Featured What is a pastor?

I will make a generalization based upon personal observation with no data to back it up.
While I love my church as a member, I also see problems.
We have a membership of just under 200 with more non members attending. For this size we have three full time pastors and one full time admin assistant/worship coordinator.
When our associate pastor (who has now moved to start a church plant) came, he first required a salary negotiation before he would come. Later his buddy from seminary was added because he and the senior pastor felt the load was too much for them. Since the associates move, we have added a new associate.
For all three pastors, they consider the large portion of their job to be studying the Bible to teach and prayer for the church. The senior pastor has cited the Apostles task at the beginning of Acts as the reason for this view. As such the task of calling and shepherding is moved to the layperson, deacons, in the church. Their task is to call and check on the members. Many of the deacons are working full time jobs as well as commuting to and from work and caring for their families. The pastors generally teach in Sunday School, (senior pastor does both SS and Preaching) and on Wednesday night small groups.
Here is the rub that gets to your point. The last time any pastor has called on me and my wife was in 2011 when we were grieving a loss. (It was the former senior pastor) Since then, we only have met at church. I am one of the deacons who has a list of around 40 families to call on. I know more about them than the pastors do. I am to give a monthly report if there are any concerns.
Personally, I believe pastors are to be shepherds, which means calling on members, both those who are hurting and those who are at peace. I think my pastor has a misunderstanding of his God given role. As a deacon I have voiced my concern. There is not much more I can do without being contentious with our full time staff. Since we have a Church Council instead of Elders the concern is simply not considered in that council. For the sake of fellowship, I continue and pray God works according to His purpose, not my opinion.
So...I think seminary students come out of school thinking the pastorate is a teaching job. You study, you lecture, you go home. I think that is what they are coming out with as their primary job. Counseling is a lower level and only for those who reveal their need by calling the church. Checking the membership pulse is not in their job description. I say this with sadness.

 

First, that is not why deacons were appointed. They are not administrators of the church. Nothing in scripture says otherwise. They were assigned to handle benevolence issues i.e. "serve tables". This was done under the leadership of the elders not separate from them. Deacons should serve at the direction of the pastor.

Second, the amount of time a pastor spends in prayer and in the word is tremendous alone. I did not see the video of which you speak but to me it would depend on why they have left. Members who get mad and leave or stop coming get very little of my attention. If members have issues they want to come and discuss with reason I will spend the time with them. If they want to throw a temper tantrum and storm off with their ball I have no time for that.

I have in the past worked to put out fires with tantrum members. they will run you ragged every time they want something different than you are leading. I have an open door policy. Unless I am in prayer or in a previously scheduled meeting if anyone wants to come talk to me I will stop what I am doing for them. I do not chase after disgruntled members.

Lastly, the lost sheep are just that. Lost people and have no application in this setting.

 

You are taking the illustration too far, beyond what Jesus meant.

Luk 15:1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him.
Luk 15:2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”
Luk 15:3 So he told them this parable:
Luk 15:4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?
Luk 15:5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
Luk 15:6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’
Luk 15:7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance

The point was to deal with the pharisees who did not understand what it meant to reach the lost. It was not about church members.

You are trying to narrow down what the deacons are called to as finances and then apply it to anything in the church that has to do with money. That is incorrect. Finances were involved with the benevolence but having deacons deal with any and every money issue in the church was not the context of Acts 6.

 

Sure we can. It was designated benevolence:

"Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution."

Nothing more.

Look at the context. It is a lost person. Nothing more.

 

No it wasnt that is an eisegetical approach

Pro_9:7 He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot.


Did you ever notice that Jesus did not go after the Pharisees? Do you know why?

 

Well when you become a pastor you do as you sense the Lord is leading you. As for me you do not know the spiritual battles I have been through nor do you know what God is leading me to do. Everyone has an opportunity to talk with me. If they do not I will not chase. They will run you ragged.

 

See here is the thing. The sheep do not get to decide how they are ministered to. My door is open if there are issues. If they refuse that offer I have many other things to do that I cannot neglect for them. I would spend all my time neglecting many other things.

Anyway that illustration does not apply

 

Doesnt make that illustration apply. I am not going to neglect other things for them. They do not get to decide how they are ministered to.