Guerrieri

Nick Guerrieri
Dr. Dev Bose
English 101
12 August 2015
Gods Authoritative Figures
It is important to be thankful for what God does in our lives. He puts people in our lives
everyday to help us get through lifes experiences. For those of us who attend church and who
are relatively religious, God puts people of authority in our lives that assist us with our spiritual
growth. A pastor is an example of one of those people. Pastors play an important role in the lives
of their church members as well as in the lives of people in the community in which they live.
Most people do not know that a pastors reach can extend far beyond their own neighborhoods.
The pastor of my church, City of Grace, is Dr. Terry Crist (a.k.a. Pastor Terry). He has literally
taken his mission to ends of the Earth. He is a frequent traveler to Australia, Africa, Europe and
the Ukraine where he helps others build churches in those areas. What makes a person have the
conviction to take Gods message to far away places? How does one prepare to share Gods
word with people who have never heard of the Gospel? Why would someone risk their own life
by going to countries where they could be killed for sharing the Christian faith?
What makes a person have the conviction to take Gods message to far away places? For
many pastors the conviction comes for different reasons at different times. I asked Tyler Crist,
Pastor Terrys son, questions about his fathers calling into the ministry. Tyler informed me that
for Pastor Terry, it came at a very early age because he was a pastors son. Tyler said, He felt

Guerrieri

obligated to follow in his dads footsteps although my grandfather never really pressured him.
The fact that Pastor Terry went into the ministry is not surprising when you look at the graph
below. The graph shows that children of clergy make a decision to follow their calling for
ministry at a slightly younger age than children of non-clergy members.

As time passed and with constant prayer, God revealed to Pastor Terry that he wanted him to
spread Gods word around the world. It is interesting that most pastors are raised in families
where the dad was a pastor. If you look at the roots of many famous pastors, this was the case. A
few examples of well-known pastors who were children of pastors are Joel Osteen (father was
John Olsteen) and Franklin Graham (father is Billy Graham). As these children grow up, they are

Guerrieri

very aware of listening for Gods voice because they have grown up in an environment where
this is taught. Some people commit to this calling early in life, others may submit later in life due
to a life-changing event. The pastor of my church, Terry Crist, decided he wanted to be a pastor
during his teenage years.
I continued to question Tyler, and I asked him about the difficulty of following Gods
will. Tyler said, Well, God is perfect, so why wouldnt you follow perfection? He created us all
for a reason, and he knows what it is. Tyler went on to describe how Pastor Terry seems very in
tune with his purpose. Tyler said, He continues to learn and grow through prayer and by
studying Gods word on a daily basis. Tyler explained that even though God has a purpose for
everyone on this earth, it is our responsibility to listen to God and to follow the path set for us.
It is against the odds for a Pastor to remain in the ministry for a lifetime. The statistics
shows that 90% of the pastors report working between 55 to 75 hours per week. 75% of pastors
report significant stress-related crisis at least once in their ministry. 70% of pastors feel grossly
underpaid. 50% of ministers starting out will not last 5 years. (Statistics for Pastors). Despite
these horrible statistics, Pastor Terry has been in the ministry for 30 years. He has beaten the
odds. Our church is fortunate to have such a stable and committed pastor.
How does one prepare to share God word with people who have never heard for the
Gospel? Most pastors go to a Bible college and to seminary school. Many of them proceed to
get their doctoral degree. I asked Tyler what route did his dad take to learning as much as he
does about the Bible. Tyler said that his dad went to Harvard, and then he got his Ph.D. in
theology. There are many different routes that people take to lead a church. For many leaders of
the church, learning is not merely a matter of reading the Bible, but it also includes praying for
insight and wisdom, and relying on the Holy Spirit to help you interpret Gods words.

Guerrieri

Surprisingly, 70% of pastors said the only time they spend studying the Word is when they are
preparing their sermon. (Krejcir). I asked Tyler how often does Pastor Tyler read and study the
Bible. Tyler said, My dad studies the Bible on a daily basis, usually multiple times during the
day. This is what makes Pastor Terry such a learned and trusted Pastor of our church.
Why would someone risk their own life by going to countries where one could be killed
for sharing the Christian faith? Many Pastors are given responsibilities where they may have to
do things they are not comfortable. After talking to Tyler about this, Tyler said, My dad is
humbled and happy to be able to serve Gods kingdom by sharing the Gospel, where ever it may
be. A comprehensive demographic study of more than 200 countries finds that there are 2.18
billion Christians of all ages around the world, representing nearly a third of the estimated 2010
global population of 6.9 billion. (Global Christianity) With only a third of the population being
Christian, there is still much work to do by Christian churches. I asked Tyler, Does the task
seem too overwhelming at times with your dad trying to reach people for Christ? Tyler replied
that pastors do not work alone. They have the help of many people working together in a specific
country for a common goal. The author states, The total number of foreign missionaries is
419,000. (Missionary Statistics)
There are 26 countries that do not allow Christians to evangelize. However, there are
other countries where pastors and missionaries fear for their lives. The 10 most dangerous
countries for Christians are provided in the table below:

Guerrieri

10
9
8

COUNTRY

POPULATION

LAOS
UZBEKISTAN
IRAQ

6,400,000
27,000,000
30,700,000

#CHRISTIANS
200,000
208,600
334,000

RELIGION

GOVERNMENT

BUDDHISM
ISLAM
ISLAM

COMMUNIST
REPUBLIC
PARLIMENTARY

7
6
5
4

YEMEN
MALDIVES
SOMALIA
SAUDIA

23,600,00
311,000
9,100,000
25,700,000

VERY FEW
VERY FEW
VERY FEW
565,400

ISLAM
ISLAM
ISLAM
ISLAM

DEMOCRACY
REPUBLIC
REPUBLIC
TRANSITIONAL
MONARCHY

ARABIA
AFGHANISTAN

28,150,000

VERY FEW

ISLAM

ISLAMIC

IRAN

74,200,000

450,000

ISLAM

REPUBLIC
ISLAMIC

ATHEISM

REPUBLIC
DICTATORSHIP

NORTH KOREA

20,000,000

400,000

Tyler said that Pastor Terry is out of town at least one week every month. However, in the
countries where Pastor Terry travels, he does not fear for his life. They are not among the most
dangerous. However, Tyler was quick to answer that if Pastor Terry feels called to go to one of
these dangerous countries, he would follow the calling.
God has a purpose and calling for everyone in life and God gives gifts to everyone. 2nd
Timothy 1:9 says who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our
works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all
eternity (Bible Gateway). This is one of the hardest things to do in life, to find your personal
calling and God ordained purpose. The best way to find out what it is to pray consistently. The
Bible says, With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be
on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints. (Bible Gateway) Through

Guerrieri

learning more about Pastor Terry and how he is following his calling, it has made me more aware
of how I can do the same by letting God lead me to my own purpose.

Guerrieri

Work Cited
BibleGateway." .com: A Searchable Online Bible in over 100 Versions and 50 Languages.
The Lockman Foundation, n.d. Web. 29 July 2015.
Carroll, Jackson. "Those Preacher's Kids!" Those Preacher's Kids! N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Aug. 2015.
"Global Christianity A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Christian
Population." Pew Research Centers Religion Public Life Project RSS. N.p., 19 Dec.
2011. Web. 30 July 2015.
Krejcir, Richard. "Archive." Statistics on Pastors. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Aug. 2015.
Karlson, Jay. "Top 10 Most Dangerous Countries for Christians."Listverse. N.p., 23 Nov. 2011.
Web. 05 Aug. 2015.
"LIVING BY The Word." Christian Century 132.16 (2015): 20. Academic Search Complete.
Web. 29 July 2015.
"Missionary Statistics." Statistic Brain RSS. N.p., 13 Jan. 2015. Web. 30 July 2015.
"Statistics for Pastors." Statistics for Pastors. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Aug. 2015.