Return to the Altar: A Prophetic Call to Pastors and Church Leaders
Pastoring: A Call to Suffer with Christ, Not to Build a Platform
Pastoring—functioning in the biblical role as an under shepherd, submitted to the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ—is not a platform for personal ambition or a means to build our own kingdoms. It is a sacred call to enter into deeper suffering with Christ.
It means caring for His sheep, interceding for them, nurturing them, and feeding them with truth and love—even when you see what’s buried in their hearts and how they live. Still, you love unconditionally. You protect. You stay on your face in prayer. You pour out even when there’s no applause.
Pastoring is not about control or recognition. It is a position of trust, deep commitment, intercession, and suffering.
You begin to feel what the Chief Shepherd feels, see what He sees, and carry the burden He entrusts to you. But even then, you only know what He chooses to reveal—just enough to faithfully intercede.
This is not glamorous. It is costly. But it is holy.
We’ve Drifted from the Basics
Somewhere along the way, we as church leaders have drifted. We’ve gotten away from the fundamental basics—the apostles’ doctrine, prayer, holiness, humility, and Spirit-led shepherding (Acts 2:42).
Instead of leading the church in reverence and repentance, we’ve started dancing around the edges of apostasy. We follow the crowd. We idolize the world. We’ve imported its methods, its values, its entertainment, and even its definitions of success—and we’ve baptized them into the church.
We’ve traded consecration for clout.
We’ve made compromises in the name of “relevance” while slowly losing our reverence for God.
But God never called us to mimic the culture. He called us to model Christ.
We are not CEOs. We are not influencers. We are not performers.
We are shepherds, watchmen, and servants—called to lay down our lives for the flock, not build platforms for our name (John 10:11-13).
It’s Time to Return
It’s time to return. To the altar. To the Word. To prayer. To brokenness. To truth.
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)
Let judgment begin in the house of God—starting with us (1 Peter 4:17).
A Call to Repentance and Boldness
Like Elijah on Mount Carmel, we must call the people to stop wavering between two opinions. We must stand boldly, unapologetically for Christ, even if we stand alone.
“Elijah went before the people and said, ‘How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.'” (1 Kings 18:21)
Elijah didn’t blend in—he stood out. He didn’t conform—he called for reform. And because of his boldness, the power and glory of God was revealed. Fire fell from heaven, and everything that was out of order was brought into alignment.
“Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice… And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, ‘The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!'” (1 Kings 18:38-39)
Return, Repent, and Rebuild
- Return to your first love (Revelation 2:4-5)
- Repent for compromises, for drifting, for chasing relevance over righteousness.
- Rebuild the altar in your heart and in your ministry. Get back to the basics: prayer, Word, fasting, intercession, holiness.
- Stand boldly like Elijah. Speak truth, even if it’s unpopular. Refuse to bow to the world.
God is looking for shepherds after His own heart. Let us respond. Let us rise. Let us return.