A lady came to meet me in my final year on campus; I was a campus pastor and we were both in our finals. In her words; “Sir, I have observed you for the past five years now. I know you are the kind of person I need to groom me for destiny. Can you be my mentor?”

Friend, you need to know the kind of pastor that you need. Most times, the kind of pastor you want is not the pastor you need. Whereas, you might want a pastor for cosmetic purpose, God gives you pastors based on the destiny He has for you and the training or molding it would require (Jeremiah 18:1-6).

“And I will give you pastors according to my heart, who shall feed you with knowledge and understanding” (Jeremiah 3:15). God already has the kind of pastor He has designed for you. You need to do away with sentiments and be open minded as He connects you to such, else, you miss God’s best for you.

God has made provision for these two kinds of pastors in the body; the Paul’s kind of pastor and the Barnabas’s kind of pastor. You would determine who pastors you based on your attitude and response. The Paul’s kind of pastors make godly demands on people helping them to fulfil God’s highest purpose. This was who Paul was to Timothy (Acts 16:1-5, 2 Timothy 1:6).

The Barnabas’s kind of pastors are the ones who pastor people with emotion; they are easily intimidated or affected by physical things while pastoring people. This was who Barnabas was to John Mark, his cousin (Acts 15:37-39). Those who fall out from the demands of Paul would always have a Barnabas to pastor them. While Timothy became a Bishop, John Mark ended up a Deacon (1 Timothy 3:15, 2 Timothy 4:11).

Each of the two kinds of pastors would always think that the other is wrong. In fact, they often disagree (Acts 15:39). Actually, none of them is wrong; they are both God’s provision for His people. You would have to make a choice as to who pastors you. If you are a Timothy in destiny, you would shortchange yourself staying under Barnabas, and if you are a John Mark, you would think that Paul is being unnecessarily hard.

© ‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria