Pastor-elders at Eastside Baptist Church
Pastors in Namibia, as elsewhere
are greatly tempted by various spiritual, emotional and physical temptation.
That is not unusual in a sense, for the devil, the world and the flesh conspire
against the shepherd leader. Pastors struggle with the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life[1]
as much as do the members of their
respective churches. They, like everyone else must learn to overcome various
temptations by the grace and with the help of God. But, pastors have a greater
burden to bear in this regard, for their moral and spiritual failures have
greater and more far reaching consequences upon the flock.[2]
Churches frequently fail to understand this
and they do not help to protect their churches and their pastors from such
moral and spiritual challenges.
There is, however a guilt that is borne by
the church, contributing to the drop- out rate of pastors.
There are at least
three sins that churches regularly commit in relation to their pastor:
- An insufficient investigation into the suitability of the man for the ministry
- A lack of prayer for the man
- A lack of adequate provision for the man
1. An Insufficient
Investigation into the Suitability of the Man for the Ministry
I have seen this with my own eyes
in my 30 plus years of pastoral ministry. The drop- out rate of students, having
graduated from theological seminary, and having entered the pastoral ministry,
is high. Many drop out of the pastoral ministry after only a few years. Some may have misunderstood and
underestimated the terms of the divine call to the ministry. They may have
underestimated the rigours and the self-denial that comes with such a calling.
That is a real possibility.
There are also those who have seen the ministry as a means of finding employment or for financial gain[3]. In the words of John 10:12-13, these men are mere hirelings that care nothing for the sheep, and who abandon the flock when the pressure is on. It is the work of the church to discern this by prayer. In our congregation prospective elders are tested over a period of at least two years before they are recommended for ordination. Calling a full-time pastor-elder from elsewhere should receive even more urgency in prayer.
There are also those who have seen the ministry as a means of finding employment or for financial gain[3]. In the words of John 10:12-13, these men are mere hirelings that care nothing for the sheep, and who abandon the flock when the pressure is on. It is the work of the church to discern this by prayer. In our congregation prospective elders are tested over a period of at least two years before they are recommended for ordination. Calling a full-time pastor-elder from elsewhere should receive even more urgency in prayer.
Many churches simply do not apply
or take seriously the biblical criteria associated with the calling of a
pastor. The Bible sets clear standards for the calling of such a man in 1Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9. The scope of this essay limits a discussion upon or an exposition of the relevant texts. I would encourage my readers to study
these texts at face value and apply them to the calling of a full-time pastor.
Many churches are guilty of calling men to be their pastors, when they do not meet these minimum standards. Such churches must not be
surprised if such pastors leave them after a short time.
2. A Lack of Prayer for the Man
“The Holy Spirit said, ’Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work
to which I have called them.’ Then after fasting and praying they laid their
hands on them and sent them off.” [Acts
13 2,3 ESV]
“…praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.
To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for the
saints, and also for me, that words may be given me in opening my mouth boldly
to proclaim the mystery of the gospel.” [Eph. 6:18,19 ESV]
Having already mentioned the importance of prayer, we
now turn our attention to the lack of prayer on behalf of the church for their pastor-
shepherds.
To begin with, many church members
entrust themselves into the hands of a
pastoral search committee whose task it is to find a pastor, and when he is
found, the church accepts him uncritically and without prayer being made
on behalf of the entire congregation.
In a sense then, a church will always get
such a pastor as they have asked (or not asked) for, from God. It is
unthinkable that the church as a whole should not be involved in faithful prayer and petition to God, asking Him to give them a pastor after God’s own heart - a man who is himself called by the Great
Shepherd of the sheep - a man who shall love them for Jesus' sake and
feed them on the Word of God.[4]
Let the prayerless church not be surprised if
she gets a person who is not truly committed to their spiritual welfare, and
who would soon abuse them or leave them because of some spiritual weakness, or ineptitude or
moral failure!
Another aspect pertains to the
continued prayer for the pastor or pastoral team. Battle fatigue in pastoral
ministry is a real thing. Pastors are in the forefront of leading the church
against the battle against Satan and sin and unbelief. They need the church's sustained
prayer and encouragement. This is the congregation’s duty under God, and
nothing like a sustained congregational prayer habit will keep a man, humanly
speaking, in the pastoral ministry. Read Paul’s letters and observe how much he
depended on the prayer of others.[5]
Prayer is God’s means for spiritual
survival in this fallen world. Do not
neglect to pray for your pastor, lest he becomes discouraged and you ask, why did our Pastor leave us?
3. A Lack of Adequate Provision for the Man
“Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honour,
especially those who labour in preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says,
‘You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain” and, “The labourer
deserves his wages.’” [1 Timothy 5:17, 18 ESV]
“Obey you leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over
yours souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this
with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.”
[Hebr. 13:17 ESV]
A third reason for pastors
leaving their congregations pertains to the matter of a fair remuneration. I know of very few pastors in my circles that
get a fair wage for their labour. This
fact, I believe, contributes greatly to the discouragement, despair and
discontinuance of many a man’s ministry. A number of men have to look for
additional sources of income in order to meet the monthly bills. Biblical teaching is urgently required at this
level, and I know of at least one church that consulted with our congregation
on this matter. They have responded well to our biblical counsel and
exhortations on this subject. They took
immediate steps to alleviate
the very real financial needs of
their pastor and are continuing to work on the backlog that they have created over many years of neglect in this area.
It is a dishonour to God when
members have homes and comforts and the pastor whom they have called in the
Name of God has none of these. Although any pastor worth his salt will tell you
that his trust and hope are in the Lord for his daily needs, the God ordained
channel of provision is the local church which he serves. If that church
does nothing to care for the material needs of its pastor, the church sins
against God, the pastor and against his family.
So, do not let your pastor leave on account of the poor material reward
that you offer him. Do something about it.
I have submitted these three
reasons as a challenge to our churches to examine themselves and to see whether
these things be true. Pastoral
leadership in the church is a God given thing. It is vital, and when churches
are leaderless, they generally do not do well.
Churches must choose well, pray well and provide well in this matter, and this, at a biblical-practical level will lead to their pastors staying and persevering considerably longer.
No comments:
Post a Comment