Your pastor doesn't have it all figured out. We promise.
They get scared. They get angry. They get lonely. And they doubt whether any of it's worth their time, or their faith.
Unfortunately, clergy rarely have the opportunity to publicly share these vulnerabilities. So when #realclergybios started trending on Twitter, many ministers offered the honest, sometimes profane backstories to their holy lives. The hashtag was started by Mihee Kim-Kort, a campus minister ordained in the PCUSA, who tweeted "I have 2 Masters degrees but still not sure what I believe."
And with that confession the floodgates opened and Twitter met the real pastors, in all their humanity. Below we've highlighted some of the best #realclergybios.
Some were playful:
This enjoyable casual conversation is going to get awkward as soon as they ask you what you do for a living. #realclergybios
— Jayson D. Bradley (@jaysondbradley) February 1, 2016
Called to preach and live the Gospel, spend most of my time planning youth group fundraisers. #realclergybios
— Stacey Midge (@revstacey) January 29, 2016
One of the simplest gifts you can give me is praying for the food yourself. #realclergybios
— John Bryant (@revjbryant) January 31, 2016
While others wondered whether their vocation drew them away from Jesus:
#realclergybios I love Jesus but have a hard time saying his name sometime because of the way the Righteous Right has coopted it.
— Mihee Kim-Kort (@miheekimkort) January 30, 2016
Sometimes my church job is the part of my life where I feel the least like I'm following Jesus. #realclergybios
— Layton Williams (@ReverendFem) January 29, 2016
And many female pastors shared how often people question their leadership:
Doing a funeral and having the funeral home director call me "sweetheart." Not "Pastor" or "Reverend." #realclergybios
— T. Denise Anderson (@thesoulstepford) January 29, 2016
Been here 8 years, still told "I wanted to talk to the real pastor but I guess I can tell you since he's not there." #realclergybios
— Stacey Midge (@revstacey) January 29, 2016
The only non-white, non-male, under-the-age 40, ordained and installed minister in Grand Rapids, Michigan. #RealClergyBios #RCA
— Katherine Lee Baker (@revkatiebaker) January 29, 2016
While some black ministers told stories of black excellence shocking white congregants:
A white woman asked me why I'm so well-spoken since my parents are middle class black people. #realclergybios
— Broderick Greer (@BroderickGreer) January 30, 2016
Some shared how they carry the heavy burden of ministry:
It doesn't matter how many hours you work, you'll still feel guilty about the unfinished task and unvisited parishioner #realclergybios
— Simon Douglas (@SimonADouglas) January 31, 2016
Ministry can be the most life-giving calling. Ministry can be the loneliest vocation #realclergybios
— Greg Klimovitz (@gklimovitz) February 1, 2016
But at the end of the day, many pastors feel overwhelming emotion at every service:
I cry at communion. Every. Single. Time. (I hope I always do.) #realclergybios
— Layton Williams (@ReverendFem) January 31, 2016
Moral of the story: Never forget to love your pastor. They're human, too.
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