The Narcissistic Pastor

[TorahTent]

The Pastoral or Rabbinical office in the modern day congregation is not biblical. The narcissistic pastor is self seeking and wants the power. He deceives others and deceives himself.

ModernDayPastoralOfficeRevised.pdf

The office of Pastor or Rabbi is commonly a magnet for Narcissistic types who view the role as the "head of the church." Scripturally, the word Pastor is used in plural form. What this means is, there is no Scriptural evidence that there was a singular senior head pastoral practice among the early Ekklesia. Pastor, as many know, is the Latin word for shepherd, and the Greek word for pastors is rendered as poimenas, which also means shepherds. Therefore, a pastor is not a professional title, but a metaphor for one of the various functions of the Ekklesia. A shepherd is a person who cares for and nurtures the people of Elohim, but not within the context of a professional hierarchical title.

If a pastor shows signs of narcissism and doesn't admit them and seek help, he has doomed himself to failure. The narcissistic pastor lives with an inflated sense of self-importance and an insatiable drive to be liked and to be at the center of attention. Satan will capitalize on these traits and tempt him to compromise his morals and values. A narcissistic pastor will create a false self to cover his fear of humiliation. Exposure to the real person is anathema to him. A narcissistic pastor's drive to avoid disclosure often results in these kinds of behaviors.

The Pastoral office as defined in our western world is not the Biblical model, but rather man made which is a distortion of gifting. The Ekklesia were led only by Messiah where his body is recognized by men who were all of equal standing. Everyone in the body was recognized by their spiritual maturity and not by their hierarchical elitism.

We can trace the deviation from the biblical Pastoral office back to Ignatius of Antioch (AD 35-107) and the role of the bishop. The bishop required absolute obedience in the "church" and was given complete authority. The ordination into an office originates from pagan rites by empowering an individual through divine streams to become venerable, honorable, and separated. It is the syncretism of Old Testament priesthood with Greek hierarchy. In contrast, every person who was part of the early Ekklesia set not themselves higher than one another, but in humility served each another. This is the model in scripture that Yeshua gave us.

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