THE PASTOR/SHEPHERD

 

                                             THE PASTOR/ SHEPHERD

  The Title of 'Pastor' over time has taken on many shapes and roles throughout the decades (or centuries) which has brought some confusion, assumptions, and much pressure coming from all sides, especially for the person who takes on this position. What I would like to address in this topic for those who feel the call of God to enter into the pastoral ministry, is to keep this in mind, the beautiful aspect of shepherding. This amazing call of God for servant-hood and leadership has wonderful value not only in the Kingdom of God, but even unmeasured value for its social impact. The following information is a type of textbook writ, but like parenting, all the books cannot really prepare you for what is ahead, we need Jesus for that.

 

INDEX:

 - THE PASTORAL ROLE AND SOCIAL IMPACT

- PERSONAL INTRO TO THE MINISTRY

- THE TYPICAL CHOICE VS THE ACTUAL CALL

- THE PASTOR'S ROLE

a - LEADER

b - PREACHER

c - TEACHER

d - COUNSELOR -

e - ADMINISTRATOR

- WORKING WITH YOUR GIFTS AND WEAKNESSES

- THE NEED FOR SHEPHERDS!

- BIBLICAL SHEPHERD DUTIES

- THE PRICELESS ACTS OF THE PERSONAL TOUCH

- TODAY'S MODEL VS MEETING THE NEEDS

- CAUTIONS - DANGERS TO BE AWARE OF

-  SUGGESTED QUALIFICATIONS, AND EXPECTATIONS

- SNARES FOR SHEPHERDS

-WHAT IF, AND WHAT ABOUT ME? 

-THE MINISTRY IS A CALLING 

- CONCLUSION

THE PASTORIAL ROLE AND SOCIAL IMPACT
  The work of the pastor has a significant role, not only in the Kingdom of God as far as the Church goes, but has far reaching effects into society itself. The leadership, inspiration, and discipleship that the pastor provides for his congregation will inspire and equip his people to live their day to day lives in a Christ-like, Christ-centered manor in the society in which they live. What a responsibility! What a call! As each individual grows in Christ, we indeed become the salt and light of the world. Corruption is abated and inspiration to faith, love, and righteousness, is released into the world through us. How amazing is that!? We get to live our life for Jesus in our world and He gets the glory. The pastor therefore has a holy and divine responsibility, so expect much opposition and difficulty, and yet immense honor and fulfillment . 

PERSONAL INTRO TO THE MINISTRY

  I am not a pastor. I personally have served under four great men of God, and have been honored to be a part of their ministry and have been greatly enriched regarding my faith through them. I can say with earnest thankfulness, I have been so blessed. 

   When I was first told as a new convert that I can serve the Lord, my heart leapt. That is what I wanted to do since I was a little boy. When the leadership of the church (a non-denominational Charismatic fellowship) told myself and other young converts that they would train us for ministry and ordain us, I dropped all other pursuits and interests, and devoted myself completely to training and the work of the Lord. I began to read the Bible with radical intensity, take all the classes and engage in every possible form of ministry. Now I had no idea exactly what I wanted to be in the ministry, but what I really wanted to do is be like the Apostle Paul, travel the world, plant churches, then move on to new uncharted territory. And I also loved and wanted to teach the Bible. (By the way, through this Blog, I have figuratively been around the world and have spoken on every continent except Antarctica).

  I also believed in the vision of the senior Pastor who wanted to train missionaries and ministers to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth as the Lord would enable them.  I wholeheartedly gave myself to the cause. However, instead of going in that direction, it seemed that all my hopes were thwarted and I found myself never able to even leave the city . Instead I found myself mostly involved in youth ministry, in the Prison and Young Offender’s ministry, street work, and doing just about every type of work that you can think of, both in the Church and in the community.

 After about nine years of 'On the Job' type experience and classes, the training basically ended, and two years later the Pastor announced that he was retiring. I was shocked! I worked with and for him with all my heart thinking I was helping him fulfill his vision to reach the world. Then one day he took me aside to tell me that he could not use me as PASTOR because he felt I would hurt someone. He was right. But I was surprised that he had even thought of giving me an ordination as a Pastor. Frankly, I had never actually given it much thought nor felt it was my calling, and in the state of mind that I was in at the time I would not even remotely be the appropriate person to exercise the role of 'Pastor'.      

THE TYPICAL CHOICE VS THE ACTUAL CALL

   What really is the role of a ‘PASTOR'? What do we expect, and what does the Bible say?  We must be careful here. We can be dangerously dogmatic and arrogant, especially since much of our views are merely a play on words, traditional perspective, and assumptions on all our parts.

  Understand that if a person typically wants to serve the Lord in the Ministry (meaning that is his calling for his life's work), then he or she has three likely choices, unless of course he is a super good musician. They have to choose between being what we call a Pastor, or a Missionary, or a Bible School teacher. That about sums it up if you are not a part of some super big church. Realistically, how many of God's people are actually called to do eiter of those three ministries. So for the most part, if you want serve the Lord as a life calling you are basically sentenced to one of these three ministries, or be satisfied teaching Sunday School classes. Teaching Sunday school classes is an immensely critical ministry regardless of how unimportant or non-prestigious it may appear to you or anyone else, especially if it is 'CHILDREN'S' ministry. Friends, you are actually preparing and equipping them for eternity. What could be more important or significant than that? The fact is, and most of us who have served the Lord for any length of time, and who know the Bible, are aware that the ministry of the Kingdom of God is far larger than the traditional concepts - as utterly important as those ministries are. 

 It is necessary to point out here, although you may already know, that many pastors around the world have to work another job to support themselves and their families because their congregation is too poor to support them. Now that is commitment and love for Jesus and His people.

 I have already briefly touched on some of the other ministries of the church in the topic "THE CHURCH" taken from (Romans 126-8, 1 Corinthians 12:28-30, Ephesians 4:11) but the actual Ministry of the church goes beyond what we call the Pastor. In fact these titles have button-holed and restricted many of the people God has ordained, perhaps because of the way the particular church organization operates, or what the congregation expects. It can be (pardon the expression) hell for the poor soul who attempts to fill that role. First of all, we do not chose to go into the Ministry as an occupation, it is a DIVINE CALLING. You either have it, or you don't, and the fruit of the work will tell. Now, just because a person fails as a "Pastor", does not mean that he was not called to the ministry, but perhaps that role is not what the Holy Spirit has equipped him for. If that was the only option in his organization, how much choice did he have?

 

THE TYPICAL MODEL OF THE PASTOR'S ROLES

a - CHURCH LEADER

 In most of today's congregations, the Pastor's typical role and demands will of course depend on the location and size of his congregation. Actually the larger the congregation, the less the Pastor is reasonably expected to do with regards to interpersonal relationship with the sheep. His role becomes more administrative or supervisor, and much of his interpersonal work is with his leadership team. The way we think today and the way our particular denominations are structured we call basically everyone who serves in the ministry a Pastor, yet in fact, some are actually what the Bible would call an apostle, or a prophet. Some are evangelists, some are teachers, some are even pastors, and there are those who should not be carrying out these duties.  In light of this, some missionaries are actually apostles. Here is one for a shocker. A sister told me that her grandmother in Eastern Europe planted several churches. What do you think her BIBLICAL title would be?

  In today’s congregations, the Pastor is typically the leader of the church assembly.

 Now in saying so much we can by these terms, as I said, button-hole people into our concepts. The apostle Paul said of himself that he is not only an apostle, but a preacher and a teacher (2 Timothy 1:11), which he obviously was. Note that it was said of him in the Book of Acts that he was the main speaker (Acts 14:12). One thing for sure, I would not call Paul a "Pastor", even though in today’s vernacular he would have been called one. Allow me to explain. If you recall the incident with John Mark, the young fellow that accompanied he and Barnabas on their first missionary journey, but abandoned them and returned home early from the mission (Acts 13:5,13). Do you remember the hot controversy that Paul and Barnabas had about taking him along a second time? It was so heated that Paul took Silas along with him, and Barnabas took John Mark and went in another direction (Acts 15:36-40). You see Paul obviously did not feel he had time to mentor a young believer nor put up with his weaknesses, which is the typical work of a pastor/shepherd. Barnabas, on the other hand felt he was important and worth it. Did you also notice that later on Paul said, "Take Mark and bring him with you, for he is profitable to me for the ministry." 2 Timothy 4:11

  Now which of the two would you say is a “Pastor”. This does not obviously invalidate the ministry and calling of Paul. He had a serious commission from the Lord and could not afford to be hampered. I may be being generous here, because personal character does play a part in all our expressions of faith. Does not the name Barnabas also mean 'Son of Consolation' (Acts 4:36)? Who was the first one to take Paul under his wings? Paul, as an apostolic ministry carried the burden of the care of all the churches on his heart and its individuals, so he did have "Pastors" care, but on a very large scale.  2 Corinthians 11:28-29  I was listening to Loren Cunningham some years ago, the founder of Youth With a Mission YWAM), the largest missionary organization in the world, and he had burdens for particular nations like we have for individuals. His parish is literally the world! Still, the pastoral care to which I am referring is the nurturing on a personal level.

 

 Let us  further look at what the typical role of the Pastor is in our society

 b - PREACHER  

  The primary expectation of a pastor today is to be a preacher. In fact, one of the major exercises a potential pastor will be screened on is his ability to preach. The expected role of the pastor is to preach, which is of utmost importance as it is required of them to be able to expound the very oracles of God. Teaching the Scripture and "rightly dividing the Word of Truth" is a serious matter, and they absolutely need to be proven in it first. The Pastor also needs to be competently able to declare the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ in order to lead people into the Kingdom of God. As far as the pre-requisite of ministry for most any Christian fellowships goes, this is what one would assume. Not all pastors are gifted speakers, which can be hard on a congregation. Unfortunately, for some members of the congregation, the Sunday Morning message is the only Word of God that they take in, and the shepherd of the flock faces the challenge of prodding them on to maturity and growth in Christ through such obstacles.

 c -TEACHER - The pastor needs to be able to not only preach but to teach. These are two very different types of ministries. Some pastors are excellent preachers, but may not be so strong in expounding the details of the Scriptures. On the other hand some are better teachers, but not such dynamic preachers. The ministry of the evangelist is a predominately preaching ministry, so he may likely need others to help him to more securely ground his people in the doctrines of the Scriptures. The good news is that God made us as multi-functional beings and most can do both as well as be competent at other types of service to which they may be called, though they may shine at some more than others. In other words, the Lord equips those He calls, and supplies external helps for all the rest.

d - COUNSELOR - Counseling is another extremely important part of the pastoral ministry. This is an aspect of true shepherding, and not everyone is gifted at this. I for one have learned the hard way to limit my counseling. It is most imperative to stress here that counselling is not an opportunity to spout off our personal opinions, favorite doctrines, and views -  which can be so harmful and dangerous.  Anyone counseling not only needs to be well versed in the Scriptures, filled with the Holy Spirit, wise in heart, but genuinely meek in spirit, unbiased, and sensitive to the needs and perspectives of all parties involved.

e - ADMINISTRATOR - Today's pastor usually needs to be able to function in administrative responsibilities, meaning overseeing the natural as well as the spiritual functions of the church. Initially that will require handling the finances of the church, organizing functions, and so on. As the church grows and as soon as possible he hopefully can raise up a team of deacons and elders (these terms vary from organization to organization) and other volunteers. A wise leader will find out those whom the Lord is calling to help share the burden of the work both the natural work and the spiritual. The Gospel work and the Kingdom of God was never meant to be a one man show.

 WORKING WITH YOUR GIFTS AND YOUR WEAKNESSES - Often a Pastor is placed in a situation where he has to do everything, and you realize that you are not so good at certain responsibilities. Well there is wonderful news, as already mentioned, He equips those He calls, and or He sends the help you need. William Booth found out at one point when he got sick and could not preach, that his wife Catherine was a better preacher than he was. Nevertheless, we step out in faith, pray earnestly, then put your best foot forward, and leave the results to Him. The first pastor I worked under was continually in contact with other church leaders and pastors seeking advice and discussing situations, even into his later years.

   In any natural business, when starting it up initially the owner has to do everything. Then as the business grows, he finds trustworthy, honest, and competent people to whom he may be able to delegate responsibilities to. If he doesn't he will bottleneck his business and stifle its growth potential.   

  As far as the works of the Kingdom of God goes, qualifications of individuals are to be taken with extreme caution. The stakes are eternal. The Bible gives much guidance in the selecting of leaders, elders, deacons, as well as qualifications for the servants of God, both for the natural and spiritual areas. So we are not without guidelines. Furthermore, we have the guidance of the Holy Spirit. May the Lord direct you accordingly.

 

THE NEED FOR SHEPHERDS!

 Up till now we have briefly looked at the typical current model of the Pastor's Role. All responsibilities are Biblical and the various individuals will fill the different demands as they are personally equipped and able. What I would like to address more specifically is the term Pastor/Shepherd. The Bible terms of Elder or Overseer are also related. Again these can be large and complicated topics, but it has been on my heart to address one aspect in particular. Because of the growing destabilizing of society which leaves untold amounts of wounded, confused, and hurting people of all ages in its wake of lawlessness. People are needing Jesus for not only the saving of their soul, but for the healing and health of their entire being. As servants of the Lord Jesus Christ we get to play a role in the care of our brothers in leading them to Christ, encouraging, inspiring, helping them get on their feet and enabling them to find their way in Him. However this is not an arm's length endeavor. In these following passages the Lord describes what He expects of  His shepherds. In the midst of all the church building, organization enriching, soul winning endeavors of the church we can easily overlook the weak, the struggling, and the languishing. True every saint should do their part and the Pastor cannot be expected to do everything, but the demands on him before God are high.

 Before I take this too far, it is imperative to point out the advice that Moses's father-in-law gave to him as he was trying to single-handedly minister to all the people. That would cause Moses to burn out, and all the people to be utterly exasperated. Exodus 18 The answer is to carefully delegate some of the responsibility.

 

 BIBLICAL SHEPHERD DUTIES as taken from Psalm 23, Ezekiel 34, John 10   In these passages, especially Ezekiel 34, the Lord spells out specifically what He is expecting of His shepherds. So if you are feeling the Lord calling you to be a Shepherd of His sheep, you must carefully consider this as your actual job description:

 STRENGTHEN THE WEAK

 HEAL THE SICK 

 BIND UP THE BROKEN

 BRINGS BACK THOSE DRIVEN AWAY

 SEEK THE LOST

 GATHER THE SCATTERED

 FEED THE FLOCK

 LEAD THEM TO WATERS

 LEAD THE FLOCK IN RIGHTEOUSNESS

 DEFEND THEM FROM PREDATORS

  Depending on the size and scope of your congregation this can be a daunting task if you try and tackle it by yourself. The Lord did not dictate how you are to accomplish it, but that is what He wants done for His sheep. He has provided the examples in the Scriptures and His Holy Spirit to help you adequately accomplish your task.

  All these require the shepherd to take a responsible and active role in the health and development of each of his people. Today's model of the Pastor often does not leave much  room for some of this, and understandably so. His other responsibilities can be so demanding and necessarily diverse. Jesus' example of the shepherd leaving the ninety-nine to find the one shows how no one is too insignificant to go unnoticed or uncared for in the life of a shepherd. Obviously we are not God and there are certain things that only the Lord Jesus Himself can do, but the things He enables us to do, He expects us to fulfill.

HANDS ON SHEPHERDING

 Regardless of the size and scope of your responsibility, these expectations of Ezekiel 34 must be the foremost concern of your pastoral care. All the activities and duties you carry out or delegate must have these cares embedded into the heart of them. In doing so you are being a 'Hands-on" pastor.

A - PRAY FOR YOUR PEOPLE - Samuel told the people of Israel, "Moreover, as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and right way." 1 Samuel 12:23 There is so much that a person cannot do, but praying is not one of them.

B - TEACHING - Notice how Samuel tagged that on to his duty to pray for the people. The priestly duty of instruction is so absolutely critical for the spiritual health of God people. Therefore, O man of God, be diligent in your study of the Scriptures as you are to expound the very oracles of God, which will make your people wise unto salvation and eternal life.

C - WATCHING -Be alert to the activities among your people. Just like a parent, you do not want to find out from an outside source that there are problems among your people, or be ignorant about their situations. Ephesians 6:18

D - BE SENSITIVE - This does not mean being nosy, but if any of your people are hurting or suffering, may you be alert and not presumptuous to their well being. Elisha was sensitive to the woman's distress when she approached him about her son 2 Kings 4:27. Notice that he said that the Lord had concealed her trouble from him and he had to inquire. Again, you are not God, and not all issues are your responsibility, but be supportive where you can and should be, watchful, and alert. People need to he heard. Take personal interest in their welfare.

E- BE PERSONABLE - People must be able to approach you even as they could approach Jesus regardless of how inconvenient it may be. Remember Blind Bartimaeus Mark 10:46-52, and the Syrophoenician woman Mark 7:24-30  Each person is not just another member of your congregation. They all have a name and... Do not be overwhelmed, just do your best.

F - BE AVAILABLE - This is not to cater to people's whims but be ready to meet pressing needs. People run to all kinds of people and things for help, should not the pastor be one to whom they can run? When I was caretaker of the church, our pastor would get called on day or night, and he was always ready to help.

THIS IS NOT AN ARM'S LENGTH MINISTRY, BUT A DIRECTING ONE

 Shepherding people requires involvement and personal interaction, but the trick is to do so without drawing the people to yourself. Definite failure of the ministry is where the people are not reliant on Jesus, but the pastor.  I knew a youth pastor who was super actively involved with his youth, but all the while kept pointing and directing them to Jesus. Disaster hit his life, yet most of his youth persisted in their walk with Jesus long after he was gone. The ministry is not about us, but about Jesus and the people we are serving. As John the Baptist said, "He (Jesus) must increase, but I must decrease." John 2:3 

 TIMES FOR ARM LENGTH - There are times when people want to drag you into their issues. You need to know and be firm on your boundaries and theirs. Do you remember when Jesus was teaching, "and someone in the crowd said to Him, 'Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.'" Notice how Jesus sidestepped him , "Man, who appointed Me a Judge or Arbiter over your?" Luke 12:13-14 NAS

 It is also important not to be meddling into other people's affairs or controlling or lording it over people's faith. "Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith you stand." 2 Corinthians 1:24 It is important to know what God has put you there for, know your responsibilities and your boundaries, and be led of His Holy Spirit.

PREPARING FOR THE NEXT OUTPOURING

 As we are nearing the end of the age, and the imminent return of Jesus, we are seeing in the West a lost, confused, broken society, with a generation of young people that (as I was listening to a Focus on the Family broadcast) is the most faithless generation the West has ever seen, with the highest rate of depression (hopelessness) and suicides that have ever been. Are we hoping to win them with programs, fancy shows, and comfortable atmospheres? In the between time we will go about our daily business, and hope (expect???) that what we have given them on Sunday will help them make it through the week of fears, doubts, temptations, let downs and discouragement, or worst. Are we being realistic? True, it has to be the Power of the Holy Spirit of Jesus.  We in ourselves can do nothing without Him. But what is needed in and from us so that Jesus can work through us to rescue this precious generation?  If you are called to be a Pastor, you are to set the example of loving concern, and your sheep will follow in the care for one another. In the same chapter of Ezekiel 34, the Lord first address the self centered shepherds, then He addresses the self centered sheep. One pastor we had would often say, "We reproduce after our own kind." Love cares and takes action as able and necessary. Where does each of us fit in this? We all have responsibility, we all have a part, we all have opportunity. May the Lord be gracious in enabling us to live it.

 

THE PRICELESS ACTS OF THE PERSONAL TOUCH

  - I am walking today because I was taken under the wings of a single mom who raised a bunch of us young people, opened her home to us, fed us, listened to us, counselled us, scolded us, but loved us unconditionally . We all followed her and her two teens to church. Where would I be without her love, patience, endurance, and devotion. Actually, her three children played a big role in inspiring me. Her oldest son is my age and was already married and a true man of God.

  - I was a new Christian, and once I was at home, sick and in bed for some days, the pastor came and prayed for me. I was so delirious I barely recall him coming. He just popped in, prayed for me, then left. But when I woke up the next morning I was completely healed. I did not even know that he noticed that I existed. I recall one of my roommates saying, "Who was that masked man?"

 - We were a new family at this church struggling to find our way, and the pastor would pop in and visit us every now and then, just for a short while to see how we were doing. It meant huge volumes to us. 

 - My youngest son was a part of a youth outreach ministry, and they work with very troubled kids. What impresses me the most is that they maintain constant personal contact with these youth. The call them up, encourage them, do things with them, and make sure they know that they are loved and cared for. They don't wait for the kids to come to them. Very few youth would have the courage to come by themselves.

 I am saying all this to say that although this is pastoral care, a person does not need an official title, wage, or recognition to be doing the Lord's work and making an eternal impact in people's lives for the Kingdom of God. Nor it is  the Pastor's job to do everything. What some term as the Five Fold Ministry described in Ephesians 4:11-16 is for "the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry." Just in case someone may want to use this to accuse pastors, from this portion of the Word of God, they are actually to be equipping us to do these works. Are we doing our part???

 

TODAY'S MODEL VS MEETING THE NEEDS

 Dear friends, Sunday services (which I love) is not anywhere enough for people to make it into the Kingdom of God. We must impart not only the Word of God, but we must impart ourselves "So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the Gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because you were dear to us." 1 Thessalonians 2:8 This is true discipleship. Paul and Timothy here were fulfilling the true role of shepherding.

 When planning an evangelistic outreach with a brother, he asked me what are we going to do for follow up.  He said that if we do not do proper follow up, we will just get people converted to backslide. He was right. If a couple wants to have children, they must be ready to surrender their whole lives into the raising their children, and to do whatever it takes. But what a matchless reward!!!

 

WHAT IS BEING SAID HERE IF WE WANT TO SERVE THE LORD

a - We must genuinely love and care for the Lord's sheep/people "Let us not love in word and tongue, but in deed and in truth." 1 John 3:18

b - We must be ready and willing to do whatever it takes as the Lord enables us in order to care for His people.

c - It is a calling, not a job or trade.

 

CAUTIONS OVERVIEW, DANGERS TO BE AWARE OF

1- Remember they are the Lord's sheep and not yours. Always be leading them and pointing them to Jesus to the point where their total reliance in on Him and not yourself.

 2 - There is a time to wean them off of you, but beware that you do not do so prematurely Zechariah 11:17 Parents do not thrust out their children before they are ready to face the world. You can thrust them into disaster.

3 - There is a time to step in, and there is a time to stand back and pray. As I have said before, everyone must fight their own battles, but we can and should help as the Lord directs.

4 - Shepherds/Pastors, are not the lords or authors of their salvation. In the end their soul does not depend on you. We do what we can, and leave the rest to God, but that does not in the least justify us for being negligent in our responsibilities.

5 - Keep your boundaries and guard up. Needy people can drain you and harm your family if you are not careful. Even Jesus had to get into a boat so that the people would not crowd Him (Mark 3:9).  Let the Lord direct you as to the help you give, and not be ruled by the need or demand at the time. Keep your heart and ear open to your wife and children as top priority in your God-given responsibilities. You can be sure the devil will give you every opportunity to run you ragged. As you know, Jesus said, "Come unto Me all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30. Regardless of how hard we try, we will likely make mistakes.  

6 - Over-doing it.  As a counterbalance to all that I have been saying, it is imperative to confess errors that I have made regarding this topic. Clearly, as mentioned many times, Jesus said that "without Me you can do nothing," and that He does nothing but what He sees the Father doing. John 5:19, 15:5. There were times that I truly over-did it, or my timing was way off and I annoyed people.  Another problem about attempting this kind of service, is doing it out of duty. People can tell, and that can embitter them. There is always a balance we must walk, and so important to be humble (not presumptuous), discerning, and sensitive - to the Lord and to others. "Shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory." Peter 5:2-4

 

 SNARES FOR SHEPHERDS

- BEING A HIRELING -  Is your ministry just a job, career or an income? Is your eye on something else? Jesus addresses this big time in John 10. Abandoning the people/sheep in dire times is serious business. The root of this error is likely that the person acting as a shepherd is not doing so for the right motives. If you must leave, please be sure your base is properly covered. Do you love God’s people as He does? Do you desire to serve, help, lay down your life or them (so to speak)?

- BEING DETACHED

  - Jesus "... made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men...Therefore in all things it was necessary  for him to be made like his brothers that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest  in things pertaining to God...for we do not have a High Priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." Philippians 2:7 Hebrews 2:17, 4:15 

  A person who is detached from others will lack due concern, awareness, understanding, and empathy. This is a huge concern for leaders of any kind, including  governments, where the leaders are so detached from the lives of the people they are supposed to serve that they cannot identify or emphasize with them in their needs, struggles, and hardships. In such cases much of what they "DO" for the people can be nigh, to completely useless, and in some cases harmful.

  Years ago I used to work with youth and in a Christian school; however, in the later decades I have had almost no contact with youth other than my own children. Not long ago I thought I should like to speak in our Church School for chapel. I approached the principal about it.  She was reluctantly open, but said that I should spend time in the school with the students on a regular basis first to get to know them. I realized that she was right, but I did not think I could get that kind of time off of work, nor did I feel comfortable doing that. Both she and I knew that I was far too detached from the youth to minister properly to them (my own kids were in agreement).

 BEING MISS-GUIDED - You must be ever so careful to whom you listen, and from whom you take advise. King Rehoboam, King Solomon's son, when confronted by the people after Solomon's death to ease up the hard demands which his father placed on the nation to build his glorious kingdom asked the advice of the elders who ruled with his father, and then the advice of the young men who grew up with him. We know the disastrous outcome 1 Kings 12. He listened to the foolish young men who did not have a heart nor the sensitivity for the people as the older men did. It cost him most of the kingdom. Although it was the Lord's will because of Solomon's unfaithfulness, there is a powerful lesson to be learned here. People may try and pressure you into conforming your work to their views or agenda with fine sounding arguments, so beware. The outcome of the care of the sheep is your responsibility, not theirs. Do not let anyone hurt God's people through you - even if they are well meaning.

 WRONG FOCUS - This is a common snare for church leadership, where building the organization, format, structure, and activities, becomes the main focus, and not the needs of the people. It is easy to fall into, and you can be so energetically lodged into it thinking you are serving the Lord, and yet be completely missing your number one priority as pastor, caring for the people and their needs.

 May the Lord ever help us be so careful in these areas!

 

SUGGESTED QUALIFICATIONS & EXPECTATIONS

By the way, if you want to serve Jesus, especially as a pastor, you need to love and genuinely care about people. This means on a personal, individual level like a family, and not just for the group as a whole. That is what it is all about.

 To end this off, here are a few things you can occasionally encounter from this ministry: Expect to be let down, disappointed, falsely accused and misjudged, taken advantaged of, used and manipulated, exhausted, overwhelmed, exasperated and frustrated while doing your best to help people who are stubborn, rebellious, ignorant, unthankful. On the other hand you will meet some of the most amazing saints, love, friendship, fellowship, and joy. Out of it all goodness and kindness will arise from sometimes the most unexpected people and places. As was with the Levitical Priesthood, the Lord is your reward, and His peace is your guide and His joy is your strength. You will see some of the fruit of your labors which will far outweigh all of your hardships. And in His Love you will find rest. So, as in everything, there are highs, lows, and plains. Remember, "The joy of the Lord is your strength." Nehemiah 8:10

 GOD CALLS AND QUALIFIES - Here are some basic suggestions for the qualifications for the Church Pastor, other than the guidelines which are already laid out in the Bible – Acts 6:3, 1 Timothy 3:2-13, Titus 1:5-9

- Not a novice: at least with regards to the faith. God used Timothy as a church leader even though he was young; however, he was well grounded in the faith from his early youth and then under Paul’s senior supervision. 2 Timothy 1:5

- Being a man: Although I did write the topic 'WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP,' it is very apparent that the Scriptures of the Bible clearly indicate the importance of male leadership in the family and in the church. It is not an equal rights thing any more than it is an exclusive rights thing. It has nothing to do with ability, but rather a divine ordinance. It does not at all exclude the importance or ability of women in ministry and He does use women, especially where men fail, but the general standard is a safeguard and guideline to follow, and let the Lord make the exceptions. It is His Church. If the Lord is using a woman or a youth, she or he is to be treated with the same honor as a man.

- Preferably married: I recall reading William Carey's biography, and he strongly suggested being married as an important qualification for missionaries. I would tend to agree for pastoral care as well. You will be working with both men and women, and having a wife as a support and a critical perspective can give an objective view that is so crucial in many levels. They are also a safety asset as well. In the Catholic Church, the priests are unmarried. It can work, but little doubt with difficulties. Pastoral work is difficult at best, but God’s ways can smooth out so many of the rough roads.

 WHAT ABOUT ME? What if you are a young man, unmarried, or if you are a woman and you feel God has called you into the ministry, step out in faith, follow His leading, and step through the open doors that He gives you. He can make a way. Be sure of this, that if your call happens to be outside the frame of the basic Biblical structure, you will have problems. One time, while leading a House Fellowship as a single man, one of the married men pulled me aside and asked if I was going to get married. At the time I thought I would not. He told me that "Then the Lord will have to find another way to deal with you." That terrified me, because I knew he was right. I can also see now the deficiencies in my ministry and the big concerns others could see about me. When we find ourselves in the exception, and if it is of the Lord, He will compensate for the lack, but if not, watch out. Expect related opposition and obstacles.

 WHAT IF - What if you want to serve the Lord but the Lord has not opened the door for you to go into full time ministry. Well that is everyone else who is a Christian, but not in a 'Ministry' role. That is how I have served the Lord all my life. Just do whatever the Lord gives you opportunity to do. By a denominational standard you may not qualify for a wage and especially not a title, but the qualifications for the ministry come from the Lord and not man. Remember when the priests of the day challenged Jesus asking who gave Him the authority to do what He was doing. They were right in that it must come from God Himself and not be self-appointed. Jesus replied using the example of John the Baptist who was not ordained by the Sanhedrin but clearly sent by God. Matthew 21:23-27. For the most part, you should be functioning in service with and subject to the leadership of the Body of Christ. A person who is not subject to any authority is a dangerous person, in the Kingdom or out of the Kingdom of God. Many people who serve the Lord are actually carrying out roles of the Ministry without any official recognition. Recognition and titles by man matters little. What is important is that Jesus is being glorified and people needs are met through Him. Go ahead and follow Jesus with all your heart, and cleave to the body of Christ to which you were called, and watch your attitude.

 THE MINISTRY IS A CALLING  It is not based on any provision of man, nor is it based on your skill. It does not require a building, a title, an income, nor any human ordination. It requires the call of Christ in your life, His anointing, genuine humility (God will have to work that in you too), and a genuine love for HIS people. It will bear fruit for His Kingdom, be Biblical, and Glorify our Lord Jesus Christ. If the Lord is calling you to work through a specific organization, then submit to the demands of that organization with faith and love. He works in so many ways and is not bound by our human limitations.  

 

 CONCLUSION - The world around us is changing rapidly, and the old ways of meeting the needs of the Kingdom of God may no longer be sufficient. We the Church must be ever ready to rise up in Christ Jesus to take the battle to the enemy's gate at whatever the price may be.

 "If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task."  1 Timothy 3:1 NIV  If the Lord has put it on your heart to become a pastor, you are called to an honorable, and often thankless job, but the rewards are not only eternal but has wonderful dividends in this life too. Please be diligent to open your heart and keep it open to the people Jesus has called you to serve. May He be with you to the end.