pASTOR
A lesson about the role of a Pastor.
As you read this lesson, be sure to hover over the the Bible verses to read them or look them up in your own copy of the Bible. When the Bible passage is longer, you need to click on “more” in the bottom right corner of the pop-up window.
Introduction
Welcome! The Bible has much to say about this interesting topic. You may find it helpful to invite a mature Christian from your church to study this topic with you. You may have a lot of questions that are not answered here. Maybe there are ideas here that seem hard to understand. Do not get overwhelmed! You can contact us with any questions that you may have. The elders of your local church can help you as well.
Remember that learning the content about this topic is helpful, but knowing the information will not truly change you. For you to benefit fully from this topic, you must…
Become born-again by securing a personal relationship with God the Father and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, through faith by grace. This information cannot change you until the Holy Spirit of God gives you a new heart that is able to apply it to your life. To begin a personal relationship with God, it is imperative to understand and believe the following:
God is separated from you, because He is good, pure, and holy. 1 John 1:5-6
You are sinful, impure, and unholy because you do not measure up to God’s holiness. Romans 3:10-12 You are a descendent of Adam and Eve who rebelled against God. Romans 5:19
Your sinfulness provokes God’s anger and separates you from Him because He is holy. Romans 5:12 As a result, you deserve to be thrown into the Lake of Fire forever. Revelation 20:14-15
God the Father sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to earth. Jesus is God in the flesh. He lived a sinless life. He was nailed to the cross, shed His blood, and died in your place for your sins. He was buried, rose again, and went to Heaven to prepare a place for all who believe. He will return one day for those who believe. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4
Only the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is enough for you to be accepted forever by God the Father the moment you believe. John 3:16 God does not accept you on the basis that you try to be a good person and do good works. Romans 4:5 He accepts you fully and forever the moment you abandon your sins and call on Jesus to save you. John 3:36
As you understand, meditate on, and believe the information presented here about this topic, you must also do what the Bible says. James 1:21-22 Only by trusting and obeying God’s Word regarding this topic will you experience the full benefits of this information. James 1:23-24 Trusting and obeying God’s Word will change you as you learn this. 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 You will be happy as a result of your obedience. James 1:25
Seek and heed the advice of your church leaders regarding this topic. Hebrews 13:17
Depend upon the Holy Spirit to change you. Galatians 3:1-3 You cannot change without Him enabling you. John 15:5 He will change you in His time and way; but not apart from your faith and obedience to God’s Word. Trust Him to do His work in your heart. Philippians 2:12-13
Allow the joy that you experience from obeying God’s Word to transform how you interact with others. James 2:12-20
ARE YOU A Pastor?
The following questions may help you confirm if you are a pastor at heart.
Questions about your heart:
Do you ponder routinely the current struggles of believers at your church?
Do you feel that you have to find a way to do something about it out of sheer love for them as a person?
Are you often times saddened by the plight of the circumstances of your unsaved loved ones?
Do others’ lifestyles bother you less than the thought of their current and eternal plight?
Do you sometimes feel alone in your concerns for church members?
Would you try (or have you tried) to sacrificially meet others in their distress without first being taught how?
Do you feel naturally compelled to be with people and love them?
Do you feel guilty if you haven’t encouraged a believer in a face-to-face conversation in a while?
Do you feel guilty sometimes for valuing the eternal destiny of someone more than where they are now in their walk with Christ?
Would you rather that you yourself meet someone in distress instead of having someone else do it for you?
Would you rather meet with a believer who desires to hear the Gospel from you than with an unbeliever?
Do you think that sacrificially loving people during their time of distress is extreme compared to what most Christians do? Do you think that it should be what all Christians are willing to do?
Questions about how you perceive others:
Do you have more compassion, patience, and understanding for immature believers?
Do you think that most Christian leaders have an eternal focus rather than a current focus?
Do you feel like Christians owe an apology to immature believers for how they act and speak toward them?
Are you ashamed by how “mature” Christians talk about “immature” Christians?
Are you regularly frustrated by how Christians represent Christ in their attitudes toward one another?
Do you feel like some Christians spend more time on “getting people to heaven” rather than loving people in front of them?
Do you feel like Christians care more about their family or the lost than they do about the members of the church?
Do you desire to help Christians to better represent Christ to church members?
Do you prefer to focus more on helping believers to understand their position in Christ than on their need to be engaged in evangelism?
If you answered yes to the majority of the above questions, then it is likely you have the heart of a pastor.
The following questions may help you confirm that you are not a pastor at heart.
Questions about your heart:
Would you rather have someone who does not have a shepherd’s heart meet someone in their distress for you instead of you doing it yourself?
Would you rather meet with an unbeliever who desires to hear the Gospel from you than a believer?
Do you prefer to focus more on small talk or avoiding meaningful conversations than helping believers to understand their position in Christ?
Do you prefer to focus more on helping believers to understand their need to be engaged in evangelism than on their position in Christ?
Do you forget that all believers need to be shepherding one another?
Are you prompted to meet people in their distress when the opportunity presents itself only when someone reminds you of your responsibility to do so?
Do you feel like you have to protect your free time at the expense of loving others?
Are you more concerned about what happens within your community than in your local church?
Are you more concerned about your safety than the needs of other believers?
Are you more concerned about your community’s view of you than the people of your community?
Have you lovingly met people during their darkest moments only occasionally in your lifetime?
Are you content not shepherding another believer in their distress?
Is it difficult for you to enjoy surface level conversation, unless it is with someone who needs and desires deeper relationship?
Do you have to be pushed or encouraged before you will invite someone into your home or go to theirs?
Do you have more compassion, patience, and understanding for yourself than you do believers?
Questions about how you perceive a pastor:
Do you think that their work is only meant for professionals?
Do you think shepherding people in their distress is extreme, but only expected of a pastor?
Do you hear of the experiences of the pastor in ministry and think that you would never put yourself in that position?
If you answered yes to the majority of the above questions, then you are likely are not gifted with the heart of a pastor.
The rest of this lesson is now geared to understanding a pastor and how the pastor and the church can best work together. The pastor needs the church for his own accountability, maturity, and to truly fulfill his ministry. The church needs the pastor for her own accountability, maturity, and to truly fulfill her ministry.
WHAT IS a PASTOR?
A believer who has been spiritually gifted by God to shepherd the hearts of believers so that they can joyfully live out their new, abundant life in Christ.
The calling and gifting of a PASTOR
The pastor is called by God to…
…shepherd the hearts of a local group of believers.
…help mature believers to be more effective in their calling.
The pastor is gifted by God to…
…lovingly know and care for believers.
…be an example for other believers to follow.
what is the Role of A PASTOR?
To equip believers to grow in maturity so that they can love people where they are.
A PASTOR’S Ministry INSIDE the church
Pray for believers and unbelievers.
Preach the Gospel.
Teach the Gospel.
Love people where they are.
Help members to spiritually grow, understand their gifting and calling, and live in obedience to that calling.
Do the work of an evangelist.
To shepherd the sheep within the fold.
Equip believers to do the same.
A PASTOR’S Ministry OUTSIDE the church
Pray for believers and unbelievers.
Preach the Gospel.
Encourage other shepherds likewise.
Love people where they are.
Do the work of an evangelist.
Ensure Christ’s name is being honored in the community.
Understanding a PASTOR
From the perspective of the lost:
They could view the pastor as…
…someone who understands them and cares about them.
…an overall good, kind person.
From the perspective of the pastor:
They could view themselves as…
…caring about people the way God does.
…ordinary, simply striving to love people the way that God wants.
From the perspective of other believers:
They could view the pastor as…
…a kind, loving friend.
…the type of person that they wish they could be.
…a great leader and example.
…the professional.
From the perspective of an evangelist:
They could view the pastor as…
…a fellow minister who does great work and shares the Gospel clearly.
…a blessing to them personally and to their ministry.
…enabling immaturity.
….not expecting more discipline and missional focus from believers.
…unwilling to share the Gospel with someone whom they can’t continue a relationship.
From the perspective of the scriptures:
God gave the pastor the amount of faith that he needs in order to exercise the gift.
God gave the pastor to the church to equip her so she can mature in love; not for the pastor to distance himself from the lost or from leaders who care more about the mission than the people.
ABOUT THE PASTOR
Sometimes the pastor may get discouraged by the lack of love believers have toward one another.
Sometimes the pastor may think he is wasting time trying to help leaders to love believers where they are instead of for what they could do or should be doing. He may be tempted to protect believers from the lost or from more missionally minded leaders.
Prayer, reading, and deeply studying the Word of God helps the pastor stay motivated.
At times of deep discouragement, he needs a gifted evangelist to remind him of what he already knows regarding the Gospel.
INSIGHT for PASTORS
You needs a proper perspective of yourself, the church, believers, the lost, and God.
The evangelist and other believers are greatly encouraged by your example and challenged by your faithful love and devotion to them. They are rooting for you and your work!
You are not crazy! God does love people where they are! He does actually expect every believer to love people without any strings attached.
God gifted and called you to care about people to the extent that you do.
Other believers are called to love people as well, but they are not gifted like you, so understand that it is genuinely harder for them to care as much as you do.
Some believers’ limited concern is not necessarily the result of their disobedience. Sometimes it is simply the result of immaturity. Therefore, you do well to remember to lead them along gently as they grow.
Just like believers have to work hard at caring enough to shepherd one another, you as a pastor need to work hard at genuinely caring for believers who are more missionally-minded.
God is the reason you care about the church, but just like believers have to work hard at caring enough to genuinely love people, you have to work hard at genuinely caring for mature believers who act unloving toward immature believers.
God is patiently overcoming others’ apathy for loving people where they are and your impatience with believers who don’t, in order to make you all more like Christ. God is teaching you to love those who should know better, the way that He does. You are called to share the Gospel with strangers even if you cannot follow up with them, just like you would with church members who are not ready to understand and obey certain aspects of God’s Word. You encourage missionally-minded believers, because it is right and you genuinely care for them. You do not simply serve them just because you want them to genuinely love other believers.
Not all believers are called or gifted by God to be teachers or pastors. Some may never become mature enough to love believers biblically. They are of no less value to Christ. As such, they should be of no less value to you.
God wants you to get your hands dirty by patiently discipling mature believers. He also wants you to encourage evangelists so that loving people becomes a normal part of their lives…even if ministering to one group of people never becomes a normal part of their ministry.
While no one needs to remind you to love people, it is good to remember to share the Gospel with strangers as God brings them along your path.
Don’t grow tired of doing what’s right. Remember it’s godly to do the proper thing even if it seems that God is the only one who notices.
Strike a balance while being concerned about the burdens and pain of people and still enjoying everyday life.
Just because a believer refuses to love other believers where they are, does not mean that he is not mature in other areas of their Christian walk.
Help the church and individual believers use their gifts for evangelistic and discipleship purposes.
Learn from other believers who have different spiritual gifts.
Be a blessing and encouragement to the church leadership by developing them as leaders at their own pace.
Help the leadership identify the spiritual gifts of the members.
Questions pertaining to the PASTOR’s role in the Local Church
How are you enabling the local church to take part in your ministry?
How are you allowing the local church to benefit from your ministry?
How are you inviting the elders of your church to shepherd your heart?
How are you humbly encouraging the church to love one another?
INSIGHTS for Churches Concerning THE PASTOR
The church needs a proper perspective of herself, the pastor, individual believers, the lost, and God.
The pastor thinks his desire to love spiritually immature believers is normal. He does not fully understand that he has been gifted by God in a unique way. Allow him to be face to face with the people of God more than doing administrative work; that is where his heart is.
The pastor experiences no greater joy than being used by God to learn about someone and encourage them as a person. He simply wants you to experience that same joy. For the pastor, all other joys in life are incomparable to loving people for the long-haul. This is why street ministry is very difficult for him.
An immature pastor can be impatient with those who love the mission more than people.
Just as he is gifted as a pastor, you are gifted in other ways that he is not. The pastor needs to learn to be more “missional” by learning from your example as you use your spiritual gifts. How are you inviting his mentorship into your life, while helping him to grow in maturity through the display of your spiritual gift?
Take an interest in the pastor’s passion for people, teaching, example, and work. Join him in his work whenever you get a chance.
He truly loves the bible, doctrine, and theology. Enjoy it with him!
Model his heart and techniques in your everyday life. Build relationships with other church members.
Do what you don’t want to do, and show that you value what others value simply because they value it.
Don’t be legalistic, expecting people to live according to your standards of maturity.
Get to know the person’s story and why they are the way they are.
Don’t pigeon hole people regarding their past or gifting.
Share with him how he has encouraged you. Listen to his stories of believers edifying one another.
Tell him about the times you have edified another believer. Ask him to pray for your edifying opportunities.
Invite others to learn from him as well.
Don’t look at him as if his job is to share the Gospel for you or to care for believers for you.
Help meet his needs and use your spiritual gifts within the church so that he can be free to be with the people as much as God wants.
Encourage him to not neglect discipling and enjoying his family. Teach him how to have fun in his life.
Just because he is gifted as a pastor doesn’t necessarily mean his spouse and/or children are as well.
INSIGHTS for EVANGELISTS Concerning the PASTOR
The pastor admires your boldness, discipline, and focus to bring the Gospel to the lost. Your example of preaching the Gospel intentionally, motivates him to do the same.
The pastor cares about you and wants to see your ministry succeed.
The pastor needs you to shepherd his heart. He needs you to remind him of what he already knows. Encourage him with your unique insight.
The pastor wants to assist you, helping believers to become more mature in the faith and to reach the lost. The pastor can be tempted to care more about the people than the mission, while an evangelist can be tempted to care more about the mission than the people.
The immature pastor may think that you should have the same zeal and love for the church as he does. If you are not loving people who cannot contribute to the mission, then he may think that you are misrepresenting the Gospel. He may not understand that God’s will might determine for you to be with the church members more than him.
The immature pastor may not realize that God wants to use you to help him develop an evangelist’s heart for the lost. Because you have differing gifts, the pastor may not want to leave tending to the flock in order to share the Gospel with the lost or he may think that you are giving meat to someone who needs milk. Discuss these things together. God wants you to work as a team to enhance and learn from each other’s ministry. This will mature the body more than if each of you did your own thing.
Just as it is not God’s will for you to neglect the lost for the flock, it is not God’s will for the pastor to neglect the flock for the lost. While you are called to shepherd the flock, you are gifted to share the Gospel with the lost. The pastor is called to lovingly shepherd God’s people by helping them to love others. While there is overlap, it is important for the pastor and the evangelist to prioritize their respective roles.
You and the pastor are on the same team for the same purpose. You are not in competition with one another. Rather, you are to compliment one another.
Allow the pastor to work in unity with you toward raising up local church leaders.
Sharing the Gospel with strangers, knowing that he cannot build deeper relationships can be difficult for a pastor. He thrives on the opportunity to love people where they are and for the long-haul.
The pastor would prefer retelling the Gospel to someone who has not truly obeyed it yet. As such, they usually find it necessary to share the Gospel in the same local community “where the sheep are”.
A pastor can be a great help in raising up leaders within the church.
The pastor needs you to remind him to focus on equipping the saints for “doing”; not just “being”.
Help the pastor to enjoy having fun with his family.
An immature pastor with a shepherd’s heart tends to not have as many strong doctrinal opinions as the evangelist. Depending on his community, he is usually lovingly ministering to people who already say that they believe the Bible is true. It is good for you to be loving and patient as you teach him the importance as to why believers need to know doctrine and how to defend the faith for the sake of the lost. On the other hand, he may wrongly assume that all the believers in the church already know what they need to know, since they are loving one another so he may likely not emphasize defending doctrine. As a result, when unbelievers interact with those believers who cannot defend the faith, they might use them as an excuse to reject the Gospel. Encourage the pastor to add value to the conversation by humbly and lovingly contributing scripture that emphasize the spirit in which we defend the faith.
Honor him by…
…helping him counsel members through deep waters.
…attending and participating in relationship building activities.
…joining him in serving people who “cannot” contribute to the mission.
…helping him to make sure that the various church ministries are loving people and enjoying Christ’s love.
…brainstorming with him about ministry.
…encouraging others to follow his example.
…encouraging him to continue in his work.
…enabling him to be with the members as much as possible.
…giving him a vacation.
ADDITONAL THOUGHTS
All pastors love the flock and want to them to live out their calling, but not all pastors are the same.
Some pastors are gifted speakers, while others are not.
Some pastors are gifted teachers, while others are not.
Some pastors love to encourage people in a private setting, but do not prefer to preach publicly.
Some pastors love to preach publicly, but do not prefer to encourage people in their time of distress.
Some pastors love to counsel and preach publicly, but does not focus on helping believers understand their gifts and calling.
Very few pastors enjoy to the same extent, preaching publicly, encouraging people in their time of distress, and helping unleash them for ministry in the church or outside the church.
Some pastors are most satisfied administrating rather than visiting the flock in their homes.
Some pastors prefer teaching a lesson, while others prefer preaching a sermon.
Some pastors are relational, others are not.
Some pastors focus on loving believers in the church and teaching them to do likewise.
Very few pastors focus on equipping other pastors to love their communities.
Some pastors have learned to develop a shepherd’s heart even though they are not gifted as pastors.
Identifying and encouraging pastors:
Do you know who are gifted as pastors at your church? How are you helping them to identify themselves as such?
How can you help the pastors at your church to fulfill their ministry inside and outside the “church walls”?
How are you acknowledging the distinct gifts and passions of your pastors? How are you giving mercy for the areas in which they are not gifted?
How is your church raising up gifted pastors from within your local church?
How is your church sending out gifted pastors to serve elsewhere?
Are there no gifted pastors at your church? What gifted pastors do you know outside your church that could assist you?
How is your church creating an attractive environment for a gifted pastor?
Would you want to love one group of believers, help them to understand their position and calling in Christ, and shepherd their hearts? Perhaps you are a pastor.
Do you think there is a pastor at your church that needs encouragement or mentorship? Encourage him to check out this website.
Conclusion
Now that you have studied this topic, we encourage you to...
Ask us or any of your church leaders about any questions or concerns you still have about this topic.
Pray for yourself to grow in maturity regarding this topic.
Do your best to practice what you have learned.
Tell someone else about what you have studied.
Ask one of your church leaders to help you overcome your weaknesses regarding this topic.
Teach this subject to others.
Consider reviewing this topic once each year.
Commit to growing in this area together with other members of a local church.
Trust the Holy Spirit to change you as He uses His Word, others, and circumstances to make you more like Christ.