Boring Pastors, Joyful Churches

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

A few weeks ago, I asked the chairman of our deacons to meet with our current new members’ class to share his perspective on what God is doing in our church. I love this brother. He has been a faithful servant at Wheelersburg Baptist Church for three decades.

After talking for a few minutes about ministries and opportunities, he finished by saying something rather interesting. Here’s my paraphrase of what he told the class:

“Basically, we’re a pretty boring church. We do the same things week after week.”

We all chuckled. A boring church? Really? Yes, he emphasized. And then he elaborated on what he meant by those “same things.” The careful study of God’s Word. Prayer. Fellowship. And so forth. “This is what happens at our church,” he concluded. “Week after week after week. The same things. And it’s wonderful.”

The blessing of being boring

I’ve been contemplating the word “boring.” We don’t typically consider “boring” to be a compliment. We usually associate boring with being dull, monotonous, uninteresting, and so forth. Boring is a bad thing, right? Who wants to watch a boring movie, read a boring book, or enroll in a class with a professor others describe as boring?

But there’s another side to boring. Notice the root “bore.” That word brings to mind a tool in my workshop called a drill press. Have you ever stared at a drill press while it’s doing its thing? It’s pretty boring, and I mean that literally! A drill press is a tool designed to drill holes, and it accomplishes this assignment by doing the same thing over and over and over.

When you watch a drill press in action, it doesn’t look like much is happening. The bit keeps hitting the same point again and again. But that’s not true, for the bit is not hitting the same point. It’s hitting a new point every time it turns. The drill is making progress, slowly, yes, but unmistakably. Every time the bit turns, progress is happening. By doing the same thing over and over, the desired result occurs.

The need for boring pastors

I’m convinced that the church today needs more boring pastors. Again, my pastor friend, please don’t hear what I am not saying. I am not suggesting that pastors should be dull, monotonous, and uninteresting. I’m talking about the resolve to keep doing the same God-ordained, Christ-exalting, Scripture-commanded, joy-producing activities over and over, regardless of whether we see an immediate outcome.

The Lord called me to become the pastor of Wheelersburg Baptist Church in southern Ohio in 1987, where I’ve been privileged to serve along with my wife Sherry for three and a half decades. I mention that because I know the pressure you may face to be innovative, novel, and cutting-edge. I receive the same advertisements you receive. Try this new method. Order this new resource.

But as a wise pastor told me when I first entered the ministry, “Remember, Brad, what you hook them with is what it will take to keep them. If you reach them by pulling a rabbit out of the hat today, you’ll need to pull out an elephant tomorrow.”

Here is the simple truth. I am not smart enough to be innovative, creative, and novel week after week after week. And that’s a good thing—a necessary thing. Why? Because the Lord has already made it clear what He wants to occur in His church week after week after week. He wants to put himself on display, not my creativity.

The first boring church

I find myself returning to Acts 2:42 frequently. You remember the passage, I’m sure. Luke describes the activities of the first church this way.

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers (ESV).”

I’m encouraged by the simplicity of that statement. What did the first church do with its time, energy, and budget? They poured themselves into these same four activities week after week. Teaching. Fellowship. Breaking bread. Praying.

There’s tremendous freedom in being a boring pastor. Trying to be novel every week is cause for frustration. The Lord didn’t call us to be novel but to be faithful. When Monday comes, I know what I must do. The same things I did last week and the previous week and will do next week.

“We will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the Word,” said the apostles in Acts 6:4. And so must we, my pastor friend. Minister the Word. Pray. Mobilize others to do the same by His sufficient grace and for His glory.

An exhortation to embrace a boring ministry 

Paul didn’t use the word “boring” in his admonition to Timothy, but he could have. I love the practicality of this passage. It has encouraged me many times during seasons of ministry frustration. Why am I here? What should I do as a shepherd of God’s flock? Here’s Paul’s straightforward answer in 1 Timothy 4:13-16 (ESV):

“Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching… Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.”

Notice the verbs. Devote yourself. Practice these things. Persist in this. In other words, Timothy, keep doing what you’ve been doing. Read the Book. Preach the Book. Explain the Book. Live in light of the Book. And help others do the same, all to the honor of the Giver of the Book. Do it this week, and the next, and the next.

And what will be the result of this boring ministry? Verse 16 sums it up: “Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for in so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.”

There’s the outcome. Salvation – for “both yourself and your hearers.” In the end, nothing matters more.

Action plan – where to go next?

Here are three suggestions:

1. Embrace the joyful calling of pursuing a boring ministry. This is my invitation to you, dear fellow pastor. Most days in the life of a biblical pastor are not all that exciting, but they are eternally significant. Let’s bring joy to the congregations we serve by doing the same God-exalting assignments week after week after week, enabled by His sufficient grace and all to His glory.

2. Reach out to a couple of pastor friends this week. Discuss with them the challenges you face as you resolve to be a boring (biblical) pastor. Pray together about these challenges.

3. Read a good biography of a faithful pastor this month. I recommend Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor, written by D.A. Carson, about the life of his father, Tom Carson, who served faithfully in Quebec for nearly six decades. Here’s a sample from the tribute at the end: “Tom Carson … never wrote a book, but he loved the Book. He was never wealthy or powerful, but he kept growing as a Christian: yesterday’s grace was never enough. He was not a far-sighted visionary, but he looked forward to eternity.”

©2023, 2025 Brad Brandt. All rights reserved. Used with permission.