Our church is undergoing a pastoral change this month. Our current pastor is retiring (after almost 9 years at this particular church). So this past week, we interviewed three candidates for the position of lead pastor. One thing is for sure; this process has definitely been a learning one for Dee and myself. This is the first pastoral transition of which we have been part.
Interestingly, many of the questions and comments shared by our brothers and sisters in Christ concerning the candidates revealed the differing views of what a pastor’s primary role is within a local assembly. Some were concerned that a pastor have his hands in every aspect of the ministry. Others asked that the pastor be a “preaching preacher.” The question was also raised concerning which bible translation the pastor would use. Some desired that the pastor serve as a facilitator of empowering others, rather than attempting to do most of the work of the ministry alone. And there were many other comments and questions, some pertaining to family, music preference, motivation for transition, etc.
For those who dare share their thoughts on this important topic, I invite your comments on what you believe is the primary role of the pastor. Should a pastor be the primary caretaker, visitor, preacher, teacher, administrator, financial decision-maker, etc.? If so, why? If not, please explain a bit and maybe share your thoughts and/or expectations regarding the pastorate. Feel free to reference scriptures, past experiences, etc. in your response. We’re trying to get at the heart of the biblical picture of a pastor regarding local church ministry.
Blessings,
Shannon
Facebook
Twitter
{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
I believe we all have to make a choice. Will I be average at many things or be great at a few prioritized endeavors?
I believe the Pastor’s primary role is to equip the saints for the work of ministry. The Pastor is not superman and I am afraid we sit by passively waiting for him to find a phone booth to put his cape on, when there are people hurting all around us.
A Pastor should be an agent of transformation in the lives of God’s people, and God’s people should be an agent of transformation within their community. This can only happen as we see the Pastor as a shepherd, and not superman.
Why do we spend 3 hours looking for the Pastor to visit Sister Sue, instead of driving 15 minutes to visit her ourselves? We don’t feel adequate, because most of us have not been equipped.
It is my prayer that you guys have a Pastor that is not superman, but is able to equip each and every one of you to minister the Kingdom as the Army of the LORD.
I am praying for you guys, and your Church. Jason D.(Quote)
hey Shannon and Dee!! I think the division of duties depends alot on the size of the church. A big church has more responcibilities and more people to delegate them out to, but I also think that a good pastor will be willing to put on whichever hat is needed. He should also be flexable enough to see what different people need and when possible adjust to meet those needs. I look to be tought i want someone to stretch my mind and make me think. As a church attender I have to remember that he is attempting to (hopefully) meet the needs of everyone that sits under his authority and cannot possibly be everything for everyone. If someone feels that they arent getting what they need mabey they should look at how can they change the situation and possibly make things better for themselves and others. What Joel is doing with his group called “the Bridge” is a good example of someone stepping out and making things better for himself and many others who also needed more. john(Quote)
Shannon & Dee, I am so glad that you could be a part of that experience with us last night. You two have become an important part of our church family. When I left the parking lot last night, I had a heavy heart. (I did not get my way). By the time I arrived home after that long 45 second drive, God had already given me peace about the situation. I believe that our new pastor will be willing to put on any hat needed to get the job done. I believe he is excited to be our pastor. And as I posted on “A Sonny Disposition”, I believe that he will be excited about our ministries and may even have some ideas of his own that we will like. I just pray that we all try our best to put on any hat WE need to in order to help get the job done…..reaching lost souls in our area and throughout the world. Maybe God is giving us a chance to see what WE are made of and if we are willing to be open minded and show our new pastor the love that Jesus would.
I don’t even think I answered your question, but I just needed to say it.
Love you both. Connie(Quote)
Shannon,
I don’t believe that you can develope a cookie-cutter pattern for what a pastor’s responsibility list should look like. However, I think that his/her primary role should be in discipleship development which will obviously emphasize his/her responsibility as it pertains to preaching/teaching and seeking the wisdom of God in prayer. Acts 6:2-4 says:
2.So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables.
3. “Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task.
4. “But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
Does this mean that the apostles never visited the sick or never did others acts of mercy? I seriously doubt it. what they were seeking to do was to allow chosen individuals to take charge of the primary thrust of meeting the needs of individual groups within the church, which in turn allowed them to focus on the primary areas of their calling–preaching/teaching and prayer.
It is impossible and unwise for pastors to have a controlling hand in every aspect of the church–micromanaging is really not managing at all–it is an ego gone amuck. True leadership in the Body of Christ is about enabling, through spiritual development, all members of the Body to function in the area(s) of ministry that God has gifted them to do. Of course this presupposes a willingness on the part of the individual member of the Body to exercise the gifts God has given them. That is ultimately the source of most problems for most pastors and their churches–people are too consumed with the things of this world to take time to be discipled and to develope the Gifts God has given them. I once read that 5% of the people do 85-90% of the work in the church. Something is seriously wrong!
A related problem is that the people who are involved not only get burned-out because they have so little help, but they also get fried because a lot of what they are doing is “busy work” and not the “Kingdom work” for which they have been gifted. I would define busy work as those labors which have not been directed by the Holy Spirit and for which the Spirit Anointing is absent. It may be what we have “always done” in the church but that does not necessarily mean it was what God wanted done.
I believe the greatest need for any church is to, first of all, passionately seek, and to passionately keep on seeking, God as to what He wants the church to be and to do; and secondly, to do it! Just as there is no cookie-cutter pattern of responsibilities for the pastor, there are no cookie-cutter patterns for what the church should be and do. There may be general principles to follow for all pastors and churches (i.e. to advance the Kingdom while tearing down the strongholds of the enemy) but the specifics of how that is carried out is unique to each church.
I hope that the members of Alabaster realize that what is most important for them to do at this time, and always, is to find their place within that body of believers and to function effectively (with Divine power and authority) as God has gifted them to do. That they not allow Satan to distract them, with the change in leadership, from God’s will and purpose.
God Bless Mike Ward(Quote)
Good post and good responses
Love you all Sonny(Quote)
In most churches in todays time, a pastor does have to wear many hats. He has to be the one willing to do when no one else will. But if the pastor of a church is bogged down to do tasks that are not typically categorized under spirituality, when is he/she supposed to find time to get into the word to feed his flock? When is he/she supposed to find time to spend with family? I think that a pastor needs point people under him to delegate responsibilities, and that the point person can just keep in communication with the pastor about what’s going on. Then if the pastor feels that change is needed in a specific area, he knows exactly who to go to in order to help it get settled. Delegation does wonders, and helps alleviate stress and overworking oneself and burning out. Jeremy Davis(Quote)
It is possible for a pastor to have his/her hands in every aspect of the church if there are only a few members in that church. As the church grows beyond about 75 members, this becomes a physical impossibility. For example, I am sure that all pastors (I hope anyway) want to be at the hospital for every procedure that a church member undergoes. However, when there are many members in the church, this is impossible — there are not enough hours in a day (even if you believe the pastor doesn’t need to eat, sleep or spend time with his family).
There are many pastors I have seen who, in spite of the argument detailed above, try to be everything for every person in their respective congregations. This, to me, is sad, as it stifles the growth of the church. So, the few times Shannon and I have moved and had to find a new church, we have looked for a pastor who is comfortable saying “no” to some things and has a clear way of empowering people in his/her congregation to do part of the work of ministry.
Also, I feel like the main goal of the pastor is to cast a vision of what the church should be doing in his/her congregation. This involves teaching them what it means to be the church. I know some pastors who do this awesomely, but who are not good at financial planning or some other aspects of administration. I think this is okay, as long as the pastor seeks help (from an elder’s board or pastor’s council or even hiring an administrative pastor) in order to handle those aspects of church life for which he/she is ill-equipped. Dee Mimbs(Quote)
Thanks to everyone for your comments thus far. There are a few comments that I would like to make in response. However, others are still welcome to offer their comments as well.
Jason – I think your comment about being “great at a few prioritized endeavors” is true on both an individual and communal level. Sometimes we adopt and adapt models for ministry that are foreign to our context. It reminds me of the preacher who went to a church growth conference and was really impressed with a bishop from the SE US. This bishop from the SE US considered “tent meeting revivals” as “the way” to see church growth and a community-wide explosion of faith in Christ. The young preacher who was impressed with this methodology was from Alaska. So, you can imagine how well the tent meetings went over with his congregation and community. lol. What are some essential elements that a pastor and church must prioritize? What are some non-essentials?
John – You bring up an important issue as to the driving force behind a pastor’s decisions, vision and overall ministry. Many a pastors are need-driven regarding what they feel are the most pressing responsibilities during the week. I commend a pastor who is sensitive to the needs of the sheep; however, how do we find a balance in meeting the needs of the church members and casting a vision as to reaching a community of non-believers? Also, you make a good point as to the size of the congregation (and the available volunteers) influencing the week by week responsibilities of the pastor.
Connie – You and John both hit on an important issue of the role of the people (which is crucial in our understanding the biblical role of the pastor). What is the role of the body of Christ in carrying out many of the responsibilities that we oftentimes claim belong to the pastor (or his or her position)? Does the vision of God for a congregation come from the pastor or the people (or both)?
Mike – The point you made about the “busy work” of so many of us in the church is definitely on target. How does a community of faith discern what to continue (ministry or program-wise) and what to discontinue? I’m afraid that in our attempts as a church to maintain the traditional programs or “ministries,” we have fallen prey to the “busy work” of maintaining a status quo and failed to discern the “Kingdom work” (which might lead us to shut some things down and try some things new). Could you further discuss the issue of discerning such things, as individuals and as a community.
Sonny – Thanks for the encouragement and reading the responses. Your voice is always welcome and is vital to the conversation. Blessings.
Jeremy – Your comment brings up an important issue of the pastor’s family and personal time. How important is it for a church to make sure that their pastor has quiet time with God and God’s word? How important is it for a church to encourage and empower the pastor to spend quality time with her or his family? Jeremy, how does your church handle such issues of delegation and support as far as the pastoral ministry is concerned?
Dee – Your points bring up the issue of a “shared pastoral task.” I think this is vital for the health of the church at large. Have we so professionalized the ministry that we expect all of the care, visitation, counseling, teaching, etc. to be solely from the pastor herself? Or does the NT picture the Spirit-filled community in a different light, especially pertaining to care, counsel and support?
Thanks for everyone’s participation in this post. Please feel free to continue the conversation by addressing some of the issues brought up by my comments and/or asking new questions of one another (or me). The contributions are helpful in getting at the heart of what it means to pastor a church.
Peace Shannon Mimbs(Quote)
At our church, for example, I am the point person for our media ministries. (Lights, cameras, computers, sound, etc) There is no way that I can do all of that stuff on my own. I am only one person, and to be honest, I am not the most knowledgeable in those areas. I have people under me that are actually point people for me to turn to when I need help in specific areas, and I in turn am the point person to my pastor. I handle it. He has given me authority and responsibility to make it work, and if its going good, then he has no worries and we are good. However, if I slack on my job or he notices something that he would rather it be done one way as opposed to another, he will just let me know and I will do what I have to in order to make it work. I kind of consider it a hands in hands off technique. He knows what is going on, he knows who to go to for info, yet he doesn’t have to micromanage it. And I believe he does this with the other ministries as well. It works for us. Jeremy Davis(Quote)
Jeremy,
Thanks for the response. Your pastor seems to have a firm grasp on the necessity of delegating responsibilities to reliable folks. That’s very helpful. You guys operate by an Elder team, right? What are some example responsibilities of your Elders? Also, how do you guys and gals go about discipleship in the church?
Blessings Shannon Mimbs(Quote)
Let me tell u the lord has his role in every heart to do something in the will of his work in the word of god to spread it and help others keep the faith to worship and live his word. For a example, I was ask to pray at my church, the church was Liberty Baptist Church in Lyons, Georgia. I speak three words and didn’t know what to say and I open my eyes and close it again and start praying. The lord spoke at me and tell me what to say and guide me the way in the path I need to speak to people hearts with my prayer. I had three people touch there hearts thru my prayer. The Lord has his on will to do things for a great reason. So I believe in prayer so great. So I pray to the Lord on problems and I don’t let that problem stay in my brain, give the problem to the lord. Let it go to the lord. Ron Smith(Quote)
Ron,
Thanks so much for your encouragement to us all. You’re exactly right that we need to trust the Lord Jesus with any problems that we may have. I celebrate with you how God blessed others through your prayer for the church family.
I too believe that Jesus has a great redemptive purpose in working within our lives. Meaning that Jesus loves us so much and that our talking to him is the way by which we have many needs met in our lives.
Blessings to you and your family.
Shannon Mimbs(Quote)
Thanks for the comment shannon. here is my myspace website to contact me. I give u my cell number when u message me on myspace.
http://www.myspace.com/ronnie864
Ron Smith Ron Smith(Quote)
I believe the majority of our discipleship is through our sunday school classes on wednesday night teachings. The Elders at our church act as care-pastors. They are an extension of the pastor. Every member of the church is categorized under a specific elder and his wife (small groups). Each elder is responsible for keeping in contact and checking in with members when things come up. If someone’s second aunt twice removed is in the hospital, and they want someone from the church to come, its not at all realistic for a church our size (between 400 and 500 each sunday) to have a pastor that can do all the visitations. Now, obviously if it is a leader in the church or a founding member or something to that extent, of course our pastor is going to go.
Oh, and, I see you quoted me. By the way, that was a Jeremy original! Feel free to use it, but every time you do, a want a royalty!!! Jeremy Davis(Quote)
Ron – Thanks for the info. I’m not sure if I mentioned it to you during the revival services but, if you can, try and check out the book – Letters from a Skeptic by Gregory Boyd. It’s available in both audio and print format. I think it is a tremendous help for Christians (and non-Christians alike) in addressing vital issues of the faith. You can order this title from your local bookstore (Cross Connection) or through our Hope Aflame store (click on Books n’ Stuff). Blessings, bro.
Jeremy –
…royalties… as soon as they start coming in, I’ll send some your way (lol). Thanks for the insights pertaining to the elders’ roles as care-pastors. Personally, I think the eldership model of church leadership is a tremendous setup which allows for a shared pastoral task (instead of the superman expectation that Jason D. mentioned above). If I’m not mistaken, you guys and gals do something similar with the youth program (with the student impact team and student leaders). BTW, how did the final form of the resume turn out?
Thanks, guys for the continued conversation. I think such dialogue is essential for us to live out the Kingdom life in the most faithful way possible. Shannon Mimbs(Quote)
It was great!!! I sent it in so that they can have something tangible. Like I’ve told you before, I appreciate it sooooooo much! It looks good. Definitely glad you helped me with that. A big jewel in your crown in heaven will be given to you for it, I just know it!!! Jeremy Davis(Quote)
Superman can wear as many hats as he wants to… :o) Jason D.(Quote)
Yes Shannon you did mentioned Letters from a Skeptic book by Gregory Boyd. I have the book now and reading it when I do have a chance. The book so far is great and I will be still reading it thru. Thanks again. Hope to keep in touch. I be still go thru your blogs here too. Ron Smith(Quote)
Shannon,
There is no one definition or description of what constitutes busy work; however, I would generally describe it as work which is designed to facilitate the church’s belief that what we are doing is important and therefore worth doing. The problem is that the activity is generally geared toward what “we feel” is beneficial for us or the church, not driven by what “God knows” is beneficial for His Kingdom. As a result:
1) People get caught in a web of activity which drains the life out of their soul because they are not being directed and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Instead the activity itself becomes an end unto itself. Rather than God’s will being the goal and God’s gifting (anointing) being the means, we become self-directed and self-empowered which ultimately leads to utter failure.
2) People are “plugged” into holes which were never meant by God to be filled, or which they are not designed by God to fill. In other words, we must ask God if this (the activity in which we are involved) is the need as He sees it. Secondly, am I one of the ones God has gifted to meet that need.
3) Quite frankly, another thing that sometimes happens in a church is we don’t know where we are, where we should be going, and therefore how can you (the church) possibly know how to get there. We then resort to a “just do something” mentality. It is much easier to just do something than to seek God as to what we should do. In the end we wind up “building a bridge to nowhere,” and God is not in the business of building useless bridges to nowhere.
I hope I have answered your question.:idea:
God Bless Mike Ward(Quote)
That is a good one. I don’t have much time do anything by working at walmart but when I get off or have a day off I read by bible and go to church during Wednesday’s night and Sunday night. I work morning shifts so I go nights services. The lord will guide u if u stay fellowship with him close. The lord will wake u up when u get out fellowship with him, Trust me I had that happen to me in the past. Ron Smith(Quote)