“Mike, you are a maverick!” The elderly gent thought he was paying his pastor a compliment, labelling him a maverick. But Mike didn’t appreciate his well-intended comment. You see, Mike has been called a maverick—or something like it—on many occasions. One family member branded him the most counter-cultural person he’s ever known. Just a couple of days ago, Mike was chatting to a church leader, whom he scarcely knew, and the man called him a maverick. Mike wasn’t chuffed. “How can he say that?” he wondered. “We’ve only ever had two short, very ordinary conversations.” Then there was the author (both a poet and academic) who read a few of Mike’s articles and mused: “He really comes in from left field.”
How odd can you be before you are unsuitable?
But is there a place for mavericks in ministry? How odd can you be before you are unsuitable? Should those that seem destined to break the mould be considered for church work? Can you be both a pastor and a maverick?
Maverick Defined
Words have meanings. They carry baggage. Synonyms for maverick include: unorthodox, independently minded, eccentric, rebel, outsider, trendsetter, and individualist. Is such a person ministry material? Let’s run those through the filter of biblical teaching.
- Unorthodox; a pastor can have some quirks, but he must be orthodox in doctrine and lifestyle.
- Independently minded; yes, he can be an original thinker, and he can have a different take on things, but has got to be agreeable, and get on with others.
- Eccentric; again, yes, he can probably be eccentric and even odd in some ways, so long as it’s authentic, not a facade, and not detrimental to his ministry.
- Rebel; ouch, this isn’t a good word, though it does depend on what he’s rebelling against; rebelling against your co-leaders or your own church and denomination certainly disqualifies.
- Trendsetter; we should be highly suspicious of those who claim to be setting new trends in ministry.
- Individualist; no, he must part of a church, a team player, part of a leadership team.
- Non-conformist; it depends on the object and nature of his non-conformity.
These synonyms don’t settle the question. Rather, they increase Mike’s unease.
The Case Against Mavericks
Here is why Mike takes the label of maverick so badly as a pastor. He suspects that most people out there wear the rebel, or trendsetter, or individualist badge with great pride. It is very fashionable to go against the grain; to be different. Every teenager wants to be different—just like every other teen. It’s foolish, immaturity. Who doesn’t want to be cool and hipster, supposedly resisting the horrible trappings of a middle-of-the-road or mundane life? This is little more than immature pride, creating a persona for your own vanity.
Most people wear the badge with great pride. It’s very fashionable to go against the grain.
And there are obvious benefits of being a maverick. Benefits that feed the ego. It can give the false impression of profundity: “You don’t get me,” the maverick smugly opines. “Because I am so deep and profound.” Or the label can give someone a free pass to act like an irresponsible buffoon. “Give him a break,” someone chimes in, “he’s just very different.” Then it can also just fuel self-pity. “Nobody understands me.”
Moreover, the term maverick is very much about the individual, as an individual. The maverick is outside of other structures and norms. But this doesn’t sit well with biblical ecclesiology, not only concerning governance but also the church’s corporate and interconnected nature.
Personality Versus Character
It seems that Mike’s maverick tendencies consist more of personality traits than character traits. In the Christian life—and in ministry—character trumps everything. The Bible says a great deal about character; and it hardly goes into the realm of personality. It’s critical to distinguish between personality and character. We often use the terms incorrectly: one often hears, for example, that Luther was a real character. False. Luther had a colourful personality. The annals of church history contain many examples of atypical pastors.
In Christian ministry character trumps everything.
So let’s consider the character qualifications for those in pastoral ministry, stipulated in the Pastoral Epistles; off the bat, we note that the stress is on proven character over personality or even giftedness. Added to this, there’s no one-size fits all pastoral ministry. Every local church is different. Therefore, another question should be: what is Mike called to do? What are the church’s expectations of him? Are there other leaders with the gifts, abilities, personal burdens, and personalities to cover Mike’s shortcomings? Diversity and collaboration should be welcomed among those in ministry.
A Case for the Maverick Pastor
Unwittingly, Mike tried hard to be the “regular” pastor, because this is what he saw modelled before him; and because he admires regular pastors. But square pegs and round holes, all that. Fallout.
Albert Camus asserted that “nobody realises that some people expend tremendous energy merely trying to be normal.” For once, Mike agrees. This is very true of those with more of a maverick personality.
Square pegs and round holes, all that.
Wisdom suggests that both parties need exhortation. Mike needs to know that there are times when he needs to reign in his weirdness, which may be a stumbling block to others and undermine the larger ministry. Simultaneously, the church should be generous toward Mike, accepting and honouring his uniqueness, welcoming all sorts, for the sake of the gospel.
