Pastors, Race Cars, and Pace Cars

From the time that I first began to read and study the Scriptures in earnest, I have been filled with a sense of zeal and enthusiasm to teach and relay all that the Lord has so graciously imparted to me. First, this was just the initial discovery of the Bible and the Gospel message, two things which I had been around my whole life, but had never truly considered or consumed myself. The dawn of wonder that I experienced and the bewilderment that I had at the reality that most professing Christians were living in complete ignorance of their Bible, as I previously had been, propelled me forward with every intention to right that egregious wrong. I wanted to speak with anyone who I thought would listen to me about the Word of God.

Almost immediately I knew that I wanted to devote my life to the discovery and teaching of the Bible. I wanted to be a pastor. Later, as I discovered the doctrines of grace and Reformed theology, my zeal for that endeavor intensified all the more. As I grew in faith and theological understanding, I began to feel more and more like a Formula One racecar that was eager to race, fight, and win. I felt as if I had a high-horsepower engine in me that only wanted to speed ahead as fast as possible. There was just one problem; I frequently felt as if I were stuck behind the pace car.

In the motorsports world of auto racing, the pace car sometimes called the safety car, comes onto the track to keep the racing cars in check. It pulls out in front of the racecars and limits their speed. Over the course of a race, the pace car will serve four functions: to lead the racecars in warming up the track, to set the speed of the pack at the start of the race, to caution drivers during periods of inclement weather or in the event of a crash, and to regroup the cars after an accident. They are an exercise in patience and caution.

Their objective is not to stymie the race or prevent the race from occurring, but to ensure that the race is conducted in an orderly and safe manner. There will still be racing, there will still be fighting, there will still be crashes, and there will still be a victor, but the race is done to ensure that everyone gets to keep racing and that no one loses their life unnecessarily.

I have observed that pastoring, teaching, preaching, and other elements of ministry life can often feel like a race. If you are a pastor, teacher, or preacher, you know the feeling that I am describing. God has blessed you with a mind and a heart so consumed with His Word and a desire to teach others that all you want to do is move as fast as possible. You want to teach, preach, and reform the lives of those you love and serve as quickly and efficiently as possible. You have a vision of the track, the power of the Spirit, and the fuel of the Word; but to your annoyance, and perhaps even to your dismay, there is a pace care just out in front, keeping your speed limited, keeping you at the same speed as those around you, and keeping you packed up. You have the power and ability to go faster, but you are barred from wielding their totality.

From the time that I answered the call to ministry nearly ten years ago, I have felt this frustration. At the onset, I was ready to put the pedal to the medal, to jump into whatever ministry position I could dupe a church into giving me. From the onset, however, God has also graciously sent out the pace car, forcing me to slow down, take a few warm-up laps, and ready the track. With much eagerness, eventually, the pace car accelerated, got me up to speed, and turned me loose for the race. My instinct was to go into the first turn hard and fast, trusting that my tires would hold grip. My tires did, but those trying to keep up behind me hit the wall. By the grace of God, the pace car came out and forced me to slow down and regroup with the pack. At times, no one had crashed, but some inclement weather threatened the race, and once again I found myself behind the pace car, frustratingly revving my engine, but not making the progress that I desired and at the speeds I preferred. I was a pastor who felt like a racecar, but who was stuck behind the pace car.

Perhaps this resonates with you. Perhaps, like me, you have felt the frustration of not being able to reform your church or make the changes you would like at the speeds you would prefer. Perhaps you are someone who has just passed the pace car by and left a wake of carnage and destruction strewn about the field, only to realize far too late that the pace car you blew by was actually a mercy and gift of God.

Understand this, brothers: contrary to racing, our desire is not to be the only one standing atop the podium. Our desire is to see all of those whom we serve continue to race, growing in understanding, faith, and zeal. We desire to see others rise and even pass us by, that they might even finish ahead of us. I leave you with the words of the apostle Paul and exhort us to continue to race, but to do so with patience and diligence, and to keep the unity of the Spirit.

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