WHAT IS THE ROLE OF A PASTOR 2?

How many times have you heard this conversation?

“Pastor, I believe God is calling me into the ministry.”

‘Good, I can recommend some good Bible Colleges that you can attend to get your degree then you can go out and find a church to be pastor of.”

That is the usual response.

Now, how many times have you heard this conversation?

“Pastor, I believe God is calling me into the ministry.”

“Yes, I have noticed that you are very enthusiastic about serving the body of Christ. I would like to test the validity of your calling so I will take you on board and mentor you. You can learn from me and the other members of the ministry team and if all goes to plan, if and when you’re calling is obvious, you will be recognised on the same terms as I am.

As you know, being in leadership is a serving ministry, so you will have to learn to serve the people and put others first as it is not about you but about building the body of Christ. If you are happy with that, I will meet with you once a week to talk about what you have been doing and what you intend to do. Otherwise I want you to do what the spirit of God is telling you to do to edify and care for the flock. Is that OK?”

I bet that you haven’t come across that response. Most of the time the person is shunted off to an approved Bible College and then he is never heard of again because he has to go to another smaller country church that needs “a pastor” and then he slowly makes his way up the ladder of success in bigger and more prestigious churches in the denomination.

In the New Testament, church leadership was always on the basis of appointment from within the congregation or they went out to start their own church in the case of an apostolic ministry. No where do we read of someone going to another church in another town to become its “pastor”.

Certainly we do not read of people going to “Bible College” to be suitable material for leadership. One thing is sure and I learnt this when I went to bible college. It doesn’t teach you to be a leader. Only God can make you a leader and give you an anointing, without which you are running on empty and guaranteed to suffer a breakdown and in all probability end up out of the ministry and no use to anyone.

The scripture makes it quite clear that the five ministries of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher are there to produce others doing the same thing. They are not there to build their own ministry as a means of earning a living. If they do that, they do not have the backing of God or scripture and can only lead people astray.