Michael Brown, in his commentary on 2 Timothy (The Lectio Continua Series), compares the Paul’s understanding of the pastor as a soldier, athlete, and farmer to the contemporary view.

For the early reformers, “the ministry of the word was understood as preaching, teaching, catechizing, pastoral visitation, and performing weddings and funerals. These were the duties that pastors were expected to fulfill faithfully, along with continuing in prayer and pursuing godliness. Nowadays, however, it seems that it is not enough for a minister to be a faithful expositor of the Bible and undershepherd of Christ’s flock. Today’s pastor is expected to be a dynamic speaker, expert counselor, marriage therapist, visionary leader, church-growth expert, fundraiser, staff administrator, and team player with a warm and winsome personality that makes everyone at all times feel welcome, loved, and important” (p.70).

To prove his points, he offers “the following qualifications published by churches in recent (and real) pastoral search advertisements:

• The pastoral candidate must be a confident leader with an intuitive understanding of individuals within the congregation.

• He must think strategically, must be culturally relevant, must be an effective visionary.

• Must be a decisive decision-maker and able to cast a vision with long-term vision and building expansion.

• We are looking for a man who believers are not able to resist because of the wisdom and spirit with which he speaks.

• Our next senior pastor must be a senior pastor in a large church, has grown a church, a demonstrated leader, has a positive attitude, a team player, a consensus builder, he is genuine and authentic but doesn’t wear his heart on his sleeve, culturally relevant, especially toward younger adult demographics, and has no outstanding unresolved issues. He is winsome, gracious, enthusiastic, discerning, confident but not arrogant, inspirational, creative, a communicator, a preacher, a teacher, a visionary, a delegator, develops a team, a trainer, he is technologically savvy, he promotes peace and unity without compromising doctrinal purity” (pp.70-71).

After highlighting the current expectations for pastors, he argues for a return to the views of the early reformers. He says, “Rather than saying that a pastor should be a life coach, therapist, and visionary, Paul says that the man must be like a soldier, an athlete, and a farmer” (p.71). He continues his thought later by adding, “a soldier must serve with loyalty, an athlete must play with integrity, and the farmer must work with constancy” (p.79).