Pastor is a fairly common word in the church lexicon. In what cases is it used? It refers to clergy who fulfill the mission of spiritual mentors and educators of the parishioners of their community. In the article we will examine in more detail who a pastor is and what is unique about his ministry in various denominations of Christianity.

Pastor image

The Middle East differs in many ways in its way of life from European countries, and even the shepherd traditions here are completely different. For us, the image of a shepherd is familiar, when he walks behind the flock and oversees it. In the East, since ancient times, sheep have been herded in a different way. The pastor (shepherd, shepherd) walked ahead and cast his voice. The herd followed only its owner, since sheep remember voices well, they did not respond to the call of a stranger.

The image of the eastern shepherd became the basis of the biblical image of shepherding. Who is a pastor in the Bible?

Even in the Old Testament, God was called the shepherd, and the people of Israel acted as his flock.

History of the Pastor's Image

Later, the Old Testament priesthood attributed this analogy to themselves; they began to be considered authorized by the Almighty to teach the people (flock) morality and religious principles. The kings of Judah and Israel were considered shepherds, since they were known as God’s anointed ones and represented his interests in all vital aspects of the state.

Later, the preacher Jesus entered the world; he had nothing to do with the priesthood, but claimed to be the son of God and acquired the service of a shepherd. In the New Testament, Jesus called himself the good shepherd, whom all the sheep know and listen to. In those days, groups of Jewish priests and leaders discredited the religion in the eyes of the people and authorities. Jesus contrasted himself with the Sadducees and Pharisees; he began to explain in a different way who a pastor is in Christianity. He led his people behind him and opened up to them new faith and opportunities.

Who is a Pastor?

Each pastor is placed in his place of ministry by none other than the Lord himself, for a given period of time in a given place. God appoints as a shepherd the very person who, for reasons unknown to us, will help fulfill God’s plans on Earth.

A shepherd is a living person, called by God to serve the church, that is, to all of us who believe in Christ the Savior. A pastor, like all of us, has the same earthly needs: family, home, children, everyday problems and much more. He has the same material needs, he is able to feel and hurt, to be sensitive like us, and maybe even more. His heart is experiencing multiple problems that are associated with numerous personal and church issues. A pastor can grieve and rejoice, be at peace and sad, worry and worry, be comforted and cry. He also has his own inner world, needs and personal needs. He was appointed by God to serve us, and who, if not the parishioners, needs to take care of the health of their shepherd? After all, with our support, he will be more able to serve, the pastor’s sermons will be more clearly filled with God’s blessing and strength for believers. This person also needs support and our participation, so that at a difficult moment someone will be there, listen and support, and pray for him. In the difficult work of a pastor, his flock must support him.

Pastor's Ministry

Pastoral ministry is a great responsibility before God. This has been confirmed by clergy for many centuries; nothing has changed these days; perhaps there are more technical opportunities to carry out one’s word.

Thus, Pastor Eugene from the Christian Recovery Center brings his word of God to the people, and many young people join him. They, in turn, bring the Gospel to the masses using the most modern methods.

Pastor Sergei tries to reach hearts with his spiritual songs, which anyone can download and listen to completely free of charge.

Every pastor is assigned to serve by God; he is responsible for his actions before the Almighty himself and is aware of this. The servant of God worries to tears about each of his parishioners; sometimes he loses sleep, turns gray early, and develops heart disease. How long do our shepherds stand on their knees before the Lord, atone for our sins... Who knows about this? Only God himself, who sees everything secret.

In addition, the first enemy and important target for the devil is the shepherd. Attacks and temptations come at him from all sides. He must endure everything and survive in this difficult battle.

Pastor in the Russian Empire

If you look into history, you can see what a pastor was like in the Russian Empire. This place could have been taken by a man no younger than twenty-five years old. He must be confirmed, baptized, and have successfully graduated from the theological faculty of the university. Contrary to the opinion of the parishioners, no one was appointed to this position. The pastor had to visit prisoners and the sick, take care of the poor, visit schools, and oversee the development of the religious education of the new generation. The pastor's day was full of worries. His responsibility was to maintain lists in his parish of all those born, engaged, buried, baptized, and married. Every year all lists were submitted to the consistory. The pastor kept a chronicle of the parish, all the most important events, as well as a complete list of parishioners.

He was forbidden to engage in crafts, trade, and other matters not similar to his clergy, and was not allowed to go to court unless the matter concerned his family personally. The preacher could not leave the parish on Sunday, nor could he leave it without the permission of his superior ministers for more than a week. In addition to the salary, it was allowed to receive a reward for fulfilling the requirements.

Catholics

In Catholicism, the pastoral role is divided between three categories of people - the Pope, bishops of various ranks and priests.

The pope is essentially also a bishop, but here his role is so unique that the functions of his ministry can be spoken of as something special and independent. For Catholics, the Pope is the vicar of Christ himself on Earth. His pastoral power extends to the entire church, at least to the entire part that recognizes him, which is almost one and a half billion people.

Translated from Greek, bishop means “overseer.” A bishop is a pastor within one diocese, an ecclesiastical region. A priest - within a specific community, parish.

The life of pastors and their duties boil down to serving masses and performing various sacraments: confession, confirmation, baptism and others. This is how a pastor in the Catholic Church introduces himself.

Orthodox

Orthodoxy is not much different from Catholicism. A Christian pastor essentially performs the same functions. A separate issue, of course, is the position of the Pope. For the most part, the Orthodox do not recognize his role as the vicar of Christ and have no such analogue.

The Orthodox Church divides two categories of clergy - bishops and priests. Responsibilities within them are distributed similarly to Catholicism.

There is a transcript version Orthodox word"pop" as in "orthodox sheep pastor." Since Byzantine times, believers have seen their clergy as bosses and masters, privileged individuals, which is completely contrary to the ethics of shepherds from the New Testament, where it is explained that the pastor shepherds the entrusted flock with meekness and fear, wisdom, not dominating, but respecting his flock. The present title “lord” or “master” looks ambiguous against the backdrop of Jesus’ teachings.

Protestants

Similar conclusions about clergy were made in Protestantism. In this direction of faith, various titles were simply abolished and the very concept of the priesthood was nullified. It is worth noting that there are many Protestant denominations in which the concepts differ significantly. Anglicans, for example, are closer to Catholics, while Pentecostals, on the contrary, are very far from them. This also applies to the concepts of shepherding and the word of the pastor.

Protestants choose a layman to serve, who acts with the consent of the entire community; he is the shepherd here and brings the word to the believers. The main task of Protestants is preaching.

There is no vertical power structure or complex hierarchy here, like Catholics and Orthodox Christians. Preaching, however, is combined with administrative functions among Protestants. To put it simply, a pastor is called here specifically the one who this moment performs pastoral functions, there is no anointing. As soon as service ceases, this status is removed from the person.

The character of a pastor as God intended him to be cannot be understood apart from the context in which and for which he exists. The divine plan for the salvation of souls includes not only the redemption accomplished by Christ on the cross of Calvary, but also the building of the Church. The great work of redemption, presented in the pages of the Bible as the main work of God, includes several clearly distinguishable stages. The first stage can be called the planning stage. We know very little about this stage. Many of its elements are even difficult for us to understand in the light of further developments. However, the Bible is very clear that even before the creation of the world, even before man was created, there was a decision within the Divine Trinity to carry out a great plan for the redemption of people. The Apostle Peter puts it this way:

...knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, silver or gold, from the vain life handed down to you from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as a spotless and spotless Lamb, predestined before the foundation of the world, but who was revealed in last times for you... (1 Pet. 1:18-20).

The second stage of the plan of redemption was the long preparation for the incarnation. In one of his letters, the Apostle Paul specifically notes that the coming of Jesus Christ took place at a special time determined by God. At this point, all the necessary conditions for the mission of redemption had been prepared.

...But when the fulness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, made subject to the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption as sons (Gal. 4:4-5).

The preparation stage for the coming of the Redeemer included a lot: the calling of Abraham, the emergence of the people of Israel, its Egyptian captivity and miraculous liberation from it, the sending down of the Law and the conclusion of the Covenant with Israel, the retreat and Babylonian captivity. All this was necessary to create the conditions under which the Messiah was to perform atonement.

The life of Jesus Christ on earth, His substitutionary death on the cross, and His resurrection from the dead represent the most active and certainly the most important phase of the divine plan of redemption. The famous “It is finished,” uttered by Christ on the cross at the moment of dying, indicated the completion of the main stage of this plan. At the same time, the victory of the Messiah on Golgotha ​​was not an end in itself. Having become the completion of one stage, the stage of preparation and completion of redemption, it laid the foundation for the next period - the creation of the Church.

The Church was conceived and created by God and Jesus Christ personally. During His earthly life, Jesus noted many times that the creation of the Church was main goal His mission. No matter how great the atonement was, it was only an instrument or means to achieve the main goal - the creation of a Church consisting of redeemed people.

For the first time, Jesus spoke about this openly and specifically in His conversation with the disciples, after the famous confession of Peter. By saying, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God,” Peter acknowledged His Divinity. Immediately after these words, Jesus directs the attention of Peter and the other disciples to the main goal of His mission: “...I will build My church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it...” (Matt. 16:18). This was said long before Calvary. Going on the feat of redemption, Jesus saw as His goal not only the very fact of fulfilling the will of the Father, but also what would happen as a result of it. These words of Jesus Christ outlined the horizon of eternity as it was in His consciousness. The main object on this horizon was the Church. Charles Bridges rightly writes about this: “The church is a mirror reflecting the radiance of the divine essence. It is the great stage on which the perfections of Jehovah are revealed to the universe.”

Having laid the foundation for the creation of the Church, Jesus Christ thought out in detail the principles by which it should develop. The Church is not a human invention, therefore the principles of its life are determined not by people, but by the One who possesses divine, perfect wisdom, and who gave His life to create it. One of the Scriptures that explains in most detail the principles of the structure of the Church is the fourth chapter of the Epistle to the Ephesians. The Apostle Paul presents in it the essence of the Church, the basis of its life, the mechanism and methods of its growth, the principles of interaction of members with each other, etc. This presentation begins with a very important circumstance. The Apostle clearly and unequivocally states that the full development of the Church depends to a great extent on its ministers, pastors.

And He appointed some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, and others as shepherds and teachers, for equipping the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ... (Eph. 4:11-12).

The institution of pastor-teachers was established by Jesus Christ Himself. In God's original plan, these people play a huge role. Having appropriate gifts and certain experience in personal spiritual life, pastors are responsible for providing other Christians with everything necessary for their full development, in order to make them capable of serving the building of the Church. This is a very important element in the overall development process of the Body of Christ. Having redeemed his Church through the sacrifice of Calvary cross, The Son of God entrusts her to the care of the shepherds. Paul emphasized this during his famous meeting with the Ephesian elders at Miletus:

Therefore, take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the Church of the Lord and God, which He purchased with His own blood (Acts 20:28).

The nature of the pastor's role in the Church is unique. Pastors are not just specialists in working with people, they are not just managers or organizers who ensure the implementation of certain projects. Pastors are to be conduits of God's soul-creating grace. Only then will they be able to fulfill the task set before them by Christ. Therefore, pastors must be transformed into the character of Christ more than others. This is their privilege and first responsibility. Charles Bridges quotes Mather on this matter:

The highest dignity, if not the greatest happiness, that human nature can perceive in this earthly world is to have such an enlightened soul, which has become a mirror and conductor of divine truth for other people.

Issues of salvation and transformation of souls are beyond the control of people, no matter how outstanding abilities they may have. They are beyond human capabilities. The creation of souls, as well as the creation of the Church that directly depends on it, can only be carried out as a result of the direct action of the Holy Spirit. This is His prerogative. God uses pastors in this matter only as special instruments or active agents of the divine transformation of souls.

This is why a pastor's qualifications are determined primarily by the quality of his character. A pastor's giftedness and training in the study and exposition of the Scriptures, individual work with souls, and church leadership are also very important, as is the skill of practical ministry, but the quality of his character ranks first on this list. In order for the Spirit of God to work through a pastor, He must first transform him, only then does the process of spiritual influence become possible, leading to the transformation of the souls around him.

A pastor's character is a multifaceted concept that includes various aspects of his personality. The Holy Scriptures, when describing the requirements for pastors, specifically focus on the qualities of his character. This is especially discussed in detail in First Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9. These texts are often explained in various pastor training books. This article focuses on studying the character of the pastor in terms of his role in relation to God, to the people he leads, as well as to the fellow shepherds and brothers with whom he serves. This approach allows us to better emphasize the practical significance of each of the necessary qualities of a pastor’s character.

I. The Pastor as God's Servant

First of all, a pastor is God's servant. This is dictated by the very nature of pastoring. In modern Christianity, unfortunately, far from the most accurate image of a pastor has been established. The image of a successful pastor in modern world most often associated with the image of a speaker, administrator, organizer, politician, fundraiser, etc., but not with the image of a servant. But this is exactly what the Holy Scriptures are talking about when presenting shepherds.

Jesus Christ says about Himself that becoming a servant was one of the main purposes of His coming to earth.

...For the Son of Man did not come [to] be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many (Matt. 20:28).

The Apostle Paul constantly described himself as a servant of Jesus Christ, emphasizing that service, accompanied by hard work, was a constant component of his life. In one of his messages, he emphasizes that people should perceive him and his employees in this way.

So, everyone should understand us as ministers of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God (1 Cor. 4:1).

The Greek word translated here as "servants" literally means oarsmen who did their hard work on the lower deck of Roman war galleys. Subsequently, it began to be applied to everyone who played the role of a subordinate to someone. Paul emphasizes that he is a subordinate of Jesus Christ, His servant, His slave. The position of servant includes several qualities.

A. Humility

The servant's self-perception is primarily associated with deep humility. The effectiveness of a pastor is directly proportional to the level of actual humility of his soul. This is quite natural for several reasons.

First of all, pride, or the pretense of self-importance, is the main internal vice inherited by people as a result of original sin. Humility becomes the starting point of any spiritual progress. In the book of the prophet Isaiah, God speaks about this: “But this is the one I will look to: the humble and contrite in spirit, and the one who trembles at My word” (Is. 66:2). A pastor, by definition, is a person knower of God better than others and having the experience of a deep relationship with Him. This requires him to make significant progress in personal humility. The famous 17th century church minister, Richard Baxter, in his practical recommendations for pastors, emphasizes: “How can we expect humility from our parishioners if we ourselves are not humble.”

In addition, pastoral ministry is associated with fulfilling the will of Jesus Christ, who is the Lord of the Church and Chief Shepherd (Eph. 4:11-12; 1 Pet. 5:4). This requires pastors to consciously commit themselves to learning and consistently living out what Christ wants. This requires a constant refusal to assert oneself and one's preferences for the sake of conscious submission of oneself to the will of Jesus Christ. Elsewhere Baxter notes this detail:

The work of a minister should be devoted solely to God and the salvation of His people, and not to any of our personal gain. This is our sincerity. A false goal makes the whole work completely unworthy, no matter how good it may be in itself. Self-denial is absolutely necessary for every Christian. But it is doubly necessary for the minister, since he is doubly sanctified and dedicated to God. Without self-denial, he cannot serve God faithfully.

Another important reason why a pastor should have humility is to be realistic. A person who thinks highly of himself does not understand reality and therefore cannot be a spiritual leader for others. Contrary to popular belief, humility is not some special virtue and a simple recognition of the fact that a person in himself really does not mean anything. All his significance lies in God, who created him and determines the purpose of his life and its meaning.

Here's how one of the modern authors puts it: “Humility is not self-abasement, it is recognition of who you are. I know who I am, and that I am nothing without God's grace.”

The Apostle Paul speaks about this. By being realistic about himself, he sets a wonderful example of humility. Throughout his life, already an accomplished apostle, widely known for his successful ministry, he continued to see himself as the greatest sinner, saved by Christ only by His grace (1 Tim. 1:15). In relation to the other apostles, he saw himself as unworthy even to bear this title (1 Cor. 15:9). At the same time, he was deeply aware that his life had great meaning and tremendous significance, invested in him by Christ and His grace (1 Cor. 15:10).

True humility makes a pastor gentle and confident at the same time, allowing him to be truly effective in the ministry of building souls.

B. Loyalty

The second characteristic associated with the pastor's position as God's servant is his faithfulness to God. The shepherds are not doing their job. Giving his final instruction to the elders in Ephesus, the Apostle Paul emphasized that the Holy Spirit has appointed ministers to shepherd the Church of God.

Therefore, take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the Church of the Lord and God, which He purchased with His own blood (Acts 20:28).

The church does not belong to us. We do not determine what it should be and how it should develop. Therefore, our main task is to be faithful to our Master, the One who called and appointed us to shepherd His Church.

In determining what the ministry and development of the church should be, pastors do not need to reinvent the wheel. Their task is not to come up with something new and sophisticated. God-given shepherds are meant to understand the reality of God's structure for building the church and to take their proper place in it to faithfully follow what their Master wants. Mark Dever writes about this in his book, Thoughtful Church Building: “Ignoring God's plan for the church and replacing it with your own will make your work eternally meaningless.”

Even in the Old Testament, speaking about true shepherds for his people, God emphasized: “And I will give you shepherds after My heart, who will shepherd you with knowledge and prudence” (Jer. 3:15). The phrase "after God's own heart" is often translated as "those who think like God." One of the commentators on the Book of Jeremiah notes: "'Heart' is sometimes the equivalent of 'understanding'." The shepherd appointed by God constantly comprehends what fills the heart of God and brings himself into harmonious harmony with Him.

Shepherds are people who understand the heart of God, who have the same understanding of life, understanding of people, understanding of circumstances that God has. Real shepherds are people who are saturated with the mind of God, His feelings, His attitude towards what surrounds them. In this sense they are His representatives.

By committing his church and his sheep to the shepherds, God instructed them to see people through His eyes, feel their condition with His heart, and respond to perceived reality with His truth and love. The phrase "a man after God's own heart" was originally applied to King David. Recalling the story of King David in one of his sermons, the Apostle Paul explained the meaning of this term as follows:

Having rejected him, he made David king for them, about whom he said, testifying: “I have found a man after My heart, David the son of Jesse, who will fulfill all My desires” (Acts 13:22).

To be a man after God's own heart means to be a guide and doer of His desires, to be faithful to Him, to do what God wants.

Among other things, the need for absolute faithfulness to God in ministry is also indicated by the fact that shepherds will be responsible directly before God. The ministry of a shepherd is very serious. People are accustomed to seeing pastoring as a position of privilege and power. In reality this is far from the case. By trusting the shepherds of His sheep, God clearly says that He will strictly ask for each of them.

Obey your leaders and be submissive, for they are constantly watching over your souls, as obligated to give an account; so that they do this with joy, and not groaning, for this is not good for you (Heb. 13:17, our emphasis. - A.K.).

The Old Testament contains many examples of God taking shepherds seriously. During the time of the prophet Jeremiah, when the people of Israel were very deeply mired in their sinfulness, God made claims primarily against the shepherds:

Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, to the shepherds who feed my people: “You have scattered My sheep, and scattered them, and have not looked after them; behold, I will punish you for your evil deeds, says the Lord” (Jer. 23:2). ).

Being a shepherd is scary. John Chrysostom spoke about his experiences in connection with pastoral responsibility before God: “The fear caused by this threat shakes my soul.” We are dealing with souls for whom Christ died. He called us not only to sincerely try to do His work, but to do it according to the pattern He established, in the structure He determined.

II. Pastor as shepherd

The second area of ​​ministry that defines the character of a pastor is his responsibility to shepherd the sheep of Jesus Christ. Entrusting his flock to the care of pastors, Jesus sets before them certain tasks, the solution of which largely determines the process of growth and creation of the Church. One of the main such tasks is shepherding.

Shepherding is a very serious matter that is often underestimated by both the sheep and the shepherds themselves. Sheep, under the influence of their flesh, do not always want to be shepherded, while shepherds do not really want to engage in shepherding, and often do not even know what it is.

John MacArthur, in his book Revisiting Pastoral Ministry, emphasizes:

Shepherding a spiritual flock is not so easy. To be a spiritual shepherd, it is not enough just to accompany the flock everywhere. The demands placed on shepherds are very high, and it is difficult to meet such standards (1 Tim. 3:1-7). Not everyone has the necessary qualities, and even among those who do, not everyone succeeds. Spiritual pastoring requires piety, giftedness, and numerous skills. At the same time, he must remain humble and meek, like a shepherd boy.

Due to the particular complexity of pastoring, as well as under the influence of modern theories of church growth, pastors turn into priests officiating liturgical ceremonies, into managers or into mass entertainers. True shepherding requires several key qualities from the pastor.

A. Caring

First of all, a shepherd is a person who sincerely cares about the welfare of the sheep entrusted to his care. His main goal is not the development of the organization, not holding events, not achieving fame and influence among those in power in society, but the full spiritual development of its people.

This is precisely the task that the Lord Jesus Christ set before His best apostle. Before leaving to the Father, He addressed him with a threefold command: “Feed My sheep” (John 21:15-17). He did not command Peter to create a Christian denomination, union, mission, or seminary. The purpose of the ministry of pastors, entrusted to them by the Son of God, who accomplished the great feat of redemption and founded the Church, is to provide pastoral care for His sheep.

The Apostle Paul explains in more detail that the pastoral care of the ministers of the church, for which they are appointed by Christ, is aimed at achieving growth in maturity, in the spiritual integrity of the personality of each member of the church.

And He appointed some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as shepherds and teachers, for equipping the saints for the work of ministry, for the edification of the Body of Christ, until we all come into the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, into a perfect man, to the full measure the age of Christ; so that we may no longer be babes, tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine, through the cunning of men, through the cunning art of deception, but through true love we may turn everything into Him who is the head, Christ, from whom the whole body is composed and held together through every mutually binding bond, when each member acts to its own measure, it receives growth for the creation of itself in love (Eph. 4:11-16).

Spiritual growth is expressed in the consistent overcoming of the consequences of original sin, which caused damage to every person. The word καταρτισμὸν (katartismon), translated in the Synodal Version as “to complete,” literally means “to repair, to correct damage.” John MacArthur writes about it this way: "It indicates the restoration of something to its original state, improvement or bringing into a state of readiness for some purpose."

This is the highest good of every Christian. Shepherding must help him grow out of infancy. By caring for him, pastors help him reach maturity by repairing the damage caused by sin. As a result, the Christian gains inner stability, conviction of truth, and confidence in Jesus Christ, whom he comes to know through experience and imbued with His character.

Pastors have always faced similar tasks. Prophetically speaking about the restoration of the people of Israel, God emphasized: “And I will give you shepherds after My heart, who will shepherd you with knowledge and discretion (Jer. 3:15).

Pastoral care requires the pastor to have sincere love for his flock. This is a special state of heart that a pastor acquires as he comes to know Jesus Christ personally. Spurgeon, instructing his students, future pastors, unequivocally stated:

The eloquence of the heart cannot be learned in any school; it is given only at the foot of the Cross. It is better for you never to learn the art of human eloquence, but to have the power of heavenly love.

The Apostle Paul describes in detail the pastor's approach to people, speaking about his ministry in Thessalonica.

...We could appear with importance, like the Apostles of Christ, but we were quiet among you, like a nurse tenderly treats her children. So, out of zeal for you, we wanted to convey to you not only the gospel of God, but also our souls, because you have become kind to us (1 Thess. 2:7-8).

Pastoral love for people must have a real expression. Paul's love for the believers in this city was practically expressed in the fact that he and his associates approached them tenderly and carefully, with a sincere concern for their welfare. Ted Christman, in Dear Timothy, explains the importance of the pastor's love and care being not only visible, but recognized by the congregation:

Your sheep should know and feel without a shadow of a doubt that you are soft, gentle, kind, friendly, interested in and focused on their welfare. If they doubt the reality of these qualities, they will inevitably doubt your love. If they doubt your love, the effectiveness of your ministry will be virtually paralyzed.

In turn, sincere love for the flock, real concern for the spiritual growth and well-being of the sheep requires shepherds to have a good knowledge of the truth of the Holy Scriptures and a correct attitude towards it. Spiritual growth is ensured through timely and accurate spiritual nutrition. The apostles said a lot about this. Peter, instructing his flock, says: “... desire the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow to salvation” (1 Pet. 2:2). Paul, entrusting Timothy with ministry in Ephesus, says: “Until I come, be occupied with reading, instruction, teaching... Be careful about these things, continue in these things, so that your success may be obvious to everyone” (1 Tim. 4:13-15) .

Spiritual nutrition is not just filling people's minds with knowledge of the Bible. In order for knowledge of truth to be transformed into real spiritual growth, a person must worship God, acknowledge the absolute authority of His Word, believe that truth is practically defined in the text of Scripture, understand the truth in relation to a specific situation in his life and consistently be obedient to it. This requires the pastor to have several important components.

First of all, the shepherd himself must have a deep conviction in the authority, accessibility and sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures, which would be transmitted to his sheep. In addition, he must himself bow to the truth of God's Word, live practically recognizing its authority, submitting to the truth in the actual circumstances of life. This should be obvious to the people around him. Without accepting the Word of God as absolute authority in the practical situations of life, people will not live by it, and accordingly they will not grow spiritually.

Moreover, the pastor must know the Scriptures deeply enough to accurately see every practical situation of life in the light of its truth. It is not enough just to know the right doctrines; it is not enough to know the Scriptures in general, although all this is very important. It is necessary to see in Scripture the principles that practically govern our lives today. These principles must be known accurately, with a well-founded conviction that they really are the Word of God that determines this or that situation in life. The Apostle Paul spoke about this to Timothy: “Be diligent to show yourself approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15).

It is equally important to understand life, circumstances and condition well. inner world the people we herd to provide them with the food they really need at the moment. The Epistle to the Thessalonians says: “We also beseech you, brethren, admonish the disorderly, comfort the faint-hearted, support the weak, be patient with everyone (1 Thess. 5:14). The shepherd must know exactly who is cowardly, who is weak, and who is disorderly, to apply the right truth to each person.What makes true shepherds unique is that they understand the individual characteristics and circumstances of their sheep and know how to provide them with everything they need to grow and be fully formed.

And lastly, the shepherd must be able to clearly and convincingly convey the truth both in general from the pulpit and in individual shepherding, in personal conversations with people.

B. Protection

In addition to caring for the welfare and spiritual growth of the flock, shepherding includes protecting people from dangers. The shepherd must have a good knowledge of what can threaten his sheep and how to protect the sheep from danger. It is also necessary that he actually watches over them and also has the courage to practically defend them when the need arises. The Apostle Paul persistently convinced the elders of this in Ephesus:

So, take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the Church of the Lord and God, which He purchased with His own blood. For I know that after I am gone, fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among yourselves men will arise who will speak perverse things, so as to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore, stay awake, remembering that for three years I taught each of you day and night without ceasing with tears. And now I commend you, brethren, to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to edify [you] more and to give you an inheritance with all those who are sanctified (Acts 20:28-32).

“Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock”—pay close attention to what is going on both in your heart and in the hearts of your people.

Shepherds are spiritual fathers whose responsibility includes caring for each soul entrusted to their care. Shepherds should know well how their charges live, what fills their hearts, where they experience difficulties, where dangers await them, etc. The Apostle Paul also spoke about this, calling on shepherds to oversee their sheep:

I beseech your shepherds... feed the flock of God which is among you, overseeing it not under compulsion, but willingly and pleasing to God, not for vile gain, but out of zeal... (1 Pet. 5:1-2).

The word oversee (Greek ἐπισκοποῦντες, episkopountes) in this place means “to pay attention,” “observe,” “take care,” and carries the idea of ​​protection from a possible threat. The word "bishop" comes from this word. Unfortunately, over time this word has acquired an inaccurate meaning. Bishops began to be understood as church leaders who held a post and rose above others.

In fact, the apostle Peter says that shepherds are those who closely watch over each person entrusted to their care with the goal of sincerely caring for them.

Spiritual care includes a good knowledge of both the spiritual processes in the human heart and what influences them. This is very clearly seen in the shepherd of Jesus Christ and later in the shepherd of the apostles.

Jesus watched his disciples carefully. He knew well what was happening to them, where they were going, why they were doing this or that way. This knowledge was not just a database, but a basis for pastoral care. As Jesus observed the disciples, he did everything he could to help them grow into strong and mature children of God. This is how He talks about it in His prayer:

When I was at peace with them, I kept them in Thy name; Those whom You gave Me I have kept, and none of them perished except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled (John 17:12).

Christ "kept" his disciples and "kept" them. Understanding their characteristics well, Jesus guided them in time, protecting them from lies and incorrect development.

First of all, pastors must protect their flock from all kinds of false ideas and teachings that are spreading around and attacking them. This is what most of the New Testament epistles are about. In them, the apostles draw the attention of their people to certain dangers that threaten them. The central element of these teachings is that they are not focused on Christ or the worship of His Word, but on getting Christians to follow them. This is exactly what Paul was talking about:

For I know that after I am gone, fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among yourselves men will arise who will speak perverse things, so as to draw away the disciples after themselves (Acts 20:29-30).

Shepherds must have the ability to see these threats and protect their sheep from them in a timely manner.
In addition, shepherds must take care to protect their sheep from sin. This includes not only warning against living in sin, but also rebuking those who have already sinned. Baxter writes about this:

Weak believers, like infants, do not know how to discern sin and easily deviate from the truth... their condition is really dangerous, so we will have to make a lot of effort to strengthen their faith... Our duty is to help them overcome pride, desire for worldly things, hot temper and other sins. We must reveal to them the evil nature of these sins and give them advice on how to overcome them. We must not be tolerant of either the sins of believers or the sins of converts.

In helping people see their sin and be freed from it, pastors must do so with a clear understanding of the importance of this part of their ministry. Every reproof must be an act of protection of the soul from the sin that threatens it.

III. Pastor as Spiritual Leader

Another area of ​​life and ministry that requires special character traits from a pastor is spiritual leadership. The word leader comes from the English to lead, which means “to lead” (for example, forward, behind oneself, etc.). A pastor is a person who leads others to God and to a full and fruitful life in Jesus Christ.

Shepherding deals with God's process of growing souls. In this process, God has established a special place for His more gifted, more experienced children. They lead the way, personally knowing Jesus Christ and becoming more transformed into His image, helping others practically see where to go and how. The Scottish preacher Alexander White once told his theological students: “The community is waiting for you to become like you after you have become like God.”

God did this for a reason. For the most part, everything that we know and can do, we learned by imitating someone else. This also applies to spiritual life. When hearing the truth of God's Word preached, it is important for people to see how it is practically implemented in life. That is why the Apostle Paul says several times in his epistles: “Imitate me, as I imitate Christ.”

Therefore, I beg you: imitate me, as I imitate Christ. For this purpose I have sent to you Timothy, my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church (1 Cor. 4:16-17).

By sending Timothy to Corinth, the apostle says that he will remind the believers who lived there not only of the truth, but “of my ways in Christ,” that is, of how Paul lived this truth in practice. Elsewhere the apostle calls for imitation not only of him, but also of those who are succeeding in personal transformation into the image of Jesus Christ, confirming that this is the universal principle of the development of the church: “Imitate me, brethren, and look to those who walk in the image of which you have in us" (Phil. 3:17).

The Apostle Peter speaks about the same thing. Speaking to pastors, he makes it clear that setting an example is one of the main tasks of their ministry.

I beseech your shepherds... feed the flock of God which is among you, overseeing it not under compulsion, but willingly and pleasing to God, not for vile gain, but out of zeal, and not lording it over [God’s] inheritance, but being an example to the flock (1 Pet. 5:1-3).

Setting an example (Greek: τύποι γινόμενοι, tupoi ginomenoi) - literally “becoming an example.” To a great extent, pastors must be a model or example of God's real action in life, a model of godliness in practice.

At the same time, by requiring pastors to be a model of spiritual life for the flock, God does not mean that they will be sinless. He understands well that pastors are imperfect. They are also people who continue the process of sanctification and struggle with their flesh. But this was precisely one of the reasons why God entrusted the shepherding to people, and not to angels.

God did this because pastors, being human, can naturally and personally know the difficulties of living in a corrupt world. Pastors are part of the flock they shepherd and for which they are responsible. Living in the same reality in which their people live, they can empathize with them, can intercede for them, coming before God in prayer, can provide them with practical assistance in the process of struggling with sin and being transformed into the image of Jesus Christ.

A. Godly Leadership

As conduits of God's guidance to the flock, pastors must be people who are practically more Christ-like than others. This is exactly how the apostles and ministers of the first church lived. Before telling others to “Imitate me,” the Apostle Paul himself completely devoted his life to the practical knowledge of Jesus Christ and the real life of Him. For this, he gave up everything that gave him significance before his meeting with Christ.

And I count all things as loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for Him I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ... Imitate me, brethren, and look to those who walk in the image which you have. in us (Phil. 3:8, 17).

A shepherd is one who, through knowing Jesus Christ, is so transformed into His image that he can practically show others how to grow in Him and become like Him. This is the ultimate goal of shepherding. Rick Holland puts it well: “Pastors are agents of making people like Jesus Christ.”

This speaks to the need for constant, progressive godliness in the life of a pastor. He must go ahead and lead his flock in a personal knowledge of God, in a right attitude to the truth, and in a real transformation of character into the image of Jesus Christ.

John MacArthur, while acknowledging the imperfections of pastors, emphasizes the importance of personal piety several times in his book Revisiting Pastoral Ministry:

"Chastity" cannot mean sinlessness, because then no mortal would be qualified for this office; we are talking about high and moral standards, which, after mature reflection, a person has come to, capable of serving as an example for others. God wants His ministers to live in such holiness that their preaching will never contradict their way of life, that the hypocrisy of the pastor will not undermine the faith of the congregation in the service of God... All the battles for keeping the Scriptures will be wasted battles if the preachers in the church are corrupt and will not be able to set an example of holiness for their flock. Church leaders must be of integrity. Everything else is defilement in the eyes of God and a danger to the life of the church.

Personal growth in godliness should be a close concern of every pastor. Paul wrote about this to Timothy when he took over the pastorate in Ephesus: "... exercise yourself in godliness... be an example to the faithful in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity" ( 1 Timothy 4:7-12). Exercise, or personal training in godliness, is essential for a pastor to be a model for his flock.

Progressive piety indicates the presence of the fear of God, that a person seeks God and God's things, that he is devoted to knowing and doing His will. He knows how to overcome sin, he is obedient to God under the pressure of various temptations. These qualities are essential so that those with pastoral responsibility can truly care for the Church of Jesus Christ and ensure its creative development.

During his famous meeting with the elders at Miletus, the Apostle Paul emphasized:

Therefore, take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the Church of the Lord and God, which He purchased with His own blood (Acts 20:28-30).

Pay attention to yourself means “be attentive to yourself,” carefully observe, first of all, yourself, your life, your piety. The pastor must be constantly engaged in a deep and critical examination of his heart, a serious assessment of his life and the effectiveness of his ministry. In this matter, it is impossible to rely on past victories. The devil attacks ministers every day, so they need to stay awake and seriously watch themselves. In another letter the apostle gives a command to Timothy:

Delve into yourself and into the teaching; do this constantly: for by doing this you will save both yourself and those who listen to you (1 Tim. 4:16).

Serious examination of oneself and one's life helps ministers overcome the problem of ostentatious piety that is devoid of the true power of God. Richard Baxter gives seven reasons why a pastor must continually look within himself, carefully observing the development of his life.

• 1. Pastors should watch themselves because, despite their religious activities, lack of progressive godliness may be a sign that they are not saved.
• 2. Pastors, like all other people, have a sinful nature and are therefore prone to sin. “Even the most righteous Christians harbor remnants of pride, unbelief, selfishness and any other sin... If you do not carefully monitor the state of your unreliable heart, then it will very quickly find an opportunity to deceive you.”
• 3. Pastors are a special target for Satan. Having crushed you, he will bring down along with you many other people whom you shepherd.
• 4. Pastors are closely watched by people - both those who want to imitate you and your detractors.
• 5. Pastors bear greater responsibility for their sins because they know more than others and should be stronger than others.
• 6. To carry out ministry, special spiritual powers are needed, which are weakened by sin.
• 7. The sins of pastors dishonor the name of the Lord to a greater extent than the sins of other people.
• 8. The success of his ministry depends on the condition of the pastor's heart.

So, in order to be a conductor of God's life, a true shepherd must be its bearer. This is the meaning of shepherding.

B. Service

In addition to being a leader in personal godliness, a pastor must be a leader in the service of Jesus Christ. Church members should see in their pastor an example of true dedication and loyalty to the Lord and His work of building the Church. Leadership in this area is very important because conscious participation in the ministry of building the church is an important component of the full life of every Christian. Pastors must set others an example of the ministry of building up the Body of Christ in the reality of the time, place and circumstances in which they live.

This is exactly how Jesus Christ lived. This is exactly how the apostles lived. Emphasizing his complete dedication to Christ and His work, Paul often called himself His servant: “Paul, the servant of God, an apostle of Jesus Christ” (Titus 1:1). Recognizing oneself as a slave emphasizes a clear understanding of one's complete belonging to God. This is the heart of ministry. Paul wants his disciples to see his total commitment to Christ.

Total dedication to God is not just pompous words. It must have a practical expression. First of all, dedication to God begins with self-denial. And while self-denial should be an essential quality of every Christian's life, it must be possessed in a special degree by the minister. This is the essence of his spiritual leadership. Before saying, “Imitate me” (Phil. 3:17), the apostle Paul noted, “For Him I have given up everything” (Phil. 3:7-8).

In addition, dedication to God necessarily includes a readiness for serious work, work to the point of exhaustion. This work begins with thoughtful and painstaking work on your own soul, on your character, on your thoughts. It is also a readiness for the exhausting work of preaching, shepherding, leading and building souls. In the life of the Apostle Paul it looked like this:

whom we preach, admonishing every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus; for which purpose I labor and strive, by His power that works mightily within me (Col. 1:28-29).

Elsewhere, the apostle Paul describes in detail the many difficulties that confronted his ministry. In proving the legitimacy of his apostleship, he refers not to the size of his fortune, as some modern “apostles” would do, but to the number of experiences and sufferings that he endured for the sake of serving Christ in preaching the Gospel and building His Church.

I was much more in labor, immensely wounded, more in prison, and many times near death. Five times the Jews gave me forty [strikes] minus one; three times I was beaten with sticks, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the depths [of the sea]; many times [was] on journeys, in dangers on rivers, in dangers from robbers, in dangers from fellow tribesmen, in dangers from pagans, in dangers in the city, in dangers in the desert, in dangers at sea, in dangers between false brothers, in labor and in exhaustion, often in vigil, in hunger and thirst, often in fasting, in cold and nakedness. In addition to extraneous [adventures], I have a daily gathering [of people], taking care of all the churches. Who is exhausted, with whom would I not be exhausted? Who is tempted, for whom would I not be inflamed? (2 Cor.11:23-29).

Pastors must show their flock the importance of service, its nobility and its transcendent value, so that by looking at their example, those who follow them may actually learn a real life of consecration to Jesus Christ.

IV. Pastor as leader

Scripture presents the pastor not only as God's servant, not only as a shepherd and spiritual leader, but also as a leader. A pastor is a person who is responsible for the proper organization of the development of the church. He must know well its doctrine, its purpose, its mission, its philosophy of service, etc. He must know what should happen in the church at any given moment in its development, and how to make it a reality. This is due to the presence of several important qualities.

A. Maturity

First of all, the pastor must be a fairly mature person. When speaking of pastors, Scripture often uses the word "elders" to emphasize the maturity of these people. The need for this quality is already reflected in the very word “presbyter” (Greek πρεσβύτερος, presbuteros), which is literally translated as “mature person”, “elder”, “person with experience”.

Speaking about who can carry out pastoral ministry, the Apostle Paul warned Timothy that such a person “should not [be] one of the new converts, lest he become proud and fall into condemnation with the devil” (1 Tim. 3:6). Immature people are more likely to think highly of themselves when they are given serious responsibility. Indeed, pride, or the ability to use ministry for self-affirmation, haunts ministers of all ages, not just young ones. But more mature ones spiritual sense people are more able to see their worth in Jesus Christ and His grace, and therefore they are less tempted to assert themselves in service.

The Apostle Paul calls youthful lusts another problem of immaturity. In 2 Timothy, Paul insists: “Flee youthful lusts, but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with all those who call on the Lord with a pure heart” (2 Tim. 2:22). Youthful lusts are ambitions, emotional intemperance characteristic of the young, the inability to think balancedly and objectively.

Bearing responsibility for the life and development of the church, ministers have to make decisions on various serious issues. Therefore, it is extremely important that they can be objective, free from the pressures of self-interest, fear, resentment, irritation, self-importance, desire to get one's way, etc. The presence of any of these problems deprives the minister of the ability to fulfill his God-given responsibilities .

In addition, the minister must be mature enough to avoid partiality or bias in his assessment. When making a decision, it is easy to be influenced by certain people, circumstances or your own feelings. A pastor must have the ability to rise above any pressure placed on him to think clearly and reach conclusions with an open mind. The Old Testament specifically addresses the problem of partiality among ministers:

For the mouth of the priest shall keep knowledge, and the law shall be sought at his mouth, because he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. But you have turned away from this path, you have served as a stumbling block for many in the law, you have destroyed the covenant of Levi, says the Lord of hosts. For this reason I will make you despised and humiliated before all the people, because you do not keep My ways and show partiality in the works of the law (Mal. 2:7-9).

The pastor must have the ability to think in all circumstances from the truth of God's Word so that he can lead the building of the church. For this reason, it was the elders who dealt with the strategic issues of church development in the New Testament. When the problem of disagreement arose between Jewish Christians and Gentile converts, the elders, that is, mature ministers capable of making informed decisions, gathered to solve this problem. “The apostles and elders met together to consider this matter” (Acts 15:6). In the same way, we see that the elders, that is, spiritually mature brothers, are responsible for the life and development of the church in Ephesus. Paul, concerned about the further development of this church, calls specifically for the elders (Acts 20:17), realizing that its success depends on them. So, spiritual maturity is an essential element of the pastor as a leader.

B. Ability to think strategically

Another one important characteristic a true servant of God lies in his ability to think correctly and accurately. This is the difference between every leader. He must be able to see an objective picture, arranging all the facts known to him in the correct sequence and in the correct dependence on each other. The ability to think correctly, to accurately assess reality, structurally understanding the relationship of its individual parts, to a huge extent determines the quality of leadership in general.

Spiritual leadership involves the ability to think strategically based on the truth of Scripture. A pastor must not only be able to draw correct logical conclusions, he must be able to draw them on the basis of the truth, general and particular values ​​of the Holy Scriptures.

A good illustration of the role of strategic thinking in spiritual leadership is provided in the description of the first apostolic council in the fifteenth chapter of the book of the Apostles, when the apostles and elders gathered in Jerusalem to answer the question of how to treat the Gentile believers.

The apostles and elders gathered to consider this matter. After a long discussion, Peter stood up and said to them: “Men and brethren, you know that from the first days God chose [me] from among us, that from my mouth the Gentiles might hear the word of the Gospel and believe...” (Acts 15:6- 7).

Two Greek words used in this text help us see the importance of strategic thinking in church management. The apostles and elders gathered to “consider” this matter. Not to contemplate it, feel it or dream about it. Consider (Greek ὁράω, horaō) means “to look,” “to understand,” “to study.” It's about about the ability to think sensibly and logically. This is what the apostles and elders gathered for, and this is what they did. In addition, it is written that Peter summed up the entire meeting “by lengthy reasoning.” Reasoning (Greek ζήτησις, zētēsis) is another interesting word, used here, means "research", "search", "inquiry". In order to reach a conclusion, the apostles and elders carefully examined the issue, questioning witnesses and seeking a precise solution.

Further, Elder Jacob, speaking about the decision they came to, explains that it was made on the basis of the truth of Holy Scripture. To reach this decision, it was necessary for the apostles and elders to have a correct understanding of the facts and evaluate them in the light of the truth of Scripture.

A correct view of Scripture as the only authoritative source of objective truth, coupled with a clear, logical approach to understanding it, enables ministers to have a sound foundation for their life and ministry. The Apostle Paul speaks about this to Titus, presenting to him the characteristics of an elder of the church.

...He who adheres to the true word, consistent with doctrine, so that he may be able to teach in sound doctrine and to rebuke those who resist. For there are many who are disobedient, empty talkers, and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, whose lips must be stopped... (Titus 1:9-11).

The minister must not only know the Word, not only practically live it, but also be strong in instructing in the Scriptures and rebuking those who resist. Here Paul specifically notes that those who resist the Word often present it in a very camouflaged form. Some people who are disobedient to God try to hide this under their idle talk. Others hide their rebellion through deception. Church pastors must have enough wisdom to understand such people, accurately determine the nature of their error and stop their mouths, that is, expose their lies, helping others not to fall under their deception. This is largely their pastoral role.

C. Dedication to fellow ministers

Another essential quality of a pastor as a leader is his commitment to fellow ministers who minister with him. True servants of God must be faithful and dedicated to one another. This dedication, on the one hand, is quite natural. After all, if pastors are truly committed to God, His truth and His work, then they must be committed to each other. They will love and support each other, sincerely wishing each other maximum effectiveness in development.

Unfortunately, such a picture is very rare among modern churches. Due to personal spiritual immaturity, lack of progressive humility, and lack of dedication to God, tension, opposition and conflict very often arise between ministers. These circumstances often make the already difficult life of ministers simply unbearable, causing enormous damage to churches and their members.

True biblical commitment of ministers to one another cannot be replaced by human means. This dedication cannot be based on family ties, self-interest or fear. It must proceed from a correct understanding of the essence of spiritual life and service, as well as from the correct attitude towards these phenomena.

Scripture says a lot about this. The Apostle Peter called the ministers with whom he had to serve as his fellow shepherds: “I entreat you to be your shepherds, a fellow shepherd and a witness of the sufferings of Christ and a sharer in the glory that is to be revealed” (1 Pet. 5:1). By this he emphasized his belonging to them, his commonality in vocation and responsibility before the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ. He spoke to them not as a boss, but as an equal.

When founding the Church, Jesus Christ assumed that there would be many ministers, and that they should be able to live and work together, building up the local church and supporting each other. For this reason, wherever Scripture speaks of pastors or elders, it speaks of these people in the plural. Although in the Jerusalem church the first among equal ministers was James, and in Ephesus such a man was Timothy, yet in all these cases there were other ministers, other elders, who bore the general responsibility for the development of the churches.

Consecration, or the faithfulness of elders to one another, is a vital element in the life of ministers and the church. It is known that ministers are more susceptible to the attacks of the devil than other people. They bear enormous burdens, preparing sermons, shepherding, and making decisions. At the same time, they remain people who have their weaknesses and struggle with their imperfections. This is why it is imperative for every church to have a cohesive, committed group of ministers. Pastors must be willing to learn from each other, favor each other, support each other, and be mutually accountable.

Mark Dever, in his book Thoughtful Church Building, gives several reasons why the cooperation of several pastors or elders in church management is necessary. We will highlight some of them.

A group of ministers dedicated to God and to each other primarily balances the pastor's weaknesses. As a flawed man in the process of continuing growth, the senior pastor, like other ministers, has his weaknesses, those points of character or ability in which it is more difficult for him to act effectively and accurately. The dedication of ministers to one another helps compensate for these shortcomings. Pastors standing by, aware of these weaknesses, do not cling to them, but rather lend a shoulder to ensure the best development of the work, while continuing to help each other to grow and overcome these shortcomings.

In addition, a good team of ministers, devoted to God and each other, will enrich the quality of decisions made. The atmosphere of cooperation and mutual complementarity allows one to consider in each situation the many different views and assessments generated by each minister and find those that will bring the greatest blessing to the church. This is exactly what we see in the fifteenth chapter of the Book of Acts, where the issue of attitude towards pagan Christians is resolved. It was complex issue, which seriously divided many believers at that time. But it was resolved in an atmosphere of peace and cooperation. The reason for this was that Paul and Barnabas found in the Jerusalem church ministers who were dedicated to God and His Word and who were sincere loving people and each other. The lack of confidence in mutual loyalty between servants sharply limits the level of effectiveness of their participation in decision-making, inevitably reducing their quality.

Such collaboration among ministers not only improves the quality of decisions, but also enhances the overall effectiveness of church leadership. Unity among ministers, achieved through God's right methods, is a great inspiration to the people in the church, increasing their willingness to participate in its development.

In addition, creative relationships between ministers enable them to provide mutual support to each other. Pastors are often very lonely people because they have no one to go to for advice, no one to vent to, no one to pray with about personal needs. Although ministers are often seen as super-Christians who must have the strength to endure anything, they are people who have real limits to what they can do. When they come close to these limits, it is very important to have those nearby who can support, comfort, encourage and lovingly offer help. Spurgeon, who had to endure many similar situations, writes about it this way:

When the Lord sent His disciples out in twos, He knew what was happening in the souls of people... This loneliness, which, if I am not mistaken, many of our brothers feel, is an abundant source of despondency; our fraternal meetings of preachers... enable us, with God's help, to escape this painful state of mind.

And lastly, a good atmosphere between pastors allows them to mutually enrich each other, helping in personal development. Our growth occurs unevenly over time and from person to person. With well-established, creative relationships, pastors can continually learn from each other. One read a good book and shared it with the others. Another had good experience in shepherding that could be applied to other situations. The third, on the contrary, experienced some kind of failure, which becomes a warning to others, etc.

Conclusion

Shepherding, in the sense in which it is presented in the Holy Scriptures, certainly requires a special character. People who do not have the qualities of shepherds are not shepherds. They can hold positions, they can engage religious activities, but they are not capable of being shepherds who build souls and strengthen the Church of Jesus Christ. Bless, Lord, Your Church with servants who have the heart of a shepherd!

Bridges C. Christian ministry. SOAN, 2007. P. 7.
Bridges C. Christian ministry. P. 12.
For example, both of these passages are examined in detail by John MacArthur in the chapter “Character Characteristics of a Pastor” in his book “Return to Pastoral Ministry” (St. Petersburg: Bible for Everyone, 2003, pp. 82-95).
Bauer W. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature / Ed. Arndt W., Gingrich F., Danker F. W. 3rd ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000. P. 1035; Robertson A. & Plummer, A. A critical and exegetical commentary on the First epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians. New York: C. Scribner's Sons, 1911. Pp. 74.
Spurgeon C. G. Lectures to my students. St. Petersburg: Bible for everyone, 2002. P. 50.
Christman T. Love your Flock // Dear Timothy / ed. Thomas K. Ascol. P. 75.
The meaning of the word ὀρθοτομοῦντα primarily concerns the accuracy of interpretation of the truth, which is an important component of its correct teaching. See Arndt W., Danker F. W. & Bauer W. A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (3rd ed.) for a detailed explanation. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000. P. 722.
Arndt W., Danker F. W. & Bauer W. A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature. P. 379.
Baxter R. The service we need. P. 28.
Quote from the book: Wiersbe W. W. Living with the Giants. Grand Rapids, Michigan: BakerBooks, 2000. P. 127.
Lit. in English: "Pastors are intermediary agents in the business creating replicas of Jesus." Holland R. The Pastor’s Sanctifying Role in the Church. The Master's Seminary Journal, Vol. 21, No. 2, 2010. P. 218.
MacArthur J. Return to pastoral ministry. P. 84.
Baxter R. The service we need. pp. 20-24.
Dever M., Alexander P. Thoughtful creation of the church. pp. 129-131.
Spurgeon C. G. Lectures to my students. P. 179.

- (Latin, from pascere to graze). Priest of the Lutheran Evangelical Church. Dictionary foreign words, included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910. PASTOR lat. pastor, from pascere, to graze. Lutheran priest. Explanation of 25,000 foreign words... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

- (pastor obsolete), pastor, husband. (Latin pastor, lit. shepherd). Protestant priest. “The baron in the sad monastery was pleased, however, with fate, the pastor with funeral flattery... and a simple epitaph.” Pushkin. Dictionary Ushakova. D.N. Ushakov. 1935… Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

PASTOR, shepherd, shepherd, etc. see shepherd. Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary. IN AND. Dahl. 1863 1866 … Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary

Cm … Synonym dictionary

pastor- (and obsolete pastor), plural. pastors, b. pastors (wrong pastors, pastors) ... Dictionary of difficulties of pronunciation and stress in modern Russian language

- (German Pastor, from Latin pastor, shepherd, shepherd), priest of the Protestant Church... Modern encyclopedia

- (German Pastor from Latin pastor shepherd, shepherd), priest of the Protestant church... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

PASTOR, ah, husband. Protestant priest. | adj. pastoral, oh, oh. Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 … Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

- (lat. Pastor shepherd) this name was already given to priests in the Middle Ages. It is especially used in the Protestant church... Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron

Pastor- (parson), original a priest who lives at the church on a donation from the parish. Name comes from lat. persona “face” and came into use in the 11th century. According to Kok, this was explained by the fact that P. was considered a lawyer. the person who manages God's property... ... The World History

Pastor- (German Pastor, from Latin pastor shepherd, shepherd), priest of the Protestant church. ... Illustrated encyclopedic Dictionary

Books

• , . Working on the collection of the Pastor magazine turned out to be extremely difficult. I had to do everything all over again: convert fonts, read proofs, reshoot and rescan images. The main one...
• Pastor. Selected materials 1992-2001,. “Working on the collection of the magazine “Pastor” turned out to be extremely difficult. We had to do everything all over again: convert fonts, read proofs, retake and rescan images. The main…
• The pastor who helped his parishioners lose 125 tons of weight! Daniel's Weight and Disease Burner Plan! , Daniel Amen, Rick Warren, Mark Hyman. This book is a real find for anyone who wants to improve their health, physical tone and lose weight. The Daniel Plan is a world-renowned program for weight loss, healthy eating and strengthening…

Meaning of words and results of observations

Aren't you afraid of controversy? Then ask pastors and church fellowship members to answer the following questions: What is the role of the senior or lead pastor? Are different biblical models equally important? Is there any reasonable description of shepherding as a top priority?

Do you want to turn decent theological debates into noisy competitions? Then state that the pastor is a specialist and first and foremost a teacher/coach. Stand on the fact that he is called to work with the spiritually healthy, that is, the strong, not the weak, and, while instructing the spiritually healthy, he takes care of the weak. Moreover, the pastor who makes disciples, increases his influence by training Christians in the work of ministry, remains the only real hope for the weak.

I put forward the thesis: local church found itself in a deep crisis. This means that the honor and dignity of the church’s “products” are under threat, that is, the fulfillment of the Great Commission is called into question, and the atmosphere of the modern church has become a breeding ground for weakness. I also suggested that to improve the situation, we need to reframe the role of the pastor-mentor and direct his activities to fulfill the Great Commission. So what is a disciple-making pastor like? Who is he and what is his business? What defines it? The first part of the answer to these questions can be gleaned from the Holy Scriptures.

Word pastor. The word pastor means "shepherd." No one will argue that the image of the shepherd reproduces the realities of pastoral culture. This image explained these realities well, because everyone knew the duties of a shepherd. Nowadays everything is different. Therefore, it is useful to consider the basic meanings of this word.

The Hebrew roeh and the Greek poimen mean the same thing. Roeh means “to nourish, maintain, lead.” Since ancient times, leading brothers have been judged by their ability to shepherd their charges (1).

Poimen in the noun form means “shepherd”, and in the verb form it means “to herd, care for, guard and heal sick sheep” (2).

Contextual usage in both Testaments relates this word to the leadership of God's people. In Old Testament texts such as Ezekiel 34:1–31 and Zechariah 11:4–14, God declares His disgust with selfish shepherds and His determination to replace their arrogance, arrogance, and presumption with His tender care. and mercy. Notice that God considers prophets, priests, and kings to be shepherds. The kings of Assyria and Babylon were expected to shepherd their people, protect them, and provide for their needs. The prophecy about the “shepherds of Israel” in the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel (chapter 34) was directed against the rulers. Other political, military and spiritual leaders who were considered shepherds were Moses, David and even Cyrus, king of Persia.

In ancient times the word shepherd was used differently than it is today. The average church member views his pastor as a shepherd. And this is true, but the true meaning of this word is hidden from our contemporary by the veil of time and culture. He imagines a shepherd in the lap of nature in a wide long robe and sandals, leaning against a tree trunk and strumming a harp. The shepherd is passive, meek, compliant and ready to respond to every need of the flock. That's why the elders bought him a pager (3).

But in ancient times, shepherding covered all areas of life. This meant leading the people in a way that would meet their immediate needs. Moses, David and others were shepherds and at the same time powerful leaders of the people.

To understand the meaning of shepherding, we must get rid of the modern idea of ​​the shepherd as passive, weak and unable to lead his flock in real world politics, business and international relations. If such a view were not so widespread, why then are there noisy protests when the clergy speaks on the public stage?

The situation of Ezra and Nehemiah is an example of a misinterpretation of Old Testament official duties. It is often said that Ezra was a spiritual leader, and Nehemiah was a civil leader. Ezra was busy with his work (preaching), and Nehemiah with his (building). Ezra is the shepherd, Nehemiah is the leader. Despite the fact that the official functions of both were indeed different, one cannot help but consider Nehemiah as a shepherd. He fully corresponds to the Old Testament description of the shepherd. He led the people; he cared for them; fulfilling his assignment, he made the spiritual revival of the people a reality, meeting their needs. Moreover, Nehemiah can be called an outstanding shepherd.

The Old Testament tradition defines the shepherd as “the leader of the people.” This understanding covers all aspects of life: trade, education, foreign relations, the formation of an appropriate moral climate and instruction in faith. The ancients, unlike us, understood this word multilaterally and globally.

Two sides of the responsibilities of an elder/bishop/pastor. New Testament confirms a global, broad understanding of the pastor's work. Essentially, there are two more synonyms for this word. Many, like me, believe that the words elder/bishop/pastor are synonymous (4).

For example, take Paul's farewell to the Ephesian elders in Miletus. The apostle's final admonition to church leadership points to this trend: “Take heed therefore to yourselves and to all the flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of the Lord and God, which He purchased with His own blood” (Acts 20:28, emphasis added). - B.H.).

Paul, the apostle, commands the elders. They should oversee and shepherd the church. Their title is elders, their function is supervision and shepherding. The following information will help you figure this out.

Elders(from the Greek presbuteros) are the people entrusted with the care of the church (Acts 14:23). A list of their characterological features is given in 1 Tim. 3:1–7 and Titus. 1:5–9, and their role as elders is discussed in 1 Thess. 5:12; 1 Tim. 5:17; Heb. 13:17 and 1 Pet. 5:1–3.

Bishopric(from the Greek episkopos) is the activity of elders in overseeing and leading the community (1 Tim. 3:1).

Shepherds(from the Greek poimen) are elders who watch over the church, shepherd the flock, teaching the Word of God and protecting them from various enemies from within and without (1 Pet. 5:1; Acts 20:28; Eph. 4:11).

Therefore, elders have two important responsibilities:

Management(1 Tim. 5:17, proistemi, “to stand before the church”). In 1 Thess. 5:12 another form of the same word is translated “priests.” Elders are given authority to conduct church affairs. Although churches delegate authority in different ways, in accordance with their professed policies, the essence of the matter remains the same - elders must have authority.

Work(1 Thess. 5:12, “respect the working people”). Responsibility requires hard work. Elders are expected to be completely dedicated.

Management(Heb. 13:7, 17, 24, hegeomai, “news”). Description of management responsibilities, especially in Heb. 13:17 with the words “take care for your souls” leaves no doubt that this refers to the elders. Elders are responsible for leading, educating and directing the church. They must be proactive and prudent, and not act in the wake of events.

Shepherding

Care(Acts 20:28; 1 ​​Pet. 5:1–3). Pastoral care is entrusted to the elders. They are obliged to set a good example of caring for the people. Elders should actively seek opportunities to help people, especially during difficult times.

Security(Acts 20:28; 2 Tim. 2:24; 1 Thess. 5:14). Elders must guard the flock from wolves in sheep's clothing in doctrine, Everyday life and from harmful attachments.

Instruction(2 Tim. 2:22). Paul wrote that Timothy, an elder/pastor, must seek others through whom he will be “reproduced” (able to teach). 1 Thess. 5:12, 13 and 1 Tim. 5:17 refers to the responsibility to instruct. Not all elders must be gifted teachers in the formal sense, but each must be able to communicate the important truths of Christ to others.

In what sense then should we understand the modern functions of a pastor? Firstly, it should be said that the modern version of pastoral ministry is not reflected in the Holy Scriptures. Holy Scripture does not contain direct definition the status of senior pastor of a local church, although it is certainly implied here.

Arguments for the modern pastor. Notice how Paul started the first churches. It is clear that he entrusted supervision and pastoral care to the so-called elders - the leading and administrative part of the church (Acts 14:23). This was followed subsequently, since the churches formed later, for example in Ephesus, also had elders. Despite the specific content of the political decisions that the elders made, some part of the church, and not one person, was responsible for the leadership of the local congregation. Whether authority was delegated by the apostles, or, as in modern times, by an assembly of believers, or on behalf of some body superior to a local congregation, the indispensable principle of this authority was the principle of accountability.

The principle of collective leadership of the local church has a strong foundation in the Bible. It provides accountability to one person, who usually acts as the most influential figure. The office of the modern elder exists out of necessity, and three fundamental observations lead me to say so.

Firstly, how convincing The World History, the well-known truth “management is an essential part of any enterprise” remains unchanged. It's all about leadership. Let's look at biblical examples. Why didn't God create a committee headed by Noah to explore the fundamental possibility of a global flood and the number of man-hours required to build the ark? Why didn’t God command Abraham to ask those around him if they would agree to sell everything and go into the desert, a barren land? Moses and the Exodus, Joshua and the Promised Land, and so on - there are many examples. God did not require anything of the kind, since His plan for the salvation of the world was beyond the competence of any committee. God does not require any of these things because He relies on guidance. Judging by His actions, God relies on a key figure to lead His people. This was true in ancient times and remains true in our time.

In some communities, according to their statements, there are many elders and not a single leader. If we look at this matter impartially, we can always find one who is far superior to the rest. As long as there are responsibilities and accountability, income and expenses, there will be a leader.

worker on full time The pastor within modern American society becomes an important figure, an integral part, and the basis for the growth and development of the church. I may be trying to state the obvious, but unless a pastor is freed from outside work, he doesn't have the time or energy to do all that is required of him. The working man may be qualified for the ministry and make a significant contribution to it, provided that the ministers of the church organize the work, define the tasks, provide training and help him.

Second, we find in the Bible the pattern that the full-time pastor is an essential, integral part of the growth and development of the church. On the day of the Jewish festival of Pentecost, God sent His first missionary group on the road, namely the apostles - preachers of the Gospel. When God was making a vigorous evangelistic attack on the pagan world, the Antiochian church sent its best, the Apostle Paul, on a missionary journey. After Paul's three missionary journeys, many new communities were formed. Further, apostolic authority was transferred to elders at the level of local churches.

With the emergence of local churches came the first indications of the need for a full-time pastor. For three years Paul was shepherd of the church in Ephesus, and for another year and a half in Corinth. Paul's epistles to Timothy and Titus are evidence that there was a spiritual office in those days for a pastor who devoted his entire time to church work and had special authority in the ministry. From the letters of Paul it follows that Timothy and Titus needed advice and encouragement in matters related to the leadership of communities.

Beginning with Jesus Himself, the apostles, the elders, Timothy and Titus, the church needed leadership. Every local community needs not just leadership, but also one key figure to stand out from among it. And in modern culture, as in the first century, such a figure is called a pastor.

Third, another reason why a full-time pastor is necessary for the modern church can be found in history. Church historian Bruce Shelley writes: “At the turn of the century, Ignatius, an elder of the church at Antioch, wrote a series of epistles. In them he usually spoke of one bishop or pastor in each congregation... No one seems to know how the structure of one pastor, assisted by elders and deacons, became widespread, but it is known that this is how it was" (5).

The local church pastor has become a key figure in determining the direction of the church. He is responsible for the revitalization of existing communities, the priorities and appearance of new communities. According to the above (as well as all other) biblical requirements and descriptions, the pastor-teacher must be engaged in supervision and pastoral care. However, he can do this in different ways.

So, having established the biblical context regarding the calling of an elder/bishop/pastor, let's move on to the practical aspects. From this point forward I will use the term pastor to mean the senior pastor chosen by the local congregation. From here on we will assume that the pastor, who has certain responsibilities, works in harmony with the elders, who represent nothing more than the church's system of limits and balances. Let us also assume that this pastor is one of several elders who, as part of his office, is given greater authority to direct, plan, and ordain the life of the church.

The time has come to give a concrete answer to the question of whether there is any special description of shepherding. I believe that yes, there is. Too often and in different situations, discussions about the functions of the pastor stop within the limits described above. These incomplete and unfinished reflections brought to life Frankenstein (6) - the “typical pastor.” The image of Frankenstein is appropriate here because the typical pastor is now more than anyone else contributing to the weakening of the Western church. What this church gave birth to is now destroying it.

Typical pastor. When I say typical, I mean "embodying characteristics, ordinary or obvious." We are not talking about the manners or appearance of the pastor in general, but about the frequently occurring and characteristic goals and objectives that pastors set for themselves. In many ways, the typical pastor is the antithesis of the mentoring pastor.

It is important to understand first that the typical pastor and the mentoring pastor agree on many things. It is extremely strange, but quite often they agree on what they should do, but what they look at differently is the methods of work. They may have one point of view on all the main doctrines, differing only in the doctrine of the church. In general, they agree with each other on the essence of teaching and training, although the typical pastor does not think through these issues carefully. Below are some distinctive features typical pastor:

2. The typical pastor allows the congregation to set the agenda out of concern for its needs. Someone somewhere taught visiting pastors “not to meddle with your own charter in someone else’s monastery.” The first year should be devoted to getting to know people, finding out what interests them most, and only then, taking into account their expressed opinions, making your plans. While this may be worthwhile 10 percent of the time, the other 90 percent is a disaster. A huge number of pastoral failures occur here, in this area. The typical pastor finds himself at the mercy of the recalcitrant. The congregation can turn into Bedlam, where imperfect, unprepared believers dictate terms to the pastor, who acts consciously and purposefully. A church like this can become a place where people who are not living in fellowship with God tell the pastor how he should allocate his time. There are many examples of this type, but there are many more broken-hearted pastors who have fallen under the buzzing saw of the flesh that is the church.

3. The typical pastor meets his church's role expectations regarding his time and activities. A congregation that invites a pastor to work should give him a list of its requirements. Yes, of course, there are several undeniable conditions that cannot be negotiated. If the congregation is adamant about its demands and they do not satisfy the potential pastor, he should decline the offer. Very often the typical pastor does not fully understand himself or his mission. Because of this, he finds himself in an ecclesiological straitjacket. He runs from committee meetings to hospital wards, and from there rushes to set up equipment before a performance. He has time for almost everything except what God has called him to do.

4. The ministry principles of a typical pastor are extremely flexible, easily changing depending on circumstances; his ministry is responsive to the conditions of the church. He gives in to his environment rather than creating it. He does not have a methodological filter to navigate goals and objectives, removing extraneous things. He is unable to repel attacks on his time, strength and choose the right direction towards the goal commanded by the church. He finds himself in the forest and, occupied by individual trees, loses his way. He has lost his goal, so specific but pointless actions begin to undermine the quality of his “products” and his optimistic outlook on life.

Although the phenomenon of the typical pastor is due to many factors, I think that the typical pastor himself is a faithful and diligent worker of God. Indeed, many typical pastors spare no effort and resources in helping others. God uses them in many ways, so my judgment cannot minimize the value of their work. God constantly covers all the imperfections of pastors, including those raising disciples.

The point is that you should not rest on your laurels. The current situation is tolerable, but unacceptable from the perspective of the Great Commission. Sin of omission in action. The definition of the concept of “discipling” is the biblical text “... teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you.” The more people in the church who do not understand this, the more Christianity suffers from pharisaism. Therefore, such a church should repent and change course. The key figure in this process is the pastor who makes disciples. He is destined to play a special role here. Moving from the general to the specific, we see how in the fragment of Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians the portrait of a pastor-mentor begins to come together into one whole.

The Professional Role of the Pastor Mentor

The crystal clear meaning of Ephesians 4:11–16 stands in stark contrast to typical pastoral practice. This text communicates to the church a simple but effective plan for the building of the Body of Christ. Instead of empowering this crystal clear formula for fruitfulness, the church chose to worship this text rather than put it into practice. It was accepted like other shrines of the Christian world, for example, the Lord's Prayer, Sermon on the Mount and chapter 13 of First Corinthians. Cover it with varnish, hide it under glass, hang it over the fireplace or attach it to the wall, most people still won’t think that it should be implemented in life.

If put into practice, the principles set forth in this text will be the key to strengthening disciples in Christ, the key to fruitful evangelism and spiritual growth that can continue indefinitely. This most important fact must not be overlooked: The pastor-discipler is the trigger that sets the whole machine in motion. Let us turn to this text: “And He appointed some apostles, others prophets, some evangelists, others shepherds and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ...” (Eph. 4:11-12).

The passage quoted mentions four bestowed offices: apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor-teachers. The hyphen between the words shepherd and teacher is placed according to the rules of Greek syntax by Granville Sharpe. The term “shepherd-teachers” refers to one, not two, bestowed offices.

The first two positions, unlike the other two, are unique. The role of the apostles and prophets in the building of the church was fundamental. Paul interprets this provision as follows: “... being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone...” (Eph. 2:20). Apostles and prophets played a vital role in the founding of the church. First, the apostles were the basis of authority in the first century church. These powers are now based on the priesthood of all believers. In our time, the basis of authority is delegated either to elders or other corporate structures.

Prophets were the custodians of the revelation God gave to the church. This revelation is now found in the New Testament. The apostles created and built churches, and the prophets taught the word of revelation. For the most part, the apostles also acted as prophets.

Now the additional functions of apostles and prophets are assigned to evangelists and pastor-teachers. The early Church was planted and created by the apostles, and now evangelists are engaged in missionary work. Prophets taught the Word, now pastors-teachers do it. Although this division of labor is not absolute, it is still functional, so that the persons responsible for these functions are managers.

I will not raise the question of the validity of all four functions in the modern church. I want to focus on only one thing that is most important in the life of the local church, namely, the function of pastor-teachers. Its obvious principle is the principle of leadership. In order to please God and fulfill the commanded mission, the Body must be led. Whatever the name of the manual, what is important is not its name, but its content.

Some misconceptions about "pastor". Holy Scripture speaks of shepherds and teachers in the plural. This is obvious, and yet the plural is ignored in this text because most people only think of one leading pastor in a church. A single, full-time, lead pastor in a church is the norm, but the text does not speak to this pattern in our culture. One elder/bishop/pastor in the local church appears in the second century, as evidenced by the above quote from Shelley's Church History. Below we will return to this and talk about our reality. Regarding power, the main focus of this text is collective leadership. Paul commends the leadership of a man who is strong and loving. But he also teaches that such a person must be admitted to a leadership position by a college of leaders.

The function of pastoral care and mentoring is not the function of one person. The concept of one pastor of the church is what has led to its weakening. The only person known as the Shepherd is Jesus Himself. Jesus is called the “good shepherd” or “chief shepherd” (John 10:11; 1 Pet. 5:4).

If the shepherd of the church exists in the singular, it is meant that he alone has everything necessary to satisfy the needs of the entire flock. But this is impossible. The origin of this concept is unclear, since it is not found in Scripture.

The concept of “shepherd” of the church unites the talents, wisdom and faith of the pastoral team, namely the elders. In most congregations, this team consists of a full-time pastor and several lay church ministers from among the rank and file of the church. In large churches, the pastoral team may consist of several full-time pastors and ministers. The use of the plural concept of “pastor-teachers” in the quoted text indicates that in the local church there are several leading brothers engaged in pastoral care. This circumstance in no way diminishes the role of the professional clergy; Moreover, at the same time, his role, the role of professional ministers, becomes even more important, since their life and work are freed from many banalities.

The situation when the emphasis on the one hand is on collective leadership and talent, and on the other hand on the need for strong individual leadership, seems contradictory. However, this position is not such because it is an appeal to balance - the balance of a group of gifted leaders called to shepherd the church on the one hand, and a leader of these gifted leaders called to set the pace on the other.

To think that one person can shepherd a church is tragically mistaken. This is a fallacy, since no one has the time, strength, or talent to do this, and do it properly. How this should be done is described in Ephesians (4:11-16), not only in terms of the process, but also the product. Some capable people They created a great, successful, praiseworthy business. However, the litmus test here is not how the Christian world will evaluate this enterprise; this matter should be verified by the Holy Scriptures. What appears to be luck may turn out to be a cultural achievement under the guise of fulfilling God's will.

This is a tragedy, since pastoral teams scatter their energies on extra-church matters that have nothing to do with local communities. High levels of losses are associated with unrealistic expectations. Anyone who tries to meet the needs of the entire congregation will always fail. Most broken-hearted pastors leave their ministry because of the wrong expectations of the congregation.

The solution to this problem is not to abandon strong leadership or to seek extraordinary gifts in hopes of achieving something that is impossible and has no biblical basis. The solution is to reorganize the pastoral ministry based on the clear instructions given in Ephesians (4:11-16).

Let's move away from the role of a whole pastoral team caring for the flock and turn to the responsibilities of a modern full-time professional cleric called a pastor. If there are several professional ministers, I will use the word pastor to mean “the lead or senior pastor.”

What do titles teach? Titles are a mirror of societal expectations. The title minister is widespread - that is, a clergyman whose work is paid by the community. There is something cliché in the expression: “Fred is a minister of our entire First Church.” What is meant here is that in this community, firstly, there is one minister, and, secondly, the members of this church are one thing, and the ministers are another. The former can be anything - ballast, listeners, consumers, support group, but not ministers.

Dr. Fred is another title. It is generated by an analogy with the world of professions. Theological seminaries were created by analogy with medical and legal educational institutions, where people acquired one or another profession. When you contact a lawyer, you count on his services; the same can be said about the physician. The pastor as doctor operates in the same vein as the medical professional serving the Christian consumer. The main difference between doctors, lawyers and pastors is that doctors and lawyers do not train other people to become doctors and lawyers. And the job of a pastor is precisely to prepare his neighbors for the position of ministers, that is, the pastor teaches others to do what he himself does.

Big brothers is another title, but of little use. It sounds stiff and inapplicable to youth leaders. The worst title is reverend (7); Few people like him, least of all the reverends themselves.

Speaking of titles, one cannot fail to mention the most familiar title, preacher. Besides the fact that only some Protestant churches call a pastor this way, this title reflects only one of the duties of a pastor, and not the essence of his office.

So, there are the following titles: minister, doctor, elder, reverend and preacher. Although all of them are applied to Christians in one way or another and sometimes hit the bull's eye, so to speak, none of them adequately describe the work of the modern senior, leading pastor.

Paul uses the title shepherd-teacher. Paul's own title is shepherd; he teaches. Shepherd is an appropriate title because it emphasizes the relationship with those he mentors. Although one should not give up the title of shepherd, there are also certain difficulties with it. A shepherd means a shepherd and a flock of sheep, and most modern Christians have practically no associations with shepherds and sheep.

The office of pastor, as opposed to the word pastor. It is necessary to clearly distinguish the position of pastor from the word pastor. When we talk about a position, we mean actual practice; When we say the word pastor, we mean a leadership function that is much greater than one person can take on. In a word, pastor in modern society began to mean “a professionally competent person in a full-time position who manages a community.” The person who fulfills this responsibility may not be strong in the field of spiritual shepherding, for example, pastoral care, visits (rounds, detours), and so on. Other members of the pastoral team may do this within the scope of their gifts.

The modern church is coming to false conclusions that have harmed it and are constantly wreaking havoc. Now they confuse the position of pastor with the very meaning of the word. They are mixed in synonymous use. People typically feel the rich meaning inherent in the word pastor and expect the local church pastor to live up to and embody the meaning of the word.

As previously stated in the Old and New Testaments, the word “pastor/shepherd” means “to lead, oversee, nourish, train, instruct, and provide for God’s people.” The meaning of this word was not reduced to an indifferent, meek, pastoral image, which distorted its true meaning.

This has led the church to understand the role of the pastor in a limited way. He was presented as a blindly obedient, submissive person whose main responsibility was to meet the immediate needs of the church. If a pastor considers his most important task to be to meet the “felt” needs of the church, then from the point of view of the church, this is a caring, loving shepherd; if he tries to satisfy her real needs, which often do not correspond to the felt ones, then this is no longer a caring, loving shepherd. After all, the pastor should not contradict the community; he has no right to be stubborn, show self-will, and call on the church to fulfill the Great Commission. He is considered a spiritual director, and not the leader of the entire church. Issues of financial support, operation of buildings and land use and other “non-spiritual” matters are believed to be beyond his competence.

The church cannot have it both ways. If finances, buildings and land are not included in the circle of pastoral leadership by necessity, these areas should be classified as non-spiritual. Does the congregation really want such a division that leads to a spiritual and non-spiritual compartment of the church? Do the congregations really want to consider all the leading brothers responsible for money, buildings and land use to be engaged in unofficial, unspiritual affairs? If the pastor is concerned only with “spiritual” matters, then the lay, ordinary members of the church are limited to only “non-spiritual” ones. Such division undoubtedly weakens the church. It leads to the formation of a chasm between the world and the clergy, which, in turn, gives rise to the phenomenon of “burnt out” pastors and weak ordinary church members.

There is no biblical basis for this kind of thinking. Churches resort to such division under the pretext of caring for the pastor, but in fact, and I am convinced of this, to show the pastor in his place. Turning to him, they say: “You work hard - preaching, instructing, praying and caring for the flock. Let the fraternal council govern the community.” Such removal of the pastor from leadership occurs all the time, although there is a tragic delusion behind it. The pastor needs to lead the execution of the program and the direction of the church as a whole. This can be done without having your hand in everything and without keeping a checkbook. The responsibility of a shepherd is first of all firm leadership, and it is in this sense that the word was understood by such national leaders as Moses, Joshua and David.

The pastoral team must shepherd the church. A person acting as a pastor may not participate in spiritual shepherding if his gifts are not related to pastoral care. This is not about strength and weakness, but about the proper use of spiritual gifts. Misunderstandings in this matter have led in many cases to the fact that the church asked a person to perform a role that was completely unusual for him.

The first step in reorganizing the pastoral work is for the pastor to begin to feel like a professional. The main focus of his work as a teacher/trainer is to ensure that service is done through the hands of others. If properly done, this work will result in increased ministry through every member of the church.

The pastor's role as a teacher, a coach, and a clear vision for the future of the church is best accomplished with strong leadership. But it is better to decentralize pastoral care, to distribute it among all members of the Body. In other words, pastoral care in the traditional sense is not the responsibility of the lead pastor. This will be discussed in more detail below.

The work of pastor-teachers is “to equip the saints for the work of ministry...” (Eph. 4:12). Simply put, consummation is the “building up” (vv. 12–14) of the Body of Christ so that it may “grow in” (vv. 15–16).

The purpose of leadership is to bring the Body of Christ to full operational readiness through training. The word katartizo, translated “commit,” has many meanings. It can mean “to set a dislocation,” “to repair shabby nets,” “to furnish a house with furniture,” “to restore order,” and “to prepare an athlete.”

This word is found in Scripture: “... that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:17, emphasis added). Jesus used it in reference to individual training: “A disciple is not greater than his teacher; but, having been perfected, everyone will become like his teacher” (Luke 6:40). In the text of Ephesians, Paul uses the word katartizo to refer to the primary purpose of leadership—to perfect the Body of Christ. This text provides the only methodology that guarantees the perfection of the Body of Christ. The prescribed means of improvement is a leading pastor who is dedicated to preparing people for ministry. Neglecting this injunction is tantamount to disobedience.

The problem with this passage is not that people don't know the point; just the opposite. It is widely taught and praised by serious pastors, although its application remains neglected. No thought is given to its practical application, so very few follow this teaching.

Preparing people for ministry means more than studying the Bible and meeting one-on-one with those interested in spiritual improvement. Many young people, having graduated from theological seminary, believe that outstanding preaching prepares the people for the work of ministry. While powerful preaching is an important first step, preaching alone can do more harm than good.

The ambiguity of the word katartizo places increased demands on pastors. To set a dislocation means to help the broken one put his life back together; repair, renew - return the weakened to the true path; furnish the house - improve people, provide them with the knowledge and skills to lead an effective Christian lifestyle; prepare the athlete - set goals and help do what is necessary to win on the front line of ministry.

The pastoral goal is multidimensional revival. That's why one person can never handle it. The broken must be supported, the disorderly must be brought to reason, the weak must be strengthened, the young must be educated. There is some truth to the rule “Start with what people need.” This thought is important and necessary for completing the task as a whole.

The pastoral team of the church ensures the fulfillment of the entire range of responsibilities. Such a team, working together, can be called a “super-pastor.”

Everything said above is important in preparing the people for the work of ministry. If you don't care for people, they won't feel loved and therefore won't open their hearts to the Word of God. Although the pastoral team (let's call them “elders”) is responsible for pastoral care, it does not follow that this work should be done only by elders. As they carry out their work, they find members of the Body of Christ who are able to undertake pastoral care in an appropriate manner. At the same time, all the urgent needs of the church, including “felt” ones, will find better satisfaction. Even if the pastor does not take much part in practical pastoral care, it must be said that under his effective leadership this ministry of the church falls into the best hands. The congregation must decide whether it wants effective pastoral care or spiritual care provided by a lead pastor. You cannot have both, and of the same quality.

Pastor as a coach. The confusion created by the words shepherd and shepherd led me to look for a modern equivalent for these concepts - a word that is familiar to everyone in our time and can designate the work described in Ephesians 4. This is what the word coach turned out to be. The image of a pastor-coach has nothing to do with any bias of mine, although I once played sports. The fact is, firstly, that this idea has been in the air for many years. The head of the Christian Writers, D. Elton Trueblood, spoke of the pastor as a coach thirty years ago. A Harvard Ph.D. and deep thinker, Trueblood saw coaching as the best modern analogy to shepherding.

What a coach does is clear to everyone these days. Most American youth play sports. It would be difficult to find a person in America who would not know anything about the work of a coach. And at the same time, many people have no idea about the work of the one who shepherds the flock.

Secondly, I used the word “coach” because it accurately defines the purpose of the pastor. The similarities that exist here are simply amazing. Everyone understands that the team plays the way the coaches prepare it. In general, without changing the composition of the players, coaches can make significant changes in the team's performance. As proof, let's look at the example of Vinci Lombardi and the Green Bay Packers. In the 50s this team was the laughingstock of the National Football League (NFL). But Lombardi came along, and four years later the Green Bay Packers won the NFL championship. They went on to achieve several top honors in the NFL and their first two Super Bowls.

Tom Landry, coach of the Dallas Cowboys, defined coaching this way: “A coach makes people do things they don't want to do in order to become what they want to become.” One can say about pastoral ministry that its purpose is also to encourage people to do what they don’t want to do in order to become what they want to become.

The coach does not play with the team. He plays only in the sense that he teaches others to play. When the whistle blows and the game begins, the coach's place is on the sidelines. His job is not to play, but to manage those who play. He demonstrates techniques, develops methodology and game script. He encourages, punishes, pushes and does everything to set the team up to win the game.

All the great coaches - John Wooden, Bobby Knight, Vinci Lombardi, Paul "Bear" Bryant - combined theory with practice and achieved outstanding results from their players. Pastor - player coach; he is never completely out of the game. He reveals enormous talents in regenerated people. He believes that the Holy Spirit sends people to his church. The pastor-coach opens the packages and takes out these gifts. He then calls people to excellence and growth.

The term pastor-mentor arose in connection with the final “product” prescribed by the quoted text, which is perfect saints, that is, saints who are spiritually mature and fully functioning. The perfect saint, engaged in his work in the Body and the world, is equivalent to what Jesus called a “disciple”: he abides in Christ, keeps His commandments, bears fruit, glorifies God, and rejoices (John 15:7–11). And the disciple also loves his neighbors (John 13:34–35). The biblical text “...teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you...” (Matthew 28:19–20) defines what it means to “make disciples.” Jesus and Paul call for the same thing. For this desired fruit to become a reality, the pastor must be a mentor. He is dedicated to a ministry that transforms people into spiritually mature, reproducing Christians.

The accomplishment of the saints as the highest priority. The pastor is appointed “for the equipping of the saints, for the work of ministry” (Eph. 4:12). Preparation for ministry is a real need of God's people. This highest goal is set before the people by God, but this goal often comes into sharp conflict with the desires of the people. The battle begins: what will the pastor choose? Which course will it take? Will he submit to pressure from God's people when they oppose God's clearly stated purpose? The pastor-mentor, finding strength in his faith, resolutely resists this and does not allow himself to be led off course. He gives his life to God and encourages people to act contrary to their desires so that they can become what God wants them to be.

Christians in many ways behave like athletes who have become ill with star fever. When the lights come on and excited fans fill the stands, the distressed athlete thinks: “They could have let me out too... Why am I any worse than these?!” Yes, such Christians may have abilities that enable them to take the field, but their desire for glory without the desire to prepare to play on a team only aggravates their “disease.” After all, long before the lights come on and the stadium is filled with noisy fans, athletes have to exhaust themselves with training, putting their hidden reserves to the test.

Wayman Tisdale, great American basketball player from the University of Oklahoma and member of the basketball team Summer Olympics 1984, asked how he got the gold medal. With a charming smile and characteristic wit, Tisdale replied: “I didn’t get this medal for winning a basketball tournament; I got it for being a survivor of Bobby Knight." Bobby Knight, the Olympic coach, kept his team strict. His philosophy explains why: “Will alone will not achieve victory; It’s more important to prepare for it.”

Every Christian wants to grow spiritually, pleasing God, filling his life with meaning. This desire comes from time to time; The pastor-trainer looks for moments when people are ready to learn, recognizing them as unique opportunities. A follower of Christ is inspired by preaching, reading the Bible and fellowship. All this motivates him to renew his determination to grow. But desires alone without discipline nullify all good intentions. The environment created by the pastor-mentor disciplines and teaches responsibility. He curbs the desires of the disciples with discipline, without which they cannot do.

Accurate identification of God's people. One of the first priorities on a pastor-discipler's list is witnessing to the saints who they are and what their purpose is: “For the equipping of the saints for the work of their ministry...” (Eph. 4:12, emphasis added). Accurate identification of God's people is of the utmost importance. The word holy (Greek hagios) means “to be set apart.” The doctrine of the priesthood of all believers teaches that all Christians are saints, set apart for the work of service, and that all saints are ministers (1 Pet. 2:9; Rom. 1:1–7; 1 Cor. 1:26). To be a priest is not a calling for the elect, but the heritage of every Christian (2 Cor. 5:18-21).

Attempts were made to separate the "mere" saints from the ministry. This approach determined the gap between the clergy and the world that we talked about above. There is a natural difference between a pastor and a minister, since the ministry of a pastor is for a few. The proper title for any saint is minister. The words minister, ministry, and deacon come from the same root, the Greek diakoniоs, meaning “to serve.” main idea here is that the people of God (that is, the saints) are to serve God; therefore, all saints are ministers.

At public events, the mentoring pastor tries to kindle the fire that burns in every regenerate heart. When he takes over the pulpit, he does more than just inform, inspire, and teach. He gives a number of visible images of Christian service, connecting them with interpretation. He tries to interest God's people, making them interested in God's work.

Bud Wilkenson, a former football coach at the University of Oklahoma, once said this about the physical condition of the American people: “The physical condition of the American people is akin to the situation in any NFL stadium on a Sunday: the twenty-two on the field are desperate for rest, and eighty thousand in the stands doing physical exercise.” The pastor-mentor encourages those who wish to take action. The pastor-coach’s call to the community is: “Leave the stands, get out on the field and start acting.”

The pastor as trainer testifies to the saints that they are called to serve, that they are set apart to serve Christ. The purpose of a pastor-trainer is to train the saints in this ministry. And yet, they must submit and begin to study in order to fulfill their function in the Body, for the Kingdom. The mentor pastor tells the saints who he is and who they are and what the relationship is between them. He calls them to believe the wonderful truth that by fulfilling their respective functions they will become strong, spiritually mature followers of Christ and the church will be a fruitful evangelist to the world.

A pastor is a teacher, not a pastor who is a talker. But what then, after the pastor-coach calls the saints to action and the saints leave their seats in the stands and take the field? For a pastor, this can be both a dream come true and a cold shower. He always dreamed of more zealous and cheerful wards. But here they are in front of him and ready to act, and reality hits him: What should I do now? If the pastor has been to most evangelical schools, he will begin with "blackboard, chalk, and rag." He will inspire, enlighten, and delight hearts, but the team will never disperse. Having received the necessary instructions before the attack, the team will not leave the coach and gather at the center circle, thinking about victory, although, of course, there will be a few determined dissidents who, after consulting, will go out to fight alone. They will join interchurch organizations or, without receiving appropriate training in the church, will begin to overcome the difficulties of ministry on their own. Pastor-talkers always use talented singles as an example that speaks in their favor, pastor-talkers.

How long can a football coach last if the team he coaches is in meetings and not playing? Many pastors do not go beyond the “board, chalk and rag,” while the people firmly believe that they are doing business. The American church is not difficult to fool, so the figure of such a respectable pastor-talker can be seen among the religious elite. He tells the saints what to do and how to do it, and that’s all. Those who think of themselves as shepherd-teachers believe that the main thing for saints is “a board, chalk and a rag.” Talking pastors are considered great orators; many of them become Protestant luminaries; I affirm that they are not pastors-teachers, but pastors-talkers.

Talking pastors do not prepare saints for ministry; they only talk about service. They recommend the people to engage in ministry, but they themselves do not fulfill their God-given responsibilities. Please don't misunderstand me. I believe that speaking to the saints about the work of the ministry is necessary - this is the first, effective and essential step in the training of the saints. I myself work hard to communicate the Word of God to the church. When I stop speaking, I stop teaching. In the process of making disciples, preaching is the first and most important step.

And you, the reader, might most naturally come to the incorrect conclusion that here I am alluding to the highly gifted pastors of American superchurches. Not necessary. The most talented and eloquent pastors have large pastoral teams that train the saints in the work of the ministry. Although it is difficult to predict how they will behave if left alone with this matter, super pastors and super churches usually teach the saints very well.

The problem with a super pastor and a super church is that a super church is a church of gigantic proportions. The super-pastor model of ministry, adopted by other pastors, as it actually does, weakens and depletes the average church and the average pastor. This model raises fantastic, and therefore unfulfillable, and also biblically unfounded expectations. The most common myth is this: successful preaching leads to successful ministry. Fruitful preaching - good start learning process, but preaching alone is not enough for effective ministry.

Nine out of ten pastors do not understand that preaching alone is not enough. It is not enough for the tenth, but he is usually not required to understand the real situation. Many pastors will agree that preaching is not enough, but will say that it is not their job to fill the gap. They have been very successful in falsely teaching that the main thing in their work is preaching. This false teaching is a clear example of the penetration of alien currents into the Holy Scriptures.

The pastor-teacher works responsibly and diligently to effectively proclaim the Word of God. And at the same time he prepares the saints by giving them the means of preparation. He carries a great burden of care, setting an example of what a saint should do. To do this, he uses various forms of preparation, not just home Bible study circles and other informal, undirected, unaccountable, and non-skillful activities.

Telling Christians what to do and not letting them necessary funds to do this is a cruel deception. This deception gives rise to spiritual schizophrenia in Christians, when they, experts without experience, are divorced from reality. The saints not only remain amateurs—people who know nothing about the work of ministry—but they begin to blame themselves and become disillusioned with the ministry. Moreover, this allows Satan to create difficulties and problems within the church. When the army is not participating in battles, they begin to clean boots, make beds and practice stepping. A church that does not take action must of necessity focus on the Roberts Rules of Order, commission bylaws, and pulpit equipment.

A pastor-teacher is a pastor-coach. Teaching means more than just stating what to do and why. Going further, one must show people how it is done, then do it with them, then trust them to do it themselves, and finally use them in the Master's harvest. This six-step training method that Jesus used is the criterion for a mentoring pastor. A pastor-mentor is a true pastor-teacher; he organizes the training of the saints, placing them in a six-step process of preparation leading to real ministry. This six-step training model will be discussed in more detail below in the chapter entitled “Pastor Trainer.”

Purposeful leadership. In the most general form, the analyzed text describes the characteristics of a pastor-teacher. He faithfully disciples the saints as his highest priority and the saints as called ministers. A pastor-trainer is a pastor-teacher. Now focus is added to this list of criteria.

The real test of focus is not the innate ability to see a goal and chart a course, but the ability to successfully work over time. The ability to stay focused on important details throughout a process over a long period of time is purposeful leadership. Like a hurdling athlete, the pastor-mentor monitors the learning process without losing sight of the finish line—the goal.

And let us repeat again that his goal is an army of trained servants capable of leading this world. The quoted text also defines the process itself: “...for the edifying of the Body of Christ...” (Eph. 4:12). The body is built up because there is an effective ministry of the members: “...until we all come into the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the full stature of Christ...” (v. 13).

This process continues as the Body is built up, “until we all come into the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God.” Otherwise, the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God can be expressed in the words “until we all reach the goal.” Every good coach builds a learning process that leads to a goal. He can present his vision for learning to the team and then put the plan or process into action. The great coach Vinci Lombardi told his players that their goal was to win matches. This could be achieved by defending better, holding the ball longer and moving faster than other teams.

The pastor, in the role of a coach, sets out his vision of learning, and then says: “You can only reach your goal by getting involved in the learning process.” The goal of coming “to the measure of the full stature of Christ” in this life is completely unattainable. Paul expresses the idea somewhat more precisely when he defines the full stature of Christ as the unity of faith and the knowledge of the Son of God. Like other unattainable biblical aspirations, the church strives to achieve these ideal goals before the second coming of Christ.

The mentoring process must continue. The final destination is indicated by the word “until.” It is logical to ask: what does “how long” mean? In the above sense, the process will not end until Christ returns. However, the quoted text gives a practical, quantitative indicator in the form of negation - how long “not”: “So that we were no longer babies, tossed to and fro, and carried away by every wind of doctrine, by the craftiness of men, by the cunning craft of deception...” (Eph. 4:14, italics mine. - B.H.).

In the form of a statement, Ephesians 4:13 perfectly defines the concept of spiritual maturity and the attainment of maturity is considered a goal within the reach of the Body of Christ. In its negative form, maturity will elude us until we cease to resemble those depicted in v. 14 babies dying on the waters, becoming victims of every ideological wind, cunning, deceit and seduction.

Indeed, fashionable subjective idealism challenges purposeful leadership. Most Christians are spiritually immature and unprepared. They are unstable, easily fall prey to seduction and are carried away by philosophical winds until they completely lose the right direction. Two wise men, Solomon and Isaiah, speak of the fickle, fickle nature of God's people. “Without revelation from above, a people is unruly...” (Prov. 29:18). Lacking a vision of the great common good, the people are scattered to the sides. Isaiah adds to this: “We have all gone astray, like sheep, every one of us has turned to his own way...” (Isaiah 53:6). Human nature is such that without firm, directing leadership from those empowered by God, people become stuck in their own priorities. The enemy of human souls would like mentors not to be guides and please people, to strive for peace at any cost, even at the cost of failure to fulfill the Great Commission.

There are many barriers to corporate goals—the goals of the Body. Thousands of deviations from a given course are extremely characteristic of immature, slow progress toward biblically defined corporate goals.

An immature body functions inferiorly, since it is made up of many personal aspirations that crowd out one common, great plan. The ability to deflect the satisfaction of one's needs and subjugate personal desires to a greater purpose is lost.

Two forces take up arms against the spiritually immature when he is faced with the duty to serve—intimidation and deception. The threat is given in the image of a raging sea, and the lie is given in the words of deceit and deception.

At the same time, the overwhelming motivation for the pastor should be the desire to help people find a common denominator: the path to spiritual maturity. If the pastor does not bring the functions of the parts of the Body together and does not soften the friction by pointing the people to a common cause, it is not he who will dictate, but disobedience. A Well-Intentioned Pastor Buried Under Unbearable Weight individual plans, is the most common phenomenon. Combat at close range, a waste of time and effort, missed talents, disappointment of seekers - all this happens when the target is no longer discernible. Moreover, having no idea about goal orientation, people lose enthusiasm.

Purposeful leadership requires a strong methodological filter, strong convictions and the ability to mobilize people to achieve a goal. Cognition, conviction and skill are at the core of the psychology of the pastor-mentor. The most important teaching tool is a sound, biblically based philosophy of service and mission, which he passionately explains to people again and again. I will cover this topic below.

The need to encourage people to move towards a goal is not a manifestation of the principles of management, a product of the 20th century. This is the God-given responsibility of the local church and, more specifically, the senior pastor. It is he who should encourage the Body to move.

The role of a favorable environment. Talented coaches form the set of conditions in which the team’s life takes place. We are talking about conditions conducive to victory. Players are immersed in an atmosphere of optimism; they thirst for victory, count on it, believe in it. The collective spirit of the team must be one of dedication to hard work and the abandonment of individual goals in favor of collective goals. The players must believe they can play better and the coach trusts them. Good coaches find the positive even in failure. Much of the reasons for a team's victory or defeat can be understood by observing the progress of the training process. If a coach displays constant pessimism and intimidates his team's players by punishing them for every mistake, he will end up with a game based on fear. A good coach can point out mistakes, but he considers it more important to emphasize achievements and movement forward towards the goal.

Much can be learned from listening to a pastor-coach talk to his congregation. It creates an atmosphere of guilt and fear or love and trust. It indicates progress even when things are going badly, and highlights shortcomings when things are going well. He preaches to the "empty pews" or convinces those present. The position of the pastor largely shapes the position of the entire church.

Like a coach, the pastor must show weaknesses, vulnerabilities, the shortcomings of people, the negative aspects of the surrounding culture, and the need for repentance. But he must balance this by pointing to the merciful alternative of forgiveness, rebirth, and a vision of achieving spiritual maturity.

The quoted text implies three characteristic features of a favorable environment: the first is a clear awareness of achievements. This can be seen in the following biblical statement: “...But through true love we grow all things into him who is the head, Christ” (Eph. 4:15). People must understand that mistakes are inevitable on the way to the goal. A growth-friendly learning environment is one of trust.

Tom Peters, in his excellent work A Passion for Excellence, introduces readers to the now famous approach to the problem of innovation and profitability. A large corporation bypasses exhausting formalities and creates small teams capable of creating and acting. This approach should inspire the church. Yes, there is a certain risk; Yes, these teams are not easy to manage; Yes, they will make mistakes, but should the church, carrying out a great work under supervision, act with certainty, without mistakes?

Peters recently published a new book extolling the virtues and necessity of entrepreneurship in the fight against chaos. A flexible approach and adaptation to rapidly changing consumer demand is his new call. Peters grasped the essence of man and culture. A church that does not compromise principles, but trusts its members to act independently, has more achievements, grows faster, and finds creative inspiration.

The heroes of the church should be those who try the hardest, take the most risks, even though they make the most mistakes. Failures are an inevitable part of growth. When a person who takes creative risks fails miserably, the church must lift him up, shake off the dust and support him with the words: “Forward, forward, you will make it!”

The pastor-coach creates a supportive environment through his words and actions. He celebrates the successes of his students and skillfully uses their mistakes for positive stimulation.

There is another side to a positive learning environment. The individual believer must demonstrate his allegiance with “true love” (Eph. 4:15). The literal translation of this phrase is “speaking the truth in love,” a rough translation is “following firmly, holding fast.” Just as a rider who tames a wild steed holds on to the animal struggling beneath him, so a Christian who grows spiritually holds firmly to the path of Christ. Consistency in obedience is the key to spiritual growth. The pastor as a coach, first, emphasizes collective growth and development; secondly, to achieve this goal, he systematically trains people in constancy.

Between true love and spiritual growth there are cause-and-effect relationships. Corresponding to this truth, we “grow back” into Christ Himself. Individual spiritual growth is evidence of a believer holding fast to the truth; the path of obedience is the path to maturity. Political leaders are limited in their ability to pacify the world. The main limiting factor is the spiritual essence of man. Although this world at times achieves partial peace, universal peace is unattainable without spiritual change in each individual.

As stated above, a church is only as good as its “products.” How an individual walks in Christ defines the qualities of a human person. Church leaders are clipping their wings if they themselves are not growing spiritually and thereby creating a foundation for the growth of the Body.

Collaboration is the third aspect of an environment conducive to spiritual maturation. If a person follows the truth, that is, shows constancy in obedience to it, this speaks of his individual spiritual maturation. If church members cooperate with each other and work harmoniously, then this testifies to the spiritual maturation of the entire Body.

People ultimately show spiritual maturity by working with those they would not choose as friends. Church is not for doubles. The Spirit of God was pleased to create a “hodgepodge” of saints and call on them to love each other in order to do the impossible together. The only way to such an enterprise is supernatural powers. This is why Paul says, “…all have grown up into Him who is the head…” (Eph. 4:15). Christ is the head, source and sustenance of life, “…from whom is the whole body, joined together and held together…” (v. 16). Christ gives growth, Christ ensures the unity of the Body. If all members of the Body are submissive to its Head, then they work in harmony for the sake of effective action.

Each member is given its own role, absolutely necessary for the Body. The phrase “... all kinds of mutually binding bonds, each member working in its own measure...” (Eph. 4:16) means that each member gives something necessary to the other. Every member of the Body bears fruit for the benefit of others. This is why Paul harshly denounces the Corinthian Christians: “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’; or also head to feet: “I don’t need you”” (see 1 Cor. 12:21). The body works best when all systems are in action and each member is engaged in its own business.

In joint work, everyone does their part. People give up their personal agendas to work together in obedience to a single, common direction. It is as difficult as it is necessary.

Bobby Knight, coach of the US Olympic basketball team (1984), spoke about this in a conversation with reporters. After the team's first three victories at the Olympics, reporters praised Bobby Knight for his ability to get near-perfect performances out of single stars. team game. “Well, of course, I would like to see how ten of you would write one article,” the skilled trainer answered.

The basketball team must submit to the will of the coach and the general training program. In the same way, the members of the Body must submit in loving obedience to the Head of the Body, who is Christ. Satan opposes the pastor-coach and the ordinary members of the church - the players, because together they are doing a great thing.

The greatest threat to Satan's kingdom is not the American superchurch. But always and everywhere such a threat to him becomes a pastor-mentor, teaching responsible ordinary members of the church how to work together. If this happens, multiplication is just around the corner. Satan fears that pastors and church leaders will take seriously the command to make disciples and increase their numbers. The growth of the church by all measures through new members is the most important driving force possible for man.

Paul describes the effect produced by the common work "as each member works according to its measure" of the body; this body “...receives increase to build itself up in love...” (Eph. 4:16). Dr. Paul Brand describes the following physiological phenomena, which can be analogized with the spiritual body. He points out that the body has special nerve endings that perceive pain, touch, heat and cold, but there are no nerve pathways that conduct pleasure. However, when all the organs and systems of the body work in harmony, as a result of this coordinated work, an enzyme is synthesized as a by-product, which acts on the nerve endings and causes an effect that Brand called “social ecstasy” (8). When the body acts as one, social ecstasy manifests itself in the creation of the body itself in love.

The words about the body “creating itself” are absolutely necessary to understand the essence of the matter. With the establishment of a proper foundation, reproduction is established that can continue indefinitely. Pavlov's metaphors of body and structure are combined to emphasize the importance of the foundation of structure and the growth of the body through joint labor. The proper foundation is laid by the pastor-teacher. He then trains the body to develop cooperative skills, resulting in quality “products”—spiritually mature Christians and fruitful ministries performed by trained ministers.

When the proper environment is formed, spiritual growth begins, leading to multiplication. The ministry and mission of the church fulfill and enhance each other. Once put into action, this mechanism generates an incomparable spiritual impulse that impresses this world. Not a single social layer, not a single part of this world remains unaffected. After all, previously inert Christian newcomers in a ripened field, having been transformed into purposeful, experienced servants in the same field, are conquering all the corners and crannies for Christ. This is God's design for the church. The mentoring pastor is a key figure in a spiritually mature, world-leading church. A pastor-mentor is a pastor-coach.

In defining the pastor-mentor and his biblical role, I used a broad categorical apparatus. These categories form the foundation, the framework of the structure, and this is just the beginning. Now I intend to fill the void with the necessary details that set the disciple-making pastor apart from all the rest. However, it must be said that fulfilling the role described in this chapter will make the pastor into an unusual, unique phenomenon.

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Moscow Theological Institute of Christians of the Evangelical Faith

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Pastoral Epistles of the Apostle Paul

The Role of the Pastor in the Church

Completed by: Seregin K.V.

Moscow 2016

INTRODUCTION

To be partners with God in the building of His Church today is a majestic task and at the same time a rich field of activity. There are countless books devoted to this topic, and theories and opinions on how to “succeed” in ministry are countless. Even with a superficial acquaintance with the daily work of pastors, one can be convinced of a variety of opinions, often contradictory, regarding the duties of ministers.

There is a cry everywhere to send more shepherds and preachers. There is no doubt that this is a great need for the entire church. The question is, what can the Church do to make more pastors and ministers appear? Jesus told the twelve to ask the Lord of the harvest to send out more laborers into His harvest. This is the primary way in which leaders are called and also involves those who pray making efforts to have more leaders. Leaders, in turn, must make it part of their ministry to educate the shift. It is symbolic that God told those who are already doing things to pray for workers. This is because when a worker begins to pray for God to send out more workers, he comes to understand and be zealous to recognize that only the hand of God can send out workers into His harvest.

1. DEFINITION - CHURCH LEADER

church bishop elder shepherd

In the New Testament, each type of leader is designated by a special term. We will look at these terms and give them definitions.

Bishop - the Greek word is often translated now as "elder", "overseer", "shepherd", or "overseer", which is close enough modern word"pastor". Jesus is called “the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls” (1 Peter 2:25).

In the New Testament, the words “bishop” and “elder” mean the same position, as can be seen from the words of the Apostle Paul - he orders Titus to “appoint elders” (“presbyters) in all the cities,” and then the same people are called “bishops” (Titus 1:5,7). Walter Eluel and Philip Camfort. Big Bible Dictionary. - St. Petersburg. 2005.-429p.

We can also look at the definition of this term from the author John R. W. Stott, where it is written that in the time of Paul there were two terms - episkopos (“overseer” and “bishop”) and presbyteros (“presbyter” and “elder”) - applied to the same position. John R. W. Stoth. First Epistle to Timothy and Epistle to Titus. - St. Petersburg. 2005.-101p.

We will define the term “shepherd” later. The word Shepherd literally means “shepherd,” which is used figuratively in the Old Testament and New Testament to refer to rulers and leaders.

Shepherds and teachers helped the apostles, prophets and preachers. In the New Testament the same office is also designated by the words “bishop,” “elder,” and “overseer.” Walter Eluel and Philip Camfort. Big Bible Dictionary.-SPb.-2005.-947p.

We can conclude that bishop, presbyter, pastor, elder and overseer are the same word in meaning.

Another thing we can draw our attention to is to define the term deacon. Deacon is a term denoting a position in a local church, derived from the Greek word for “servant,” “minister.” Walter Eluel and Philip Camfort. Big Bible Dictionary.-SPb.-2005.-359p.

2. DEFINITION OF THE TERM CHURCH

At this point we will learn what the church is. The word church has several different meanings. If we are talking to someone about the church, it is very important to know what the word church means.

Modern meanings:

a) building

b) a local church - a group of people united by the same beliefs and regularly meeting together

c) confession - religious organization

d) all Christians of the world

d) religious service

The church in the Bible: a) all Christians of the world and b) the local church.

Biblical images of the church. The Bible uses several images to depict the church, especially to show it with Christ.

A) A building whose foundation is Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:11; 1 Peter 2:6-8.

B) The Body, the Head of which is Christ. Col. 1:18; Eph1:22-23; Eph5:23-24.

C) The Bride, whose Groom is Christ. Eph.5:25-32.

The Church is called to promote the spiritual growth of Christians. A healthy local church will help new Christians reach spiritual maturity.

The Church is called to tell about Christ to those who have not yet accepted him. If the local church promotes the spiritual growth of Christians, they will witness to others about Christ (Acts 2:42-47).

In church, people gather to fellowship, to glorify God, to listen to God, to help each other. David Batty. The practice of Christianity.-M. 2000.-2.3C.

Having considered all of the above, we can conclude that the church must have a leader who will shepherd the church.

3. THE ROLE OF THE PASTOR IN THE CHURCH

It is important for us to understand that Christ is our Head. The first of the main foundations of healthy leadership is the recognition that Christ is the Supreme Head. He and only He is the Head of the church. To Ephesus. 4:11 it is written: And He appointed some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some shepherds and teachers.

Our role as shepherds is to learn to understand God's feelings AND His mind. When God is not involved in the leadership of His church, then church leaders begin to view the church as a platform for the development of their own plans and ideas.

As we already said. that bishop, presbyter, shepherd, elder can be assumed that they are all equal in position.

Let's look at a few points about the role of the pastor in the church.

1) Provide a blanket of wisdom and maturity.

Appointing elders is not simply about recognizing the spiritual gifts or ministries of these individuals. Elders may have gifts; they may be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, or teachers, and they may have many other gifts, such as working miracles, discerning spirits, or the gift of tongues. They must be stable and mature people. Without these qualities, no spiritual service will take place. Likewise, ministry cannot be built on natural maturity alone, and spirituality is necessary. An elder must combine the natural and the spiritual.

Elders are most commonly identified in the New Testament by the Greek word presbuteros. This word is used more than 60 times in the New Testament. Another word for senior servant episkopos - guardian, appears only 5 times. The strength of this concept is not in seniority. This in itself cannot be a basis for serving in the church.

The role of elders was originally to provide a blanket of spiritual and natural wisdom and maturity. The Holy Scripture invites every man to grow spiritually and become mature, so that he can ultimately become a father in Christ Jesus and share the burden of leading his local community, taking this seriously and soberly. As the community grows, the number of elders should also increase. It is important here to distinguish between a calling and an anointing to lead. Because it is the anointing that makes a man a senior among the elders, and it is spiritual and natural maturity that makes a man an elder.

2) Be vigilant and observant. To watch out for dangers - the word episkopos is translated as watchman, i.e. the one who watches. Elders are shepherds who must watch over their flocks.

Watch God - Elders must be “on the watchtower” like Habakkuk to hear what God will say to the flock and see what God wants to do in his people.

To watch over souls - Heb. 13:17, the elders must be vigilant about what happens in the lives of the sheep. They must be on guard against false teaching and carnal human ambitions. They must be careful to correct the situation in time.

3) Go ahead. In the letter to Rom. 12:8, and Thess. 5:12, the Greek word proistemi is translated as to rule or to be in charge. The literal meaning of this word is to take charge or stand in front. An elder must be in charge, which means the church must feel that whoever is in control is reasonable and sensitive. This means that the church should feel secure in the knowledge that there are those who are responsible for the ministry that is carried out at the meetings. In Old Testament times, the elders of the city sat at the gates of the city, in full view of everyone, and they knew who entered the city and who left.

4) Stay the course. In 1 Corinthians 12:28, Paul tells us about the spiritual gift of stewardship. This does not mean that all elders have this gift, but it does mean that there is such a gift of seeing the answer in a certain situation that brings light to the church as it seeks guidance and way. The Greek word kubernesis, translated into Russian as steering, literally means to steer or steer a vessel.

5) Manage. This is perhaps the most difficult aspect of being an elder, and one that is especially difficult to accept in this day and age. But the Greek word haigoumenos is used of Jesus in Matt. 2:6, and in relation to the elders Hebrews 13:7, 17 and 24. They can have as much power as people recognize them.

There is no doubt that elders must rule, punish, correct, limit, exhort.

6) Graze. One of the aspects of government is called this word in Greek, poimaino, and is often used in reference to Christ and the elders. This word is often incorrectly translated as “to feed.” It would be more correct to translate it as “to take care.” Shepherds must take care of their flock, which includes feeding, but this is much more, this is all a third-party concern. An elder must have the heart of a shepherd, although not everyone is a shepherd.

The key text is John 21:15-17. Here Jesus wants to draw Peter's attention to the fact that the key to properly caring for His flock is to love Him, the Chief Shepherd, as Peter calls Him. Jesus gives three commands to Peter. In the first, the Greek word bosko (to feed) is used, in the second - poimaino (to take care), in the third - bosko again. This indicates that herding means feeding and bathing. The food that sheep need is love, but not only that. Food is also the ministry of the word. People must constantly receive the Word of God.

7) God's stewards. This title was given to the elders by Paul and is perhaps their greatest role. This points to the fact that elders are those who manage the house of God and His affairs. The house of God combines two elements, first God Himself and second, His people. To be a steward of His people is already a high calling, but to be a steward of God himself is something indescribable.

Being an elder is a great calling, so an elder, first of all, must be immersed in the consciousness of God and know Him. Looking at the church, the world should see a revelation about God. He should not pretend to be the master of the House of God, but to be a servant in that house.

The Church is the pillar and ground of truth 1 Tim. 3:15. God Himself dwells there and this is the place where His presence is known, and where His stewards abide with Him, filled with faith and the Holy Spirit. Wilton L. J. Compass. - Smolensk, publishing house "Life", 2011. -179-183p.

CONCLUSION

Having considered all of the above, we can draw a conclusion. The role of the pastor in the church is to be a good servant of Jesus Christ. The word translated minister is the same word otherwise translated deacon 1 Tim. 3:8. Jesus used this word in relation to Himself when He said: “I am among you as one who ministers” (Luke 22:27). He is a powerful example of humility when, like a servant, he washed the disciples' feet (John 13). Paul also considered himself a servant and was appointed to serve (1 Tim. 1:12).

“Work to make the church alive for Jesus, so that every member will be energized, and they will all unite together in continuous activity for the salvation of sinners. For Christ's soldiers to become strong, feed them the bread of the best sermons and constantly pray that they will be filled with strength from above. Do not forget that your example can kindle their jealousy: then, with divine blessing, guided by common sense, no force can restrain them from producing the desired results. Are you ready to accept this idea and bring it to life?”

Charles Spurgeon

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL LIST OF USED LITERATURE

1. Bible Synodal translation.

2. John R. W. Stott. First Epistle to Timothy and Epistle to Titus - St. Petersburg. 2005.-279p.

3. David Batty. The practice of Christianity.-M. 2000.-2-3s.

4. Walter Elwell and Philip Camfort. Big Bible Dictionary. St. Petersburg. 2005.-1503s.

5. Wilton. L.J. Compass. - Smolensk, publishing house “Life”, 2011.-289 p.

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