What made you become
a member of the church where you are? Is it because of the faithful preaching
of the word of God? I hope that is a great part of it. Or could it be just
because of the tantalizing music? I hope it is because of a godly, faithful
pastoral care.
But what do you
expect from your pastor? The pastor factor plays a big role in the choice of a
church. A pastor is first and foremost expected by to be scripturally
qualified, i.e. according to 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. You cannot separate
the work of the pastor and his qualifications. Simply put your pastor should be
a holy man; above reproach in his personal conduct, above reproach with his
relation to his family, and above reproach in his ministry. Unless the pastor
is a godly man, he will not do you much good, even if he is an excellent
teacher and preacher.
What is his work?
Peter, exhorts the elders (this is the most common term in Scripture referring
to the pastors), to shepherd the flock of
God by exercising oversight (1 Peter
5:2). They are to do this not under
compulsion, but willingly, as God would have them. They are not to do it for
shameful gain or for money, but
eagerly. They must not be domineering
over those in their charge, but being
examples to the flock.
What is shepherding the flock of God?
Shepherding is the
same as pastoring – it is the same word. We can discern the work of a shepherd
from the rest of the Scripture. In Psalm 23, David, who was himself a shepherd,
writes about the Lord as his shepherd. He says the following:
The shepherd makes
sure that the sheep are not lacking anything (v. 1). This is the general
statement and it plays out in the following areas:
a)
He feeds the flock (v. 2)
b)
He leads them in righteousness (v. 3)
c)
He protects the flock from danger (v. 4)
d)
He keeps, cares or tends the flock (vv. 5-6)
Ezekiel spoke
against the elders of Israel because they had failed in caring for the flock of
God that was among them (chapter 34). It must be said that there are too many
pastors who should face this indictment for the way they have dealt with the
flock of God. They devour, destroy and kill the flock. Shame on them!
But we learn from
this indictment what God expects the elders to do:
a) Feed the sheep (vv. 2,3)
b) Strengthen the weak (v. 4)
c) Heal the sick (v. 4)
d) Bind up the injured (v. 4)
e) Bring back the straying ones (v. 4)
f)
Seek the lost (v. 4)
g) Rule with gentleness (v. 4)
The Lord called
himself the Good Shepherd in John 10:11. We can understand the work of a shepherd
from His example. He said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” The shepherd should be willing to lay
down his own life, and suffer for the sake of his sheep, to protect them
from wolves. This is what Christ did – He laid down His life even to the point
of death. He died to purchase the flock with His own blood!
How many of the under-shepherds are willing to do
this for the blood-bought flock of God? Unless the pastor is willing to
sacrifice his comforts, and sometimes personal cares to tend the flock, he will
not be a faithful shepherd. How much is your pastor willing to give in terms of
time to serve the church? Pastoral ministry is a 24/7 service. There may be no time
to rest. Unless one is prepared to count the cost, and give his all, he cannot
be a faithful and effective pastor.
Paul set this
example of shepherding in Ephesus. Speaking to the Ephesian elders in Acts
20:17-38, he explained how his ministry was among them as the paradigm for
theirs. He said:
1. He served the Lord with all humility and tears and
with trials.
2. He did not withhold anything that was profitable to
them, but declared the whole counsel of God. A true pastor must be committed to
preaching through the whole Bible – Genesis to Revelation!
3. He taught them in public and from house to house.
4. He did not discriminate, but testified both to Jews
and to Greeks.
5. He urged a response of repentance toward God and
faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
6. He was not afraid of sufferings and persecutions
such as imprisonments and other forms of afflictions.
7. He did not account his life of any value or
precious to himself.
8. He was interested in finishing his course and
ministry that he received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the
grace of God.
9. He pleads innocence of anyone’s blood, and very
clearly says that he coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel.
10. He worked hard both in ministry and with his own
hands (in tent-making) to cater for his own needs and those of his companions.
Any pastor who is committed to this level of
faithfulness will fulfill his ministry. It is on the basis of this pattern that
Paul exhorts these pastors to do the following in their own ministry:
1. Pay a careful attention to themselves and to all
the flock.
2. As overseers appointed by the Holy Spirit, they are
to care for the church of God.
3. To be alert and so protect the church from the
wolves (false teachers/prophets) who were to come from within and without.
4. To admonish people even with tears.
5. He commends them to God and to His Word of grace
which is able to build them up and to give them inheritance.
6. To work hard and so help the weak
Paul’s instructions to
Timothy and Titus in the pastoral letters are instructive to us on the work of
the pastor. This work can be classified as follows:
Personal conduct:
a) Paul gave his own testimony of conversion 1 Timothy
1:12-17). The point is that every single pastor should be one who has been
truly saved from his sins, and has been made alive in Christ.
b) Men who exercise oversight must themselves be godly
in their conduct. They must keep a close
watch on themselves and their
teaching (1 Timothy 4:16).
c) Private discipline to godliness and study (1 Timothy
4:7).
Care for the flock
a) Teaching and preaching
b) Prayer
c) Visitation
d) Comforting the grieving and the bereaved
e) Interviewing new applicants for membership
f)
Private counselling
g) Providing forum for accountability and discipline
h) Recommending excommunication to unrepentant members
The teaching ministry
a) Discipleship – And what you have heard from me … entrust to
faithful men, who will be able to teach others also (2 Timothy 2:2).
b) Hermeneutics – Do your best to present yourself
to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15). A pastor is expected
to be careful and scientific (use proven interpretation principles) in his exegesis
of passages of the Bible that he teaches. Knowledge of original languages is an
added advantage, which must be sought. A serious pastor should own such Bible
commentaries that have been tested over the years as faithful.
c) Homiletics – Preaching ministry. I charge you…
preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and
exhort, with complete patience and teaching. (2 Timothy 4:1-2)
d) Apologetics and polemics – Defending the faith. And the
Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach,
patiently enduring evil (2 Timothy 2:24). Refuting error, rebuking those who contradict sound teaching. It is the work of pastors to charge
certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves
to fairy tales.
e) Evangelism – Making the gospel known. do the
work of an evangelist (2 Timothy 4:5)
f)
Public reading of Scripture (1 Timothy 4:13)
The church should do
everything possible to relieve their pastors from material responsibilities
such as mercy, property management, administration, etc. so that he can devote
to preaching and prayer (Acts 6:4).
During this electioneering
year in Kenya, too many pastors may be attracted to politics. Pastors need to
realize that this may compromise their position as they take sides.
Various observations:
1. A church should be shepherded by saved men.
2. A church should be shepherded by male pastors. Let a woman learn quietly with all
submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over
a man, rather she is to remain quiet…Therefore an overseer must be above
reproach, the husband of one wife… (1Timothy
2:11-12, 3:2). This is an important qualification and it does determine the
fatherly care, a caring manly leadership able to admonish, refute error and
rebuke those who contradict sound teaching.
3. A church should be shepherded by multiple pastors,
whether it is small or large. It is in multiplicity of counselors that the
church will be helped. Be very suspicious of a church where it is
a-one-man-show. This is an important and vital check and balances for a
faithful pastoral ministry. Many pastors watch over each other, even as they
watch over the flock.
This article is published on Grace & Truth Magazine Issue No. 127.
Various Resources on the subject:
