Pastoral ministry is, in lots of minds, synonymous with pulpit ministry. But pastors, as their title suggests, usually are not solely preachers however shepherds. They’re “those that must give an account” (Heb. 13:17), working as under-shepherds to the Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:2, 4), the one to whom the sheep belong. They’ve been charged with caring for the flock.
Removed from the previous noticed about working for an hour on a Sunday morning, the pastor’s responsibility, because the Westminster Listing for Public Worship says so nicely, is
not solely to show the folks dedicated to his cost in public, however privately; and significantly to admonish, exhort, reprove, and luxury them, upon all seasonable events, as far as his time, power, and private security will allow.
In different phrases, it’s a process that pushes males to the boundaries of their time, power, and a spotlight. And it’s a process that no man will justly really feel he’s undertaking to its fullest extent. Pastors will at all times discover room for enchancment of their care of souls.
Understanding that, it’s good for pastors to contemplate the ways in which they’ll develop in shepherding ministry. In doing so, it is going to be useful to contemplate their objectives, their duties, and a few practicalities which are concerned.
The Shepherd’s Targets
The flock belongs to the Lord Jesus. The Chief Shepherd doesn’t give a pastor a flock for the pastor’s profit or livelihood. Reasonably, He offers the flock an under-shepherd for his or her non secular good. Pastors are servants of the flock for the sake of Christ. Thus, the aim of pastoral care is to take the issues of God and to carry them to bear upon folks in such a method that they advance within the religion. The first aim is to not be nicely revered, to construct an ever-growing congregation, or to win anybody’s loyalty. These are objectives of possession. The pastor’s objectives are objectives of stewardship.
The pastor is, to begin with, charged with the accountability to feed the sheep (John 21:15–17). He’s to steer them into the inexperienced pastures of the Phrase and the Spirit. A pastor ought to routinely ask of his work, “Will this go to nourish their souls? Will my expression of care trigger them to feed upon Christ?” How a pastor goes about his shepherding ministry ought to allow him to reply sure to those questions.
The Chief Shepherd doesn’t give a pastor a flock for the pastor’s profit or livelihood. Reasonably, He offers the flock an under-shepherd for his or her non secular good.
Secondly, the pastor is to proclaim the entire counsel of God (Acts 20:26–27). He isn’t to shrink from the troublesome and disfavored phrases of Scripture. Even the pastor who’s daring to do that within the pulpit could discover it a problem when addressing his sheep in an intimate setting—however it’s crucial to assist folks to wrestle with these sorts of issues.
Thirdly, the pastor goals to current everybody mature within the Lord Jesus Christ (Col. 1:28–29). Pastors search the unreserved obedience to Christ of each believer. They need to see Christ shaped within the flock, so that each doubtlessly informal dialog is definitely a possibility for nice progress. And so they need this, furthermore, for everybody: women and men, younger and previous, the likable and the unlikable.
Fourthly, the pastor is to put together God’s folks for works of service (Eph. 4:11–12). The flock must know they’ve a component to play, they usually have to be offered with the chance to play it. Expository preachers will discover loads of alternatives to evangelise about service. It takes a shepherd to assist the sheep discern what presents they’ve been given and the place these presents are wanted.
The Shepherd’s Duties
Understanding what his objectives are, a pastor then wants a grasp of the workouts of care that can assist him obtain these objectives. In these actions, pastors take as their mannequin the Chief Shepherd, who gathers the lambs in His arms and gently leads the sheep alongside (Isa. 40:11). They take God’s Phrase as their criminal, they usually look to God’s Spirit as their information.
Pastors are, to begin with, to train encouragement. The reality is that always in our pastoral care, we’re merely nudging folks additional alongside, encouraging them to persevere in godliness, in evangelism, or another exercise. Shepherds will typically discover their sheep disheartened and discouraged—and the medication is to supply “the encouragement of the Scriptures” (Rom. 15:4).
Pastors are, secondly, to train exhortation. Exhortation and encouragement go hand in hand. Paul can say, “Rejoice within the Lord at all times,” as a result of he additionally is aware of and proclaims that “the Lord is at hand” (Phil. 4:4–5). In different phrases, he doesn’t say merely, “Chin up. Give your self a shake.” As an alternative, he exhorts his flock to motion—to look to Jesus as their current companion.
Pastors are, thirdly, to train admonition, warning the flock concerning the risks of sin. It’s not simple to admonish folks, neither is it simple for anybody to obtain it. It is crucial, as a result of sin is deceitful—but admonition ought by no means to return with out a phrase of encouragement and exhortation.
Fourthly, pastors are to train counsel. The Holy Spirit counsels most successfully by way of the Phrase. Proclaiming the entire counsel of God, whether or not within the pulpit or within the privateness of a sitting room, empowers believers with godly knowledge —typically a knowledge that the pastor in and of himself can not convey. In counsel, the pastor’s confidence have to be within the Scriptures as he brings them to bear on his folks’s lives.
The Practicalities of Shepherding
If pastors are to shepherd nicely, they have to be not solely acquainted with their objectives and their duties but additionally ready for the practicalities. One might fill many books with the types of issues a pastor learns over time—and many individuals have! However two factors are particularly essential to know from the start, and the rules they train can apply to many different components of pastoral ministry.
Proclaiming the entire counsel of God, whether or not within the pulpit or within the privateness of a sitting room, empowers believers with godly knowledge.
First, pastors ought to shepherd the boys of their congregation in intimate settings however ought to entrust the intimate care of the ladies of their congregation to trustworthy ladies. When the restrictions of a ministry context make this apply impractical or inconceivable, a pastor must take precautions to make sure that his ministry is above reproach, avoiding even the looks of evil. Too many males have violated their belief and shipwrecked their ministries by failing to maintain this rule.
The rationale for such a apply is twofold. First, and most clearly, pastors have to be cognizant of their very own propensity to evil. “Sin is crouching on the door,” and it has a method of catching males unawares. Then again, pastors have to be cautious to guard themselves, as a result of they don’t know what sin or slander could be leveled in opposition to them unexpectedly by malicious actors. A pastor ought to do nothing to gasoline such a fireplace.
Secondly, it’s important for a pastor to make an effort to truly know folks—to know their struggles, their wants, their presents, their names. The flock must know that the pastor is definitely excited about them—that he loves them. The pastor wants, furthermore, to have the ability to pray particularly and intelligently for the flock, not simply in generalities. Prayer, in spite of everything, is without doubt one of the simplest technique of pastoral care.
The flock must know that the pastor is definitely excited about them—that he loves them.
Pastoral love is to be a fatherly sort of love—the kind of love that John the apostle expresses all through his first letter, caring for the flock as a father cares for his youngsters. The sensible proof of that love can be seen not merely within the kindness of a pastor’s phrases but additionally within the generosity of his time.
Conclusion
In all of this, the pastor is doing the work of the Gospel. Whether or not within the pulpit, in a lounge, or by a hospital mattress, the duty of shepherding is to assist these underneath his care to grasp their very own situation, God’s functions in it, after which what their response must be. This requires humility: “Who’s enough for this stuff?” (2 Cor. 2:16). But at the same time as pastors acknowledge their very own limitations, they’ll set their confidence within the Scriptures because the Spirit works in them.
This text was tailored from the sermon “Preserving Watch” by Alistair Begg.
