PASTORAL LEADERSHIP
Dr. Alex Montoya
We have explored how the journey of the Christian life is
not to be merely an individual one, but a journey we undertake with others. We are not self-sufficient, independent
creatures, but we need the help and blessing that comes from relationships with
other believers in the context of the local church. In addition to the normal relationships with
others in the church, God provides another essential means of grace for our
lives: the leadership and care that comes from pastoral ministry.
To enable the building of his church and the extension of
the gospel, God has appointed leaders within the local church. All too often, deficiencies in the church
regarding the importance of leadership and the biblical role of elders have
sentenced congregations to immaturity and aimlessness. God’s desire, however, is for churches to
experience the maturity, stability, and fruitfulness that result when
leadership and care are extended by gifted leaders with proven character. In this lesson, we will explore the biblical
mandate for, and strategic importance of, pastoral leadership—God’s provision
for all of us to experience “care along the journey.”
“Effective leadership is the need of the hour, and for the
church under mandate to evangelize the world, it is an indispensable
requirement—indeed an urgent agenda.”—Alex
Montoya
I.
The
Biblical Basis for Pastoral Ministry
- Clarifying the terms
The New Testament uses three main
terms to speak of what we typically call a “pastor:” elder (presbyteros-Titus 1:5; 1 Timothy 5:17),
overseer/bishop (episkopos-1 Timothy
3:1-2; Titus 1:7), and pastor (poimen-Ephesians
4:11[1]). Scholars have long agreed that these terms,
instead of indicating separate offices, are actually used interchangeably[2],
giving us three different facets of the same office:
·
Overseer/bishop indicates the role of oversight.
·
Pastor indicates the role of care.
·
Elder indicates the necessity of spiritual
maturity.
- The imperative of a biblical perspective
It is increasingly popular for
pastoral ministry to be pragmatically defined or culturally conditioned, rather
than scripturally determined. When this
occurs, the role of the pastor is distorted, the effectiveness of the pastor is
diminished, and the health of the church is weakened.
II.
The
Characteristics of a Pastor/Elder
The Scriptures give us clear guidelines for viewing pastors
and for determining what pastors are to be like. These markers provide for us
both perspective (to view this through God’s eyes) and protection (from
cultural distortion).
- A gift from God to the church
Unlike gifts such as exhortation, administration,
and mercy, some gifts God gives to the church are actually people—the leaders
God gives to serve the church.
Ephesians
4:7-8, 11-14: “But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure
of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says, ‘When he ascended on high he led a host of
captives, and he gave gifts to men.’...And he gave the apostles, the prophets,
the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of
ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity
of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure
of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children,
tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by
human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.”
- A model for the church
Pastors are to lead lives of
integrity, faithfully modeling biblical standards for the Christian life. Indeed, all of the biblical qualifications for
an elder except one deal with character. Pastors are certainly not sinless, but there
should be the consistent display of these characteristics in their lives.
1
Timothy 3:1–7: “The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer,
he desires a noble task. Therefore an
overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded,
self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not
violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with
all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how
to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may
become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by
outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.”
Pastors in this local church take
this responsibility to be an example seriously, and they pursue accountability
to one another, as well as other leaders within the church.
- Consistent with God’s design for the church
In addition to the requirement of
godly character, Scripture also teaches that leadership in the church is to be
exercised in a primary way by men (1 Timothy 2:11-15). This requirement, far from being an outmoded,
culturally-conditioned standard, instead reflects the unique and complementary
roles men and women have as part of the created order.
We seek to affirm and apply all
that Scripture teaches about manhood and womanhood. Indeed, the biblical vision of manhood and
womanhood is a glorious one! Both men
and women are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). Therefore, men and women are equal in value
and dignity. We have equal worth before
God, equal access to Christ and the blessings of salvation (Galatians 3:28;
Acts 2:17-18), and we are equally valued members of the body of Christ. This Scriptural vision leaves no room for
feelings of superiority or inferiority, for pride or discouragement, on the
basis of gender.
Scripture is also clear that men
and women have different—but equally valuable roles in the home and in the
church. All members of the body of
Christ are gifted by God and are essential to the health of the church (1
Corinthians 12:4-26). However, Scripture
restricts the primary governing and teaching roles in the church to men (1
Timothy 2:11-15). Because we desire
Scripture to govern our practice, the elders of this church are all men. As pastors, we count it an unspeakable
privilege to care for and equip all the members of our church, both men and
women, to fulfill their God-given callings and to bear fruit for his glory and
for the good of the church.
- Recognized by the church
Since God gives leadership to the
church, it is the responsibility of the church, and especially the church’s
leaders, to recognize and acknowledge this leadership. When we use biblical criteria to assess
leadership in the church, we can be confident that our leaders are called by
God and given to the church to lead us.
“God, who drafts men and fits them
for ministry, intends that his work in them be on display so brightly that the
church is able to see it, and then able to confirm His call through their
appointment to public ministry.”—David
Hegg
III.
The
Role of a Pastor/Elder
In the early stages of the church, leaders recognized the
importance of maintaining biblical priorities in their labors (see Acts 6:1-4).
The Scriptures outline what the job
description of a pastor should be.
- Lead the church.
According to Scripture, elders are
called by God and accountable to God to lead the local church. The Bible describes this in various ways:
1
Timothy 5:17: “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor,
especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.”
1
Peter 5:2: “shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising
oversight...”
1
Timothy 3:4-5: “[An elder] must manage his own household well, with all dignity
keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his
own household, how will he care for God’s church?”
Romans
12:6, 8: “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us
use them:...the one who leads, with zeal.”
- Nourish the church.
God has ordained His Word as the
primary instrument for the nourishment and strengthening of His church, and He
charges pastors with the task of feeding the church with His Word. Indeed, the health and future of the church
depends upon His leaders faithfully transmitting sound doctrine and biblical
practice to others.
1
Timothy 4:6: “In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant
of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound
doctrine which you have been following” (NASB).
2
Timothy 4:1-2: “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is
to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach
the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort,
with complete patience and teaching.”
- Equip the church.
The pastor is to be an equipper,
training the church so that each member may be positioned for maximum
fruitfulness in his or her life. One
sign of effective pastoral ministry is the extent to which people are equipped
to then serve others. In a healthy local
church, leaders train—people minister!
Ephesians
4:11-12: “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors
and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry...”
- Protect the church.
As shepherds of God’s people,
pastors are called to protect the church from the dangers it faces, such as false teaching, the allurements of the world, and
the ravaging effects of sin. Pastors
protect the church in a variety of ways:
1. Teaching
sound doctrine to strengthen the church in its faith and life
1 Timothy 4:6: “In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will
be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the
faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following” (NASB).
2. Discerning
errors and temptations offered by the culture, to protect the church from
erroneous doctrine or practice
Acts 20:28-31: “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock,
in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God
3. Modeling,
encouraging, and protecting biblical standards of godliness. This includes, when necessary, the administering
of church discipline in cases of unrepentant believers in a biblical and
redemptive manner.
Matthew 18:15-17: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him
his fault, between you and him alone. If
he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two
others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of
two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church.
And if he refuses to listen even to the
church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.”
“A shepherd’s oversight of the flock
expresses itself broadly in two ways. First,
the shepherds provide truthful, positive direction and leadership to the flock.
Second, they watch for spiritual dangers
such as sin, false teaching, and false teachers, including Satan’s assaults against
the church.”
—John MacArthur, Jr.
E. Serve
the church.
Although pastors are responsible to
lead the church, they are to do so as servants. Following the example of Jesus who “came not
to be served but to serve” (Mark 10:45), leaders are to posture themselves as
servants and expend themselves for the glory of God and the good of others.
Mark
10:43-45: “But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be
your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served
but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
1
Peter 5:2-3: “shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight,
not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful
gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being
examples to the flock.”
IV.
The
Biblical Response to Leadership in the Church
A. Actively
identify your designated place of involvement.
The New Testament is clear that
each Christian is allotted by God to a specific local church and to the
eldership of that church. This divine
assignment results in numerous benefits:
·
It helps to ensure that believers are properly
cared for.
·
It provides an explicit context in which
believers are to serve others.
·
It helps leaders to identify those for whom they
are accountable before God.
·
It creates an accountability arrangement in
which unrepentant believers can be cared for biblically and redemptively.
Hebrews 13:17: “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are
keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let
them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage
to you.”
B. Exercise
the responsibilities of membership.
At our church, there are certain
expectations of members, which are simply expressions of a biblical commitment
to a particular local church. It would
be natural to expect that any member who is pursuing his or her relationship
with God and believes that God has called him or her to this church will fulfill
these expectations:
1. Support of the church’s
Statement of Faith
2. Consistent participation in
the Sunday morning meeting
3. Consistent participation in a Growth
Group
4. Regular involvement in serving
5. Regular financial support of
the church
6. Willingness to support and
follow the leadership of the church
7. A commitment to living by
God’s Word and to growing in godliness
C. Maintain
a biblical attitude toward your leaders.
To our individualistic culture,
the Bible’s commands concerning leaders might seem antiquated or, perhaps,
authoritative. Neither is the case. And, as with all the Bible’s commands, proper
understanding and faith-filled obedience will result in blessing for ourselves
and for the church as a whole. By what
should our attitudes be characterized?
1. A
faith-filled submission
Hebrews 13:17: “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are
keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with
groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.”
Submission does not mean
passivity or blind obedience. Rather,
submission is an expression of faith towards God—that He has appointed leaders
for us and He will use them for our good. It recognizes the critical role that leadership
plays in bringing about God’s purposes in the church and in the lives of
believers. Fundamentally, submission is
an attitude: a disposition to affirm and support the leadership of the church,
and to increase its effectiveness through joyful and faith-filled
participation.
2. A
God-honoring appreciation
1 Timothy 5:17: “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of
double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.”
1 Thessalonians 5:12-13: “We ask you, brothers, to respect those who
labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem
them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among ourselves.”
The appeal to honor
leaders can seem self-serving. Biblically,
though, honor is an expression of humility and integrity. The biblical concept of honor exhorts us to
recognize God’s provision through another person, to cultivate gratitude for
this provision, and rightfully to appreciate and acknowledge those who have
served and benefited us. In so doing, we
are actually giving glory to God for his goodness to us through other people. There exists an unfortunate confusion between
exalting leaders and honoring leaders in the body of Christ. Exalting leaders
is idolatry and is totally unacceptable. Honoring leaders, however, is biblical and
should be the
regular attitude and practice of every Christian.
D. Support
your leaders in their labors.
The apostle John voiced a
sentiment which resonates in the heart of every pastor: “I have no greater joy
than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (3 John 4). In addition to passionately pursuing God,
believers can support the labors of their pastors in many ways:
·
Joyfully participating in the life of the
church.
·
Praying for your elders.
·
Refusing to listen to slander or accusation
against your elders.
V.
The
Blessings of Leadership
Biblically, ungodly leadership (or the absence of
leadership) is viewed as an expression of God’s judgment, and godly leadership
as an expression of blessing (e.g., Isaiah 3:1-5). The same is true in the church: God appoints leaders
for the purpose of bringing about His intentions for the church, including health,
growth, stability, and maturity.
Ultimately, the church’s leaders are a primary means by
which God’s own care for His people is expressed. Pastors are merely
under-shepherds, laboring on behalf of the Chief Shepherd—Jesus Christ (1 Peter
5:2, 4). As a famous hymn states, the journey of the Christian life is fraught
with “many dangers, toils, and snares.” Leadership in the church helps provide
“care along the journey,” that we might not only have safe passage, but grow
into the fullness of God’s purposes for the church, for His glory.
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