The Call to Pastor (pt.1)

INTRODUCTION

<> The future of every local church hinges on the vision of its pastor. The importance of the decision to call a godly pastor to serve a particular congregation cannot be overstated. The pastor’s vision for the church where he serves is of the utmost importance in the future life of that church. The pastor’s vision will indeed shape every decision that is made, every life that is touched, and every situation that is resolved (or even unresolved). The vision of the pastor should not be to be well known and respected, or to have a large church or congregation.[1] The vision of the pastor is to be a shepherd of the flock of Christ, His church.
The concern of this essay is that of the pastor’s vision for his work in the local church. This essay will seek to prove that the vision of a pastor should include the purpose of the church. In addition the purpose of the church should be to equip the saints, evangelize the world, and exalt the Savior, our Lord, Jesus Christ.

EQUIPPING THE SAINTS

<> The primary element of the vision of the pastor is to feed the flock. This important description of what a pastor should do is seen in the book of John 21:15-17. Peter, a self-professed pastor (1 Pet. 5:1), accepts the assignment of feeding and tending Christ’s sheep. This conversation between Jesus and Peter takes place after Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection but before His ascension into Heaven and His session at the right hand of God. The Father has been given all authority of heaven and earth to Jesus and Jesus likewise has entrusted His earthly flock to Peter. Jesus asks Peter if he loves Him and Peter replies: “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You” (John 21:15, NKJV). Because Peter loves the Lord he has accepted the all important task of feeding and taking care of the flock of Jesus which is the church. It is this responsibility that all pastors have when they accept God’s call to be a shepherd of Christ’s flock.
The responsibilities which shepherds of the church have are first, to equip the flock for ministry through feeding the flock through biblical, text-driven preaching. The next responsibility is to equip the flock by proper discipleship. The last responsibility is for the pastor to equip the flock through edifying them by exhortation and unity.

Expository Preaching

<>There is no doubt that preaching constitutes a major priority among the pastor’s work as well as his vision for the church. Preaching “is a key element in the dramatic story of God’s revelation.” More importantly, “authentic preaching was not an invention of man to spread his theological ideas.”[2] Furthermore, the Greek word for “revelation” is apocalypses, which means “that which is unveiled.” Therefore, through the vehicle of preaching, God “removes the veil of mystery and shows man a glimpse of His majesty and purpose.[3]
There are many different philosophies of how preaching should be done. Biblically and historically expository preaching is the most effective way to feed the flock as well as proclaim the gospel message as an act of evangelism.
What is expository preaching? Expository preaching can be defined as where “the preacher selects a passage, studies it to determine its structure, organizes his major points around that structure, and constructs and outline and moves the hearer in logical fashion toward the major theme of the passage.”[4] Notice that the pastor selects the passage but does not decide what to preach or how to organize it. The text, which is direct revelation from God through divinely inspired writers, decides the outline since it was the author who wrote the text originally.[5] It is the responsibility of the preacher to ensure that his flock is fed the necessary food that is expository preaching.

(part 2 coming soon)

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[1] Derek Prime and Alistair Begg, On Being a Pastor (Chicago: Moody, 2004), 49.

[2] Wayne V. McDill, The Moment of Truth (Nashville: Broadman and Holman, 1999), 5.

[3] McDill, Moment of Truth, 5.

[4] Robert C. Anderson, The Effective Pastor, (Chicago: Moody, 1985), 179.

[5] See the section on “Inspiration of the Bible” in Norman L. Geisler and William E. Nix’s A General Introduction to the Bible, (Chicago: Moody, 1986), 21-200 for a thorough investigation and explanation of the doctrine of inspiration.