We As Pastors (may also be beneficial to other Christian ministers)

*this is a paper I actually passed as a requirement for my Pastoral Theology class at ASCM (Asian Seminary of Christian Ministries) under Pastor Albert Clavo of Lighthouse Christian Community Alabang Muntinlipa, Philippines

WE AS PASTORS

When I attended my class in Pastoral Theology,[1] it has been so inculcated in me that it that being a pastor has a single center and that is ‘life in Christ.’[2] I now firmly believe that we are just continuing to embody the ministry that is His to this world.[3] With this foundation we are being humbled acknowledging that the ministry is not the pastors’, it is the Lord Jesus’ that we just simply joined Him. To be able to be workers in the vineyard we are grateful. To accomplish things beyond our capability we stand so amazed.[4]

The Pastor’s Call and Personal Growth

Our Calling

        Upon recognition of Christ’s ownership of the ministry, we as pastors must also make it sure that we have been given the opportunity to be in the pastoral office. It must also be clarified that this office is not a position of authority but of service; a service having the privilege of serving God and His people and making ourselves be involved in the expansion of His kingdom. The question is, “Are we really called to pastor?” Our call should be testable and perilous if unexamined. We should be honest to regard things such as our attitude, prayer life, devotion and etc. We must ask critical questions for us to be able to know how willing and capable we are. In other words, we should have ‘inward self-examination.’ It is a way for us to have confidence as we commit ourselves to function as a pastor. And in order not to just feed ourselves with our own biases we can also consult others concerning their perception of our potential gifts for the ministry. This includes not just the church but also the community. With this we can have confirmation on the ‘outward call.’[5] When we are called, everything just falls into place as intended by God. This design includes personal background, education, talents, personality, potentials and competencies.[6]

Our Personal Growth

        A pastor must grow in different aspects of his life. Jesus had his own development ‘in wisdom,’ ‘in stature,’ ‘in favor with God’ and ‘in favor with men’ (Luke 2:52). In the same way we must grow in these aspects. One thing is already given knowing that we are Christian ministers. It is that we should be Godly. But honestly, we fail to do so in keeping our lives always in connection to Him. The ministry is Christ’s so we are to abide in Him that we may be able to grow and bear fruit that will last (John 15). And in the context, we are comforted no matter what as long as we remain in Him. We will be able to stand still knowing that we are just in the process Jesus underwent when he came to this world as a man. It should be seen in the personal life of the pastor; that he’s growing in Christ. We are to always bow our knees before Him acknowledging that apart from Him we can absolutely do nothing. We must continue to develop our personal devotion before we engage to our regular activities. Knowing Jesus personally is the sole means for us to have best fulfillment as we do ministry. The problem sometimes is our pride, mediocrity and slothfulness. The devil does everything to keep us from bowing our knees before Jesus because every time His name is proclaimed with the way we speak, do and live, something spiritually significant happens. It is a reality that we cannot simply proclaim the gospel without using His name. It is not enough just to say ‘God,’ or ‘Lord.’ We have to say the name of Jesus.[7] If we do not have the right relationship with Him, I do not think it is possible for us to be in the right standing with God as we serve Him in the pastoral office.

On Intellectual Grounds

Considering that is only the first of our four developmental failures. We lack training. We must be equipped with knowledge by being engaged in a consistent study and make reading a habit.[8] Learning should be continuous considering that ‘if we stop growing today, we stop teaching tomorrow.’[9] If there’s a chance to be enrolled in any formal or non-formal education, we must grab the opportunity. It is good for ministry preparation and sometimes necessary in the on-going function of the church. However, there should be clear identification between studying to become a theologian and studying to lead the flock.[10] As pastors, we study to have the flock secured in the way we lead them. Too much and too little learning are equally fatal if we lost the heart of our true service to God in shepherding the church entrusted to us.[11]

On Physical Grounds

We are also to take care of the physical aspect of our lives. It is one of the most neglected by pastors of big and small churches alike. Paul in his disciplinary instructions to Timothy did not despise the need of being physically fitted (1 Timothy 4:8). We do not realize that we fall to two different extremes. Sometimes, we pastors either get ourselves drained out for the ministry or get attracted to some pleasures that desecrate our bodies.[12] We are vessels that one day will surely disappear; therefore we must see to ourselves that our bodies are prudently functioning. We must do regular exercises, have good diets and have our time be properly managed in order for us not to be exhausted in the ministry and other works. On the other hand, we must always seek the divine guidance that we might not fall to the contamination of our bodies knowing that it is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

On Social Grounds

Another thing that should be growing in us is our social aspect. We are to have good relations with the people around us. We must be in touch not just with the fellow believers but also most importantly to unbelievers. We must try to be a people person in spite of any differences with them. We might say that we our pastors, but it cannot change the fact that we are Christians.[13] It can be a way to evangelize the lost people. We must pray to God to make us truly friendly and not to befriend people in order to evangelize them.[14] With the prayer for us to be in touch with people, He will be the one to set up the encounters to have us connected on the ‘chat line.’ He will give as the strength to speak for Him as relationships with people are being established.[15] As our network extends, the chance for the evangelization of the community rises up. If all pastors will be able to develop the social aspect in theirs lives, the spread of the gospel will be hastened up.

From Being Called to Growing

        Being called to the pastoral ministry means being in the continuity with the works of Jesus Christ that was passed on to the apostles and in pursuance of all the saints. We must have a mindset to grow, learn and be developed. It has been clarified in the Scripture that each of us will be held accountable to God on how we fulfilled His given instructions (2 Corinthians 5:10). “Accountability is the partner to full responsibility.”[16] As Paul instructed Timothy to study, rightly divide the truth, be an example and be ready (2 Timothy 4) so we ourselves must also be equipped knowing that we are the faithful men (2 Timothy 2:2) that he mentioned of continuing on the ministry of the Savior. We are to be sober, endure hardship and fulfill the ministry as an evangelist. We must always allow God to make us grow as we draw near to Him and take every opportunity to grow in all aspects at the same time. There is also an assurance that we “are equipped with the same power that Jesus, the Chief Shepherd and Supreme Pastor, had in his earthly ministry.”[17]

The Vision and the Ministry Works

Starting Point of All Functions

        When God calls a person, especially in the pastoral ministry, He imparts His Spirit to the person who is submissive to His will. Purpose and opportunity are also imparted and pastors are usually the ones who receive these direct statements. The direct statement is the vision. Pastors gain the vision from God and thus they become ‘visionary leaders.’ A pastor commits himself with the word God gave him and he keeps reminding himself that it is the reason of his existence. It is ‘intricately connected’ to and from his conversion experience. He is the one who is fully aware of his leadership in the deployment of functions in the church.[18] He should always be in line with the vision God gave him. It is a portion of the master plan that has been revealed to Him and becomes his guidance in the service.

Vision in Dispersal

With the knowledge of the vision, he does his part and develops leaders around him that will work hand in hand with him to have it fulfilled. With this, the pastor begins to let others be involved in the same way he was drawn in the act of service. Training and mentoring other people would be added to his role as a pastor for he cannot do the work alone. It is then that the need arises for him to engage to some level of discipleship with the potential leaders he sees. Developing leaders who would lead members is just not enough. We must produce leaders who would also lead leaders. In other words, we must produce people of our kind.[19] It is basically the goal of discipleship. Train someone who would exactly be like you and at the greatest extent, who would be like Christ. We can determine where the people are in their training. Learning has four stages: ‘unconscious incompetence,’ ‘conscious incompetence,’ ‘conscious competence’ and ‘unconscious competence’ as pointed out by Psychologist Abraham Maslow.[20] We can evaluate that a person is in the first stage of his learning process when he is ignorant that he is in need of this discipleship. When he gets to the second stage, he realizes that he does not know a thing. Being in the third stage is being aware that he has learned well and is even proud that he is knowledgeable. But the fourth stage shows that he does not mind that he is capable of things. When the fourth level is reached by the ones we are training then it is a fulfillment that we have produced people who would partner with us in the vision God has entrusted to us. Having different gifts we have been united with a vision in our service. We glorify God and as pastors we let these developed people serve Him uniquely by the diversities of their skills yet always guided by a definite vision received from Him.

Vision Convergence

        In spite of our differences with the way we serve, one thing must not be taken out of us all. It is our need to communicate our faith. I believe that the expansion of God’s kingdom and the spread of His word go together with any vision He may put in our hearts. Encouragement regarding this matter must also come from the pastor. Therefore, we must also be able to enhance and to enflame the people to speak up their faith to anyone. Prior to the beginning of the foundations of this world, there is already love and communication. God loved us and communicated His plans as the Trinity called us and promised us eternal life even before the foundations of this world (1 Peter 1:20, Ephesians 1:4, Titus 1:2). Therefore there is always significance in loving and communicating because it has ‘intrinsically’ been there.[21] Although communicating our faith is a certain point of meeting of the different gifts functioning under a specific vision, it does not mean that there is only one way to do it. I have always believed that in order for us to be used by God, there must first be a supernatural transformation in us done by Him so we can be identical with others even in the way we communicate our faith. Well that is basically true. It is He who can bring change to our lives and give us gifts beyond what we are able. Peter and the other apostles were really transformed after Jesus’ death upon receiving the Holy Spirit. They were just bunch of cowards when Jesus was still around especially when he was suffering and dying on the cross. But when they experienced the power of the Holy Spirit they were totally changed to be radicals. It really was as if putting on the new self. However, our personalities and talents contribute a lot in the way of our service. Peter remained to be as straight to the point as he was. Paul was already knowledgeable of the Law before he encountered the Lord on his way to Damascus. Matthew, because he was a tax collector, was already a people person before Jesus told Him to follow. In the same way we can serve God especially in evangelism in a way that fits us whether be it an ‘intellectual approach’ by Paul, a ‘confrontational approach’ by Peter, an ‘interpersonal approach’ by Matthew or any kind of approach that would help us be ourselves in doing the ministry.[22] We are just to be reminded that as we try to communicate this faith of ours, it should be in the ‘law of love’. This is where a convergence exists again. We all do it out of compassion to those who have ignorantly gone astray with their lives. Thus it is our lives that we invest in the peoples’ lives and we too are amazingly changed in the process.[23]

The Realities of Life

Multiple Identities

        An undeniable thing very real in the life of a pastor is that he is involved with the people’s lives knowing that he has his own complications. Just thinking to be a ‘do-it-all’ pastor and a family man at the same time can already make you sick. I am just a young pastor who still does not have my own family but the pressure of balancing things already appears to be inevitable (especially I have a father who’s not a Christian), how much more the pastors who have dual responsibilities. Actually it is not just dual, pastors are multi-tasked. A parent, a child, a sibling, a partner in life and a friend is at least the pastor’s personal side. A ‘servant-shepherd,’ a ‘prophet-politician,’ a ‘preacher-enthraller,’ a ‘teacher-theologian,’ an ‘evangelist-exhorter,’ an ‘organizer-promoter,’ a ‘caller-comforter,’ a ‘counselor-reconciler’ and an ‘equipper-enabler’ is at least the ministry side of it.[24] With this identity, it may oftentimes be complicated. No wonder why many pastors quit and leave the ministry. It is just too comforting to know the foundational principle that the ministry belongs to Christ. He can handle everything because He knows the ins and outs of the office. He even promised us to give us rest (Matthew 11:28). There are times that we just have to meditate on things beyond our capacity to handle and have faith in Him especially in the provision for our families.

Out in the Field

In engaging to the lives of the people, we must always be reminded that in everything there is always a cost. Jesus did not encourage those who followed Him but challenged them (Luke 14). It is the same way with following the call of a pastor. It will require too much time and energy, devotion to be trained, and oftentimes it will involve money. There is also the risk of embarrassment, rejection or persecution plus the fact that ministry sometimes complicates your life.[25] These are costs that may discourage us if we will not look forward to the fact that our losses cannot be compared to a single soul saved by the Lord Jesus. We have enduring rewards that are far greater than the humiliations in this world as we decide to obey and follow Him. And another thing is that at the end of this life, we will be able to meet Christ bearing the sense of fulfillment that by His grace we have been used for His glory. This is a direct quotation that appears to be a highlight in times that are unbearable: “The Christian life is one faith, where we find ourselves routinely overdriving our headlights but knowing it is okay because God is in control and has a purpose behind it.”[26]

Hurts in the Reality

        Pastors are always amazed with how faithfully God carried them through tough times. But the other side of the coin is when they end up being wounded and almost impossible to rise up. Before this kind of things happen to us, we must first know that we are in a development process. We are undergoing learning from the Great Teacher of life. And part of the learning is falling and being restored. The good thing is, this revival stage in the ministry results in seeking and serving God in renewal. It helps us reestablish our life’s priorities.[27] It gives us something to be always humble considering that though we are pastors, we are bound to fail if we do not fully depend on Him. That is why we go back to the principle of just doing things that is said by God. We will just end up being exhausted if we do things ourselves. We are not just to consult God when we are about to do something but we must exactly do things directly instructed by Him. That is why we are in need of regular and intimate communion with Him – to hear from the Master. I always hear most Christians, “if God is in it, he will be with it” or “if it is the will of God, He will bless.” I certainly believe that. There are things that can be made perfectly in line with His will while there are some that may appear to “be productive but not fruitful.”[28] There is a big difference between the work of man and the work of the Holy Spirit. A preface in a book included an intricate statement that says this, “An essential difference between God and man is that what God creates always reveals a beautiful simplicity, while what man creates becomes increasingly more complex.”[29] It just means that what we do makes something complicated and incomplete but if it is done by God, it is in the fullness. We have to realize where we have fallen and recognize the things that we did using our own might that resulted to our own hurts. These hurts could threaten our life, our ministry and our relationships. Here are some basic reasons why a pastor ends up falling or being wounded:

Not Listening to Criticism from Relatives, Church Elders and Others[30]

        Sometimes because of the authority of the office, we tend not to have an open ear to the rebukes of others. We consider ourselves only accountable to God too much and not to the people. By being so stubborn we miss the precautions that may have been channeled by God through the people around, especially the family and the church leadership. Maybe it is human nature that we just seek evaluations that will make our hearts and minds big. But as Christians, it should not be this way especially in being a pastor.

The Traveling Lifestyle[31]

        There is also a danger specifically to the itinerant pastors. Mostly, those who travel not having their families with them are the ones who stumble. The fact that a pastor moves from a place where no one knows him can either shift his identity to be better or sometimes worse. Of course the initial behavior of a pastor would be better to give good impression but as time goes by that he is not surrounded by the people who can guard him, the tendency of temptations arise. Some end up having adulterous relationship, some being influenced by corruption and other possible things that may happen to a traveling lonesome man.

Success[32]

        Another thing is when a pastor gets sucked in to accomplishments, wealth and power. Some of the pastors are just trying to find a suitable work in the ministry that will enable him to at least provide for his family. But if a pastor does not have a firm vision on what he is called to, he might neglect the calling and just consider being professional. Thus, he tries to own every accomplishment and feels worthy enough to receive wages and gain from the people’s gratefulness. The pastor now forgets that “spiritual power is both an accumulation of his successful experiences through the dispensation of fresh anointing that is commensurate to the task.”[33]

Taking Oneself too Seriously[34]

        At times, some pastors ‘overrate’ themselves to be the most important of the whole framework. Forgetting the foundational principle of the ministry that it all belongs to Christ and indeed, it is all about Christ. This is a level wherein the consideration of the pastor sees that everything revolves around him and that the church cannot stand alone without him being in the position. This is for certain a path to failure in the ministry for “God opposes the proud” (James 4:6) .

Restoration of God in the Reality of the Scene

        Every wounded and hurting pastors who have reached certain level of brokenness may be encouraged with the statement that, “We have an author of salvation who is able to write evil’s worst lines into an ultimately breathtaking story of awesome grace.”[35] As it has been said, revival is a means of learning that every pastor should undergo. A way for a wounded man to be healed is to turn every downfall, bad experiences, crises and frustrations to the advancement of his growth. We can be able to turn things upside-down having defeats converted to be victories and the negatives to life-enhancing experiences.[36] It may be true that “nothing is stronger than a heart of a volunteer” but still it can not be compared to the gratefulness of the heart of a broken man restored by God in the service. He uses wounded man[37] and so a pastor who may have fallen is again lifted up. But again it goes back to the basics that require genuine repentance and once again be selflessly dedicated. It may appear to be unjust but it is in the reality that as pastors we live a total life of grace.

Continuity of the Pastoral Ministry

        Pastors having been given the opportunity to join Christ in his on-going ministry ought to prepare others to be pastors and leaders for the next generation. They must pass the baton to, as it has been mentioned, ‘faithful men.’ There will really come a time that the end point of a pastor in his service is at hand. We have to determine those persons who will carry out the vision entrusted by God. Again we are to consider both the ‘inward’ and ‘outward’ call of the persons qualified. Moses, Elijah and Paul when they have already reached the finish line of their calling had Joshua, Elisha and Timothy respectively to continue on the ministry God placed them in.[38]

One thing to be taken heart in doing this is the willingness to step down and move on to other opportunities God prepared for the declining pastor. The sad thing is, there is a feeling of self-irrelevance entering the heart of the fulfilled pastor. He sometimes thinks that the reason he is moved from pastoring to other ministries is because he is not needed to lead anymore. David is much appreciated with regards to position in a narrative[39] knowing that he was already anointed king but did not forcedly take the throne from Saul and; was still anointed but forced to step down to let Absalom be in the throne. Pastors at the end of the race should also follow him as a model. At the end of our ministries we can have confidence in saying that, “I will now step down because God tells me to do so and I believe He has something laid for me and the one who will continue His works and ministry.”

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[1] In the start of each session, we would always read “Christian ministry is not my asking Christ to join me in my ministry as I offer him to others, but rather it is my joining with Him in his ongoing ministry as He offers himself to others through me”.

[2] Thomas Oden, Pastoral Theology (New York: HyperCollins Publishers, 1983), 3.

[3] Ibid., 50.

[4] Romerlito Macalinao, Developmental Pastoring: Strategic Leadership along the Congregational Lifecycle (Cainta, Rizal Philippines: GlobalFil Alliance Inc., 2007), 49-51.

[5] Oden, Pastoral Theology, 18-20.

[6] John W. Frye, Jesus the Pastor (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 2000), 62.

[7] Chuck Quinley, I Want to Bear Fruit (Cleveland USA, 2000), 64-65.

[8] Howard Hendricks, Teaching to Change Lives (Sisters, Oregon: Multnomah Publishers, Inc., 1987), 26-27.

[9] Ibid., 17.

[10] George Barna, Today’s Pastors (Ventura, California: Regal Books, 1993), as quoted by Romerlito Macalinao, Developmental Pastoring: Strategic Leadership along the Congregational Lifecycle (Cainta, Rizal Philippines: GlobalFil Alliance Inc., 2007), 37.

[11] Macalinao, Developmental Pastoring, 37.

[12] Hendricks, Teaching to Change Lives, 30.

[13] Ibid.

[14] Isabelo Magalit, How to Share Jesus (Philippines: InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, 1975), 64.

[15] Quinley, I Want to Bear Fruit, 15.

[16] Bruce Wilkinson, The 7 Laws of the Learner (Sisters, Oregon: Multnomah Press, 1992), 32.

[17] Frye, Jesus the Pastor, 67.

[18] Macalinao, Developmental Pastoring, 28-29.

[19] John Maxwell, Developing the Leaders Around You (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995).

[20] Hendricks, Teaching to Change Lives, 41.

[21] Francis A. Schaeffer, Genesis in Space and Time (Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1972), 24.

[22] Bill Hybels and Mark Mittelberg, Becoming a Contagious Christian (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1994), 123-28.

[23] Quinley, I Want to Bear Fruit, 24.

[24] November 22, 2006 Pastoral Theology class discussion under Pastor Albert Clavo.

[25] Hybels, Becoming a Contagious Christian, 36-37.

[26] Ibid., 28-29.

[27] Wilkinson, The 7 Laws of the Learner, 359.

[28] January 17, 2007 Pastoral Theology class discussion under Pastor Albert Clavo.

[29] Jack Hayford, The Key to Everything (Orlando, Florida: Creation House, 1993), 11.

[30] Gordon MacDonald, Refresh Renew Revive, ed. H.B. London Jr. (Colorado Springs: Focus on the Family Publishing, 1996), 18.

[31] Ibid., 19.

[32] Ibid.

[33] Macalinao, Developmental Pastoring, 40.

[34] MacDonald, Refresh Renew Revive, 20.

[35] Frye, Jesus the Pastor, 60.

[36] Daniel Tappeiner and Zonia Tappeiner, I Looked for a Man (Makati, Philippines: Asian Seminary of Christian Ministries, 2000), 123.

[37] Ibid.

[38] Macalinao, Developmental Pastoring, 61-62.

[39] Gene Edwards, A Tale of Three Kings (Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers Inc., 1980).