Work+Pastor=?

Maybe tentmaking? Acts 18:3

 

The usual list is:

- Planning the services for the following weeks
- Pastoral care
- Working on his/her sermon(s)
- Attending meetings in the community
- Supervising the work of other staff members
- Visiting prospective members
- etc.

Joshua

 

This is what my pastor does. Not necessarily in this order.

* Lead staff meeting. And deal with us.

* Counselling.

* Hospital Visitation.

* Other visitation.

* Conflict managment and resolution as needed.

* Leadership in spiritual matters.

* Listening ear.

* Prepare for three sermons a week at about 20 hours minimum per sermon.

 

It is a shame that the New Testament Church of the 21st Century seems to think that the Pastor is responsible for everything that takes place.

Eph. 4
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

This passagew of Scripture IMO is the Pastors responsibilities.

Romans 12
3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. 4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: 5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. 6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; 7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; 8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness. 9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. 10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; 11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;

This passage of scripture IMO would indicate that the people of the church have a responsibility to do ministry. Such as: vist the sick, hospital visitation, helping the poor, etc.

We as pastors need to train those with the ability to do ministry how to do it. Most of the modern things required of pastors are not really their Biblical duty to do so.

Richard

 

Prepare only 1 or 2 outlines and learn to do them right. Sermon prep done right is among the most difficult things that a pastor does. To make the exegetical outline and determine the exegetical big idea and then to turn that into a homiletical big idea and make the homiletical outline is more than simply throwing a few thoughts on paper. Sermons to to be preached from the text says -- what the original author intended his original readers to understand. Most young preachers (myself formerly included) and some old ones come up with the outline without regard for the point of the text. Bottom line ... learn to write sermons from the text. Most Bible colleges grossly fail in this area and do an injustice not only to their students, but to the congregation who will have to listen to their students.

Pick up a copy of "Biblical Preacing" by Haddon Robinson. It is a great place to start.

 

Large crowds and numbers do not guarantee success nor are they a sign of success.... remember that and you will do well...

The charismatics run thousands in their churches and we know that their doctrine is not right.

 

Bu the question is, Are you preaching the text???? I can tell you from experience and from others that it is impossible to prepare seven sermons a week and do it right. If you are preaching more than one place, use the same sermon. Change the application if need be to preach it to the current audience.

When you preach a sermon, it should be what the author himself would say to that audience from his own words. Too many messages are the preacher's thoughts shoehorned into an irrelevant passage because the preacher never took time to find out what the author was saying. What a horrible thing to stand before God having preached "from" his word and have him say "That's not what I was saying in that passage." That is to mishandle the word and those who do will be judged by a stricter judgment (James 3:1). I am not down on preaching 6 or 7 or 10 or whatever times a week. I am down on not handling the text correctly.

Seeing lives change (assuming you can see that from one message) is no text of being right. Hitler saw lives change from his public speaking. He would woo the great crowds as well as any speaker ever. But no one is suggesting he was preaching good sermons. My point is not to compare you with Hitler. My point is to urge you not to use wrong bases for judgment. The test of a good message is not how many people responded but was the text clearly preached and applied to this audience.

Have you read Robinson's book?

 

Dad gum it Larry, would you quit making so much dern sense?

Joshua

 

I've heard the verse about if a man didn't work, he shouldn't eat, and I've heard some people come down on preachers becuase they may not hold a secular job. They've said that they were lazy if they didn't work. But you know, I think from being around my pastor, and my best friend who is studying for the ministry that pastoring is a full time job. I mean think of all the time he's going to have to put into studying for his sermons. Not to mention he's always having members of his church calling him. Rushing to hospitals in the middle of the night to offer comfort to families suffering, visiting people during the week, and I know from experiance that just staying right with God is a chalenge! And most likely he'll have a family to take care of, guide and suport.
You know the responsibility a pastor has must be a lot of work. One day he'll have to answer to the Lord not only for his works, and how he lead his family, but the decisions he made with the church/es he pastored.
And I know that pastors and their families have problems and trials just like everyone else. How hard it must be. How they must struggle at times.
But even though they have so much responsibility, and at times trials, i'm sure it must all be worth it when they see someone get saved and start serving the Lord whole heartedly. Especialy since we don't see as many saved now as people did when my grandparents were young.
My pastor and his wife are so important to me, my family and our whole church. I'm we don't express enough how much they mean to us. I'm so thankful that God called him to start a good Bible believeing church in our area. Who knows where me or my family would be if he hadn't started a church here in 1970? I'm almost afraid to think of what I'd be had I not heard the gospel straight forward from a man of God.
I don't think it matters what he does during the week as long as it's biblical and as long as it's not wrong. If a man is called of God to preach but also holds an outside job, I don't hink there's anything wrong with it, but I'm sure pastoring in itself must be a full time job.
~Abby

 

I get stuff from Bible study all the time and that is what I preach, either now or later. I never preach something I haven't studied. How long?? Until you are confident that the author of the passage would sit in the first row smiling broadly that you got what he wrote and applied it properly to a modern audience. For some passages it comes pretty easy. For others it is very difficult. It all depends on the passage. I think it is better to do one or two very well than 7 or 8 that are slipshod ideas from one's head rather than from the text. Someone once asked a well known pastor what the secret to good preaching was. His answer: Stay in your seat till the work is done. I think that is good advice. Too many people want the glory of preaching without the duty of study.