do with God’s blessing! This tract could transform a family! This young man may become a missionary to the Jews! This young Christian woman could be rescued from a miserable marriage to a worldly man! Jesus might be loved by one more person!” Ponder the potential.

Seek the Encourager←↰⤒🔗

Thirdly, seek the Encourager. The Holy Spirit is called the Comforter, which can also be translated: “the Encourager.” The One who comes alongside us to prompt, motivate and move us forward. The most Spirit-filled people I have known have been marked by a gentle courage. That is quite different to a rude, aggressive and abrasive spirit that has more to do with nature than with grace.

Take Baby Steps←↰⤒🔗

Fourthly, take baby steps. Military cadets are not thrown straight into frontline battle. They are broken in gradually, trained and pushed further and further until they are battle ready. Some Christians and some pastors led the small battles pass them by; they are waiting for the big test! But that never comes. Meanwhile, they are softened and weakened more and more by their refusal to fight the little fights that God brings their way, until they are useless for anything, although they are usually fantastic armchair generals! So don’t view the little fights as beneath you, but as sent by God to train you and gradually build you up for more vicious battles ahead.

Serve in the Shadow of Calvary←↰⤒🔗

Fifthly, serve in the shadow of Calvary. Above all, maintain a daily awareness that “I am a great sinner, but Christ is a great Saviour.” Let the suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ empower and encourage you. There is a strange and mysterious energy in grace. It changes “ought to” into “want to,” and conscription into consecration.

Trust the Lord with your Future←↰⤒🔗

Sixthly, trust the Lord with your future. The Lord may ask us to take action that risks our future ministries. We may have to take a stand against powerful people, even Christian leaders, who might not hesitate to use their influence to destroy us and our congregations. Everything is saying, “If you do this or you say that, then your ministry will be terminated and your character will be blackened! You will be put out of the church! Your past will be dredged for skeletons!” etc. But we must trust the Lord not just for our salvation, but for our providence as well. Providential faith is often harder to exercise than saving faith. I once had to do something which I was sure would end my ministry. I have never had such a momentous struggle with my conscience. I had to come to the point where I said, “This is my duty. This is the right thing to do. If I lose my character or my ministry, then the will of the Lord be done. If he slay me, yet will I trust in him.”

Hold on to the Promises←↰⤒🔗

Seventhly, hold on to the promises. The Lord has promised that he will honour those who honor him (1 Samuel 2:30). How many Christian men and women have held on to that promise in the heat of battle! How many have found it to be so abundantly true, no matter how much dishonor may be heaped upon them for a time. “Those that honor me,” says the Lord, “I will honor.”

Maintain a Clear Conscience←↰⤒🔗

Eighthly, maintain a clear conscience. Nothing weakens a person like an accusing conscience. I have seen good men retreat from spiritual battles because of something in their past. “How can I take this action, speak this truth, if I have done this or that myself?” they argue. And the devil uses these weaknesses, and says to them, “Who are you to take a stand? You are no better yourself!” Why was Paul so courageous? Because he tells us in Acts 24:16 he exercised himself to have a conscience void of offense before God and man.

Remember the Final Judgment←↰⤒🔗

Ninthly, remember the final judgment. We may have to suffer loss for a few years here on earth. We may see the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer. We may even see good people defend the wicked and oppress the righteous. However, we must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account for the deeds done in the body. However many unjust judgments are passed upon us here, we may appeal to the final judgment, lay our case there, and wait for the verdict that will both bring forth our judgment like the noonday sun (Psalm 37:6) and also cut down the wicked, no matter how strong their tree may appear (Psalm 37:35-36).

So, as Psalm 27:14 says, “Be of good courage, and he will strengthen your heart.”