Leading and Ministry

“It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the Body of Christ may be built up…” - Ephesians 4:11-12

A pastor once said: “You need to join the Army of the Lord!” A man replied, “I’m already in the Army of the Lord, Pastor.” Pastor questioned, “How come I don’t see you except at Christmas and Easter?” He whispered back, “I’m in the secret service.”

If you ask seven different people what they think the job of a pastor is you will likely get seven different answers. What we find in Ephesians 4:11-12 is in effect a job description for both the pastor and his congregation. This passage tells us that it is God’s people, not the pastor, who must assume the “works of service.” Therefore, your pastor is not there to do the ministry of the church; he is there to give ministry to the church. There is a huge difference. The ministry of the church belongs to the people, not the pastor.

If that is true, then what is the job of a pastor? A pastor’s number one job is to equip his congregation to do the work of the ministry. When you read the New Testament you will never find the following words: committees, majority rule, boards, parliamentary procedures, or business meetings. Too many churches have imposed a secular form of government on themselves and become bogged down in bureaucracy.

The most important decision any church will ever face is who is going to give leadership to the church and who is going to do the ministry of the church. To be all that God intends, both the pastor and congregation must give up something. The congregation must give up control of the leadership of the church because that is what God has called the pastor to do - lead. On the other hand, the pastor must give up the ministry of the church, because that is what God has called the congregation to do – minister.

When the pastor leads and feeds the sheep, and the sheep follow the pastor and minister to one another, everyone is happy. This is the way God intended for the Church to operate.

Father, I pray for my church today. Give my pastor vision and wisdom as he seeks to lead our congregation into ministry. And give us a heart to minister to each other and those who need to know You. In Jesus’ name, amen.