What should be the content of a pastor’s reputation?

Bill Gaither once discovered the power of a reputation he hadn’t even earned.

In his book, I Almost Missed The Sunset, Bill Gaither writes:

Gloria and I had been married a couple of years. We were teaching school in Alexandria, Indiana, where I had grown up, and we wanted a piece of land where we could build a house. I noticed the parcel south of town where cattle grazed, and I learned it belonged to a 92-year-old retired banker named Mr. Yule. He owned a lot of land in the area, and word was he would sell none of it. He gave the same speech to everyone who inquired: “I promised the farmers they could use it for their cattle.”

Gloria and I visited him at the bank. Although he was retired, he spent a couple of hours each morning in his office. He looked at us over the top of his bifocals.

I introduced myself and told him we were interested in a piece of his land. “Not selling,” he said pleasantly. “Promised it to a farmer for grazing.”

“I know, but we teach school here and thought maybe you’d be interested in selling it to someone planning to settle in the area.”

He pursed his lips and stared at me. “What’d you say your name was?”

“Gaither. Bill Gaither.”

“Hmmm. Any relation to Grover Gaither?”

“Yes, sir. He was my granddad.”

Mr. Yule put down his paper and removed his glasses. “Interesting. Grover Gaither was the best worker I ever had on my farm. Full day’s work for a day’s pay. So honest. What’d you say you wanted?”

I told him again.

“Let me do some thinking on it, then come back and see me.”

I came back within the week, and Mr. Yule told me he had had the property appraised. I held my breath. “How does $3,800 sound? Would that be okay?”

If that was per acre, I would have to come up with nearly $60,000! “$3,800?” I repeated.

“Yup. Fifteen acres for $3,800.”

I knew it had to be worth at least three times that. I readily accepted.

Nearly three decades later, my son and I strolled that beautiful, lush property that had once been pasture land. “Benjy” I said, “you’ve had this wonderful place to grow up through nothing that you’ve done, but because of the good name of a great-granddad you never met.”

Just as Bill Gaither’s grandfather’s reputation opened a door for him, a good name is a treasure that money can’t buy. It’s a truth echoed in scripture, where we’re told that a good reputation is more valuable than riches. For instance, Proverbs 22:1 says, “Choose a good reputation over great riches; being held in high esteem is better than silver or gold.” This is a timeless principle for all people, but especially for those called to lead God’s people.

Sadly, pastors today are suffering from a poor and withering reputation among the general public. Research from a Gallup poll published in January 2025 shows that only 30 percent of U.S. adults currently rate pastors/clergy as having “high” or “very high” honesty and ethics. This low number is a sobering reality that should cause every pastor and church leader to consider seriously what the content of their reputation is.

So what should be the content of a pastor’s reputation?

A common approach taught broadly to pastors today is that they should develop a “platform,” especially on social media, where they can craft a public reputation for themselves. This often involves building their own brand, growing a following, and carefully curating an image of success and influence. While this may seem like a modern necessity, it is in no way what the Apostle Paul would teach today’s ministers. Paul was not concerned with building a platform or curating a reputation. Instead, he was focused on something far more substantial and enduring.

In 2 Corinthians 10, 11, and 12, Paul is challenging those who claimed to be “super apostles” — men who were more concerned with having the reputation of a great ministry than with the actual fruit of great ministry. These false apostles boasted about their achievements and sought to build a reputation based on worldly metrics of success. Paul, however, rejects this approach completely. He refuses to boast in the same way, opting instead to boast in his weaknesses and in what he has suffered for the sake of Christ. He tells the Corinthians he is willing to do things that would not be considered “platform building.” In fact, in 2 Corinthians 12:6b, Paul writes, “… But I won’t do it, because I don’t want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message.”

For Paul, the content of his reputation was to be the reality of his life and the truth of his message. He didn’t want people to give him credit for things they couldn’t observe with their own eyes. His life and his message were to be the fodder for his reputation. He wasn’t crafting a public image; he was simply living and speaking the truth of the Gospel. This is why he could say, “And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ,” 1 Corinthians 11:1. He wasn’t inviting people to follow a curated brand but a life lived in submission to Jesus.

No wonder he would write to Timothy, his beloved son in the faith and trusted ministry partner, and command him to focus on these very two things. In 1 Timothy 4:16, Paul writes, “Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you.” Paul’s instruction is clear and direct. A pastor’s reputation should not be based on a crafted online persona or an impressive ministry résumé, but on the tangible reality of a life lived in integrity and the faithful proclamation of God’s Word. The two are inextricably linked. A minister’s life must authenticate his message, and his message must be the guide for his life. The reputation that matters is the one that grows organically from the roots of a godly life and biblically sound teaching. When a pastor lives what he preaches, his reputation is not something he has to build; it is simply what it is.

The greatest reputation a pastor can have is not one he has cultivated himself but one that has been earned through a life of faithful service and a commitment to the truth of God’s Word. This is a reputation that is not built on a platform but is grounded in the lives of those who have seen Christ through him. It is a reputation that testifies to the power of the Gospel to transform a life and to bring truth to a lost world. Ultimately, a pastor’s reputation should be a reflection of Christ’s character, lived out in a life that is seen and a message that is heard.

Scotty