My Job, My Responsibility

We had a great weekend at church.  Morning was fun with a good study in Jeremiah in Sunday School, a good time in morning service as we studied 1 Peter 3, and then evening church was so much fun with over 70 people coming out for pizza and fun.

I have been reflecting yesterday and today on the nature of what it is we pastors do.  Over the years I have met a great many pastors and had numerous opportunities to work with pastors in one capacity or another.  There is great variation in personality, approach, and vision among pastors.  I would like to share my perspective.

What is the job of the pastor?  A lot of books have been written on the subject.  These days the answer to that question often reflects less Biblical truth and much more a sense of the culture that has evolved in the American church over the last two hundred plus years.   Is he the person who runs the church?  Is he the top one in charge?  Is it his job to keep things going?  How should his time be spent?  There is always more to do than people to do it.  Isn't the pastor's job to stay on top of everything?

I say no.  I know that I am outside of the mainstream on this one these days, but I know I am not alone.  Those of you who are familiar with my approach at Bean's Corner have seen how I am seeking to redefine the practice of being a pastor into what I think is a more Biblical, less cultural, role.

I don't see anywhere in Scripture where the pastor was supposed to be the administrative head of the church.  In fact, and here's a fun study, there is room to debate whether a single top leader is even envisioned in Scripture.  Just a fun point of debate.  The job most defined in Scripture as being a pastor's job is the job of shepherding.  What does that mean?  Well, Peter says to Shepherd the flock of God.  What does it mean to shepherd?  The two aspects that seem to be most closely associated with this is to feed and to care.  Jesus asked Peter to feed or shepherd His lambs.   Shepherding people means feeding them the Word of God and taking care of them.

Too often this has been changed into administering the schedule, maintaining the activities, doing the work of the organization, not the work of the body.  The church is not the building nor the programs.  To be sure those things have an important place and need attention, but is that the job of the pastor?  If the pastor is to take care of the church, let us remember that the church is made up of the people, not the property or programs.

In my life, I have two main focuses that represent almost all the work I do.  I study the Word to faithfully teach.  Part of that study does include planning ahead what upcoming series will be, what small groups will study, etc.  Feeding our church the Word of God and equipping them to feed themselves is central to my task.  The second main focus is to invest in the lives of people.  This must run a close second behind the study of the Word.  People just need time invested in them.  They need to talk.  They need someone to listen, to love, to care.  Sometimes they need some gentle nudges.  Sometimes a loving and gentle shove.  :)

There are times when some administrative tasks must be performed or administrative decisions made that I must give time to.  Whether or not it should be my job, sometimes it just is and I have to do it.  Some pastors have more on their plates than others.  I am fortunate enough to have great people around me who take care of so many things themselves.   But an important aspect is that sometimes pastors have to do it all themselves because they make it that way.  They don't invest in people and so people aren't there to help.  They don't allow people to grow into positions, making mistakes along the way, because the pastor is more interested in getting the results, trains on time and all that, to make room for the people who could maybe do it less perfectly but would then be involved.

It comes back to focus.  Pastors are supposed to shepherd the sheep, not manage the pasture.  A shepherd who isn't spending intentional, directed, relationship-building time with people is a groundskeeper not a flock tender.  The pasture isn't going to go to heaven, the sheep are.  If you are a pastor, or other leader of the church, make sure that even as you may have to take care of administrative details, that you are focused on the body, not the mechanisms of the church.  If you are in a church but uninvolved, are there things you can do to make sure your shepherd can focus on the sheep, not the pasture?

Final note.  This relational aspect of pastoring is why I believe God places the family as the epicenter of a pastor's qualifications.  If he can't even build those nuturing relationships with the people that he lives with and has primary responsibility over, he will fail at the relationships at church.  In my life, as I have gotten more responsibility over the years and been given more leadership, I have also realized that I need to have more and more focus and time directed within the four walls of my home.  If I'm not doing it effectively here, everything outside of my home is built on sand.