The Office of the Pastor
Ephesians 4:11-16 - And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
The pastoral ministry is one of the five perfecting ministries God gave to men so that Christians may come to spiritual maturity. Apostles, prophets, teachers, evangelists, and pastors are the governing body of the church. The office or ministry of the pastor falls into this category.
Pastors are given to help train and equip God’s people and to bring them to maturity.
They are to prepare the saints for works of ministry and to teach them how to build up the body of Christ. The purpose is to bring the church into unity of the faith so that the body of Christ can grow into the full measure of Christ Himself.
This is also true for the other four ministry offices that have been given to the church.
a. Definition
The word “pastor” comes from the Greek word “poimin” which means "a shepherd or one who cares for, feeds, guides, and protects the sheep.” It is applied to someone who cares for the spiritual, emotional, and physical well-being of the people under the authority of the pastor.
The pastor is the shepherd of the people and is given a special ability by God to provide a long-term personal responsibility for the spiritual care, protection, guidance, and feeding of a group of believers.
b. Overlapping functions and ambiguities
There is a lot of debate as to how the 21st century church should be organized. There is a problem with trying to emulate and implement the 1st century church leadership structure into the present-day church because most of the definitions and descriptions are not precise.
It seems clear that according to New Testament Scripture, the categories overlap.
In Philippi, Paul greeted the bishops and deacons without mentioning pastors or elders. This suggests that bishops, pastors, and elders could be overlapping terms.
When Paul wrote to Timothy, he listed qualifications for a bishop but not for an elder. Yet Ephesus only had elders. Paul left Titus in Crete to ordain elders.
The qualifications for elders are brief and blend right into qualifications for bishops. Paul prescribed the qualifications of a bishop to Titus when he was commissioned to ordain elders. This suggests that bishop could be another name for an elder.
Although the terms bishop, elder, and pastor may have suggested slightly different leadership functions, there seems to be a great deal of overlap in these titles. The difference, if any, between such functions was never spelled out. Paul does not seem to be concerned about what the leaders were called and neither does he detail what they did.
Just as a pastor is a functional title which describes the shepherding role that church leaders have, a bishop is also a functional title, which implies both care and authority.
A shepherd watches over the sheep. Peter told his elders to be shepherds and serve as overseers. In this case, there are three titles which overlap.
A pastor is a person with the gift of shepherding. An elder is a person taking the office of eldership, and one of the responsibilities of that office is shepherding.
After studying the 1st Century pattern of church leadership, according to the New Testament one can safely conclude that there is no difference between an elder, shepherd, pastor, bishop and an overseer.
c. Their function
The office of the pastor is only given to certain individuals who God anoints with supernatural enablement to minister.
You cannot choose to be a pastor. Pastors called into this office are not trained in the religious schools of man, nor are they raised up from among the leadership of the organized church.
Pastors take responsibility to nurture the whole person in their walk with God and provide guidance and oversight to a group of God's people. They establish trust and confidence through long-term relationships and lead and protect those within their span of care.
Acts 20:28 - Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.
The pastor will eventually have to give an account for the sheep.
The pastor’s ministry is to look after and spiritually nourish God’s children. They have a heart for people and are anointed to love people and to heal their hurts.
The pastor will also have to be a good leader and administrator, considering that any local church consists of a leadership that takes care of all the departments of the church.
This involves the pastor’s executive oversight in areas such as management, conflict, financial control, planning, music, maintenance of buildings, children’s programs, youth programs, outreaches, missions, and many more.
A pastor must therefore be a person who has multiple skills over and above the ability to love, care, and feed the sheep.
d. Characteristics of a pastor
Jeremiah 10:21 - For the shepherds have become dull-hearted, And have not sought the LORD; Therefore they shall not prosper, And all their flocks shall be scattered.
Ezekiel 34:2-4 - Thus says the Lord God to the shepherds: 'Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?' The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them.
Hebrews 13:17 - Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account.
God expects His pastors to:
* seek Him
* inquire of Him
* petition Him in prayer
* conduct themselves wisely
* ensure that the flock stays together in unity
* bring back those who have wandered off
* spiritually feed and nourish
* strengthen the feeble
* heal the sick
* heal the hurt
* watch out for their souls
* give account for each and every one in their care
Foundational ministries
Ephesians 2:20-22 - Having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
The apostles and prophets are the two foundational ministries in the body of Christ.
Jesus revealed Himself to be the cornerstone of the church and continues to build it through His apostles and prophets.
1 Corinthians 12:28 - And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets…
Apostles are the first and prophets are second among the ministries in building the church of God because they lay a foundation of understanding concerning the mystery of Christ.
Unfortunately, these are the two ministries that are least recognized in the church today. God is bringing order back to His church and is fully restoring the ministry of the apostles and prophets.
Without the ministry of apostles and prophets the revelation of the blueprint necessary for the building is incomplete.
The prophet works closely with the apostle as they lay a foundation and bring strength and order to the body of Christ. God has given His grace to apostles and prophets to receive a revelation of His mysteries and to reveal them to the body.
When we look at the current state of the church, it is clear that it needs to make significant foundational shifts and changes. It is evident that the ministry gifts of the pastors, evangelists, prophets, and teachers are active in the church today. When we make a comparison of where the church should be headed in terms of its maturity and unity, the office of the apostle has not been fully restored to the church. The bride of Christ can only prepare for the Bridegroom once all five of these anointing are fully active.
