And it was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for works of ministry and to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, as we mature to the full measure of the stature of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed about by the waves and carried around by every wind of teaching and by the clever cunning of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ Himself, who is the head. From Him the whole body, fitted and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love through the work of each individual part. - Ephesians 4:11-16
In those days when the disciples were increasing in number, the Grecian Jews among them began to grumble against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve summoned all the disciples and said, “It is unacceptable for us to neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables. Therefore, brothers, select from among you seven men confirmed to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will appoint this responsibility to them and will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word. - Acts 6:1-4
Ok. Go back and read the above scriptures one more time and then come back.
This week we read something that really caught our attention. Hoping it will spur prayerful thought and consideration, while also knowing it may cause a firestorm of responses, we wanted to share it with you and hear what you think.
Bill Tenney-Brittain is one of North America’s most trusted church advisers. On his blog, The Effective Church Group, he posted an article about the five tasks of the lead pastor. It’s a quick-read article but at the end of it he posts:
Do you notice tasks that aren’t there? The first comment we hear from many congregations is, “But what about us? What about pastoral care and hospital visitation and shut-in communion and …” Please re-read Ephesians 4:11–13 – the pastor equips the saints for member care as well as other ministries. Need another example? Luke 15:3–7 tells the story of the good shepherd. In that parable, the shepherd literally abandons the ninety-nine and leaves them to look after themselves while the shepherd takes on the task of reaching the lost. Is this not exactly what we see in the book of Acts? The Apostles spent their time preaching in the public square, in the synagogues, and often in prison…rather than doing member care. Effective, faithful, and sustainable churches today grow because the Lead Pastors have the margins to engage in life transforming ministries like evangelism and discipleship. They lead well-equipped teams of ministers, sometimes called church members, to do the work and ministry and mission of the church. And when they do, they not only accomplish so much more … they have time to be great spouses, parents, neighbors, and spiritually grounded disciples of Jesus Christ.
It is a truth that most churches have a guide-line or list of expectations of what their pastor is supposed to do. Why is this? Because the pastor is usually being interviewed and hired for a job. A job that has unfortunately become a business with a budget, meetings, and facility maintenance.
But, if we were to re-read (or actually for the first time read) God’s Holy Word we would find that we have turned upside down what was handed to us over 2,000 years ago.
I (Steve) am writing this early on a Wednesday morning, while sitting in the front row of the sanctuary, surrounded by red carpet, a white pulpit and communion table, and rows of stained glass. Why? Because “Pastors need to have office hours…”
Well, if the pandemic and near utter collapse of the world’s economy has taught us anything, you can do your “job” without walls.
Funny thing - do you know where Missy and I do most of our pastoral care, evangelism and discipleship - outside the walls of the church. In real life. In homes. At the grocery store. In the marketplace.
Do you want to know why the church in North America has decreased so dramatically? Do you really want to know why North America is a post-Christian nation? Hint: it ain’t COVID…
It’s because we’ve got it all wrong. We’ve done it all wrong.
We have allowed the world to tell the church how to be successful rather than follow Jesus’ command for the church to be faithful.
The pastor/pastoral couple is called by God to serve Him and His people. Missy and I serve by training those entrusted to us to do the work of the kingdom. We spend our time wisely praying, studying, seeking God’s wisdom and then sharing what is revealed to us with the people of God.
In turn, the people of God grow in their faith and love. They learn how to treat others better than themselves and care for “the least of these.” They obey the first and greatest command: love.
They have been given the command to “Go” and to “love God and their neighbor.”
It’s the way of the Master. It should be our way as well. It’s actually the purpose of this weekly offering. We hope to take a little less than five minutes of your week and give you something to consider, pray about and hopefully help you grow.
What do you think? Have we got it all wrong? Can we get it right? And, what would happen if we did get it right?
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