Dr. E.C. Fulcher, Jr.

Does a Pastor Live Multiple Lives or Just One?

To the members of a congregation, it may look like being a Pastor or Man of God they wear many hats and lead many different lives. They see him teaching the Word of God and comforting and counseling those that are in need, they also see him use the bible to show the errored ways of those who are out of line and bring them back into the fold.  Then, when he is not in church, he has his own household to run, and personal life outside the church. All these things may look like he is leading several different lives, but looks can be deceiving.  A true Man of God only has one life.  Jesus said, “(Mark 12:30) And thou shalt Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all they soul, and with all they mind, and with all they strength: this is the first commandment.”  A true Man of God must put God first.  Everything else is secondary.  When a Man of God, puts God first, the entire congregation and everyone that is in the Man of God’s life benefits.

The Bible is full of references to sheep and shepherds. Psalm 23:1 states, “A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” In this era of industrialization, we have lost sight of what a shepherd did and therefore, we had lost sight of what the Pastor does.  Sheep are not the smartest animal in God’s creation.  They are followers.  If one walks off a cliff, the others will follow.  They could be dying from thirst but they will not drink from moving water.  And if they are not sheared periodically, their coats will grow so heavy that they will fall to the ground and not be able to get up.  And other animals love to eat them.  The shepherd has to protect them not only from themselves but from predators.

So when you transpose all that a shepherd must do to keep his flock safe to what a Man Of God (MOG) must do to keep his followers safe, you can see that the MOG wears only one hat.  In any church where a Pastor believes in this and takes his role of shepherd seriously as the bible states, they will be the shepherd and the congregation his sheep. This is how Pastor Fulcher runs his church. He has to lead them virtually continuously.  He has to protect them from themselves and he has to protect them from the spiritual wolves that would lead them astray and allow Satan to devour their souls. 

This takes an incredible toll on him.  To perform his job at 100%, his devotion must be complete.  In effect, he has no personal life (as one of the sheep might understand it) because he has dedicated that life to God and the duties that he must perform.  That’s not to say that he can’t enjoy a hobby or two, but if one of his flock gets in trouble or needs counseling, that hobby must be put aside so he can be about God’s work, as the bible says in Luke 2:49 “ And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? Wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business”.

And what is “God’s work”?  In Matthew 11:29, Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you and come and learn of me…”  The sheep need to learn and the MOG needs to teach, which means that a true Man of God must devote hours on end to the study of the Bible in order to impart its wisdom to his flock.  While others are out doing things, boating, going to a game, or just watching a movie on TV, Pastor Fulcher literally has his nose buried in THE WORD OF GOD.  He is studying not only to show himself approved but to educate his flock so that they might be approved. 

The keyword here is dedication.  Pastor Fulcher and others like him are dedicated to the Bible and imparting what they learn through that dedication to his congregation.  That kind of dedication takes a toll on a man’s natural life while invigorating his spiritual one.  A Man of God is a Man of God 24 hours a day.  It is not something that he can turn on and off.  And this also has an effect on the people around him.

Anyone involved in a personal relationship with a Man of God must understand that they are there to help him, not to distract him.  They benefit from their close relationship with the MOG, true, but at the same time, they, too, are just sheep.  They have to be taught.  They have to be led.  They do not have the luxury of slacking off even for one moment, lest they divert the Man of God from his assigned task.  They are there to stay the Pastor’s arms in those trying times that affect every man.  They have to be his support when he comes under attack from those who do not understand his motives for doing something and are unwilling to wait for the explanation. 

Pastor Fulcher does not live a “normal” life.  He doesn’t just go to work, do his job and come home and forget it.  He is his work every hour of the day, every day of the week.  Sitting out in the congregation, applauding and amening what he says is the blessing that we, the sheep, get from his hours of preparation.  Those hours of preparation come at a cost behind the scenes, that most sitting at his feet cannot fathom.  Our blessing comes through his blood, sweat, and tears.

                                                Written by Eric B. Ruark and Tanya J. Tillman