Four Essentials for Pastoral Ministry

I served as a pastor for 44 years (1974-2018).  I can tell you that it is a big job. Columnist Marshal Shelley summarizes a pastor’s job:

A couple weeks ago, I heard a beautifully succinct summation of pastoring. I was worshiping with a congregation made up mostly of twenty-somethings who had not been raised in church. As the service began, the pastor introduced himself and his calling.

“My name is Tom,” he said. “I’m a pastor here.  It’s my job to pray for you, whether you’re a Christian or not, and to talk with you about Jesus, whether you’re a Christian or not. That’s what I do.”

It’s just that simple, and it’s just that complicated. Because talking about Jesus leads us into all aspects of life. And when we pray for people, the deeper, unresolved parts of their lives inevitably surface.  It has always been this way.

One of the early “Church Fathers” described a pastor’s job: “Disturb­ers are to be re­buked, the low-spirited to be encouraged, the infirm to be sup­ported, objectors confuted, the treacherous guarded against, the unskilled taught, the lazy aroused, the contentious restrained, the haughty repressed, litigants pacified, the poor re­lieved, the oppressed lib­erated, the good approved, the evil borne with, and all are to be loved.” How’s that for a job description! Things haven’t changed much over the last 1,600 years.

So, the next time someone asks, “What does a pastor do?” just give them the ABC’s of the pastor’s task. A pastor is … ambassador, advocate, administrator, baptizer, building contractor, confidante, coach, cheerleader, discussion leader, encourager, emotional bag­gage handler, fund raiser, grace giver, grounds inspector, historian, interpreter, justice seeker, knowledge dispenser, leader, mediator, missionary, nurturer, organizer, opportu­nity spotter, preacher, problem solver, questioner, quarterback, reviewer, spokesperson, supervisor, teacher, trainer, unifier, utility player, umpire, volunteer coordinator, vision caster, wedding ceremony presider, X-ray technician (ability to see through alibis and ex­cuses), youth advocate, zeal stoker, zoo keeper (okay, so it just seems that way).

    While many things seek to lay claim on a pastor’s time, a wise pastor knows what is important and what is not important.  Paul in­structed two of his “preacher boys,” Timothy and Titus, in the things that they should make priorities in their ministry.  Among them are these four essentials every Bible believing pastor should practice…

1. A firm UPHOLDING of God’s Word. “Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers” (Titus 1:9). “Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 1:13).

With the plethora of modern translations of the Bible, a Bible believing preacher must have a solid grasp on the sound words of the old King James Bible.  It is the Bible God has used and blessed for the past 400 years.  Hold on to it and never let it go!

2. A fearless UPBRAIDING of false teachers. “For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake… Wherefore rebuke them sharply…” (Titus 1:10-13). “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (2 Tim. 4:2).

There are many false teachers who seek to deceive the sheep of God’s flock.  As a shepherd who guards the flock against wolves, a faithful pastor will confront the damnable heresies of false teachers with the truth of God’s Word.

3. A faithful UPKEEP of good works. “This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men. And let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful” (Titus 3:8, 14).

An important part of a pastor’s ministry is spiritual “upkeep,” that is, the task of “maintenance.”  According the law of entropy, without maintenance, anything will eventually fall apart (Prov. 24:30-32; Eccl. 10:18)!  A faithful pastor must affirm over-and-over the necessity of maintaining good works, otherwise his ministry will become unfruitful.

4. A fixed UPLOOK for Christ’s return. A pastor’s job is not over until “the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Tim. 6:14). He must keep his vision fixed upon “that blessed hope” and glorious appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13). This kind of “uplook” will keep a pastor from becoming discouraged and faint in the ministry.  Keep looking up! Your redemption draweth nigh!