The Responsibility of Pastoral Ministry – Part 1

To serve the people of God as a Pastor is the greatest blessing (other than my wife and family) that I have had in my life! I have been truly blessed by the friendships that have been formed. Not just a little, pretend blessed but a knock your socks off blessed! Over the next few weeks I want to write on ministering to different segments of the congregation.

I am thankful for the lessons that God has taught me in the mistakes that I have made in attempting to fulfill this calling God has placed on my life. Seriously. This week I read a tweet from Rick Warren that got me to thinking. “A big error young leaders make is thinking leadership is about you. It is not about you. It is about serving others.” Thank you, Rick, I needed that reminder!

Last week, I wrote a blog entitled “How to Help your Pastor.” It may have seemed that I wrote to exalt the office of Pastor to such an extreme that he is the most important person in the church. I apologize if that came across. The Pastor is not the most important person by a long shot. He is charged with the task of caring for the people under his care! They are more important than him. He is there to serve them and not the reverse. I am grateful that my readers feel free to interact with me when I write something that is not quite the whole story! Thank you!

I have seen pastors act like they were God and his assistants minions were there to do his bidding. That is not the model of ministry that Jesus taught his disciples. Remember the request that two of those men had about could sit at his right and left hand in the kingdom? The other 10 were a little upset with their colleagues, maybe because these two beat them to the punch. Jesus, the Master Teacher, used that as a teachable moment. His response was leadership in His kingdom is not gained that way but rather, “But whoever would be great among you must be your servant.”

How does a pastor serve his people? He is there when they need him. When their people are in the hospital, when there is a tragedy, whenever needed he presence can be counted on. He also serves his people by studying the Word of God in preparation to share it with his people. He is a listener. He influences those around him by his passion for God and his people.

Pastors should not forget where they have come from. Stories of Pastors who blowup their ministries and families morally not only have had an integrity problem but have also had a humility problem. They put themselves above the corrective warnings of Scripture, they neglect to see the path of danger they are on. Why? Pride! They distance themselves from others and the Lord.

I am learning everyday what it means to be a pastor. I am not there yet, God is still teaching me. I am striving to be more like our Lord each day. He is still working on me to make me what I ought to be for God and those he has called me to serve.

Feel free to interact with me as you would like. My email address is pastorbill@westbourneministries.ca

God bless!