The picture of a pastor as spiritual leader originated in Scripture, and it remains one of the most ancient and fascinating biblical symbols. Before human beings spoke of God as their Father, they referred to Him as their Pastor. Micah referred to Him as the One who would gather Israel "like sheep of the fold, like a flock in the midst of their pasture" (Micah 2:12, NKJV), and prophesied about the Messiah saying: "He shall stand and feed His flock in the strength of the Lord" (Micah 5:4, NKJV, emphasis supplied).
Jesus spoke of Himself as "the Good Shepherd," One who "gives His life for the sheep" (John 10:11). Of all divine titles, none is more significant than "the Good Shepherd." Jesus never introduced Himself as preacher, bishop, priest, or administrator, but in this passage and others He presents Himself as Pastor.
Many biblical passages overflow with descriptions and inspiration for the work of the pastor. While these portray God or Christ Himself as the Pastor of His people, their implications for the pastor are by all means valid enough.
Psalm 23 is one of these. It describes God as a tender and caring Pastor, willing to place Himself in courage and diligence as the Helper, Guide, and Protector of the flock. In Luke 15:3-7, Jesus describes Himself as One willing to face perils without end in seeking the lost sheep. Again, the implications for the ministry of the pastor are transparently plain and strong.
The Pastor, the shepherd
The main task of the pastor is to render aid. The church has grown. It has become institutionalized. Thus the need is more urgent than ever for leaders who are especially gifted by the Spirit to manage the various aspects of the affairs of the church. No matter where one is serving whether at the head of a congregation, promoting a department, administrating a given area, in a classroom, in an editorial office, or chairing boards and committees he or she cannot afford to forget that at the heart of their calling, they are a pastor. The group being led is a "flock."
The issues the minister deals with are directly related to God's exaltation before humanity, as well as the growth and well-being of the flock, which is the church. The pastoral mentality should never be suffocated or replaced with the administrative and managerial mannerisms of the present age.
The pastoral worldview was the prevalent vision of the primitive church. As time went by, however, a change occurred in how pastoral work was faced, valued, and assessed. The situation has now evolved to almost tragic proportions. This is especially true in our scientific and materialistic age, when the tendency to value things above human beings is growing with frightening speed.
Some years ago, Roy Allan Anderson said: "The church has caught the spirit of the times, and she is doing her work today as a highly organized institution. But the Advent church began under the leadership of deep students of the Word. The pioneers were a deeply spiritual group of men and women. Prayer, study, and frequent counsels were a vital part of their program. But the tendency today is to place the emphasis on other things. The ability to expound the Word and feed the flock, the capacity to comfort the sorrowing and care for the fatherless, even the worker's personal piety, seem of necessity to be neglected by virtue of the heavy promotional program laid upon men."1
It is necessary to urgently redeem the excellence of the pastoral call. "These are fast moving days. Everything is measured by speed. And if someone trips and falls, before help can come he is trampled under foot by the surging crowd. Man finds himself home-less amid a jungle of machines and untamed forces, and millions are wondering whether life is worth while. Others, trying to palliate their misery, are drifting down the stream of life to crooning music, not knowing which way they are heading and feeling that nobody cares. These conditions call for shepherds strong, wise, kind shepherds, shepherds who can sympathize and love the wickedness out of human hearts, shepherds who are not too busy to spend time untangling individual and community problems. Everywhere there are broken homes and broken hearts, and these call for a shepherd's care. The world does not lack luxuries, but it does lack love. Eloquent preachers, detailed organizers, and business executives all have their place in the church of God, but the flock grows in grace and Christ-likeness under the gentle touch of the shepherd."2
Showing the fruit
The greatness of pastoral ministry will reveal itself in the attitudes and in the life of the minister. His or her speech and action will do justice to the high calling of the pastor. The pas tor's personal bearing and behavior are crucial. Here are some indispensable aspects of a healthy pastoral attitude:
Possessing conviction about one's call. In a missiological sense, we know that the Lord has called all believers for the task of evangelizing. This has to do with the exercise of the "royal priest hood" about which the apostle Peter spoke (1 Peter 2:9). Nevertheless, the Lord has blessed some of His children with the special gift of pastoring, calling them to the task of leading His people and spreading the saving influence of His kingdom.
The unequivocal conviction of the divine call is, no doubt, one of the pillars of ministerial success. Paul possessed it: "But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus" (Gal. 1:15-17, NKJV).
For Paul, the divine call was so distinct that he had no need to consult anyone else to extinguish any doubts about it. God had made him a work er and a minister. And there resided his unbreakable strength.
The assurance of the call does not prevent trials and difficulties. But, in the midst of these, the pastor maintains a blazing flame of enthusiasm, a deep and inner motivation and desire to proceed. Whoever possesses this quality will not pull back in the face of the pressure; neither will such a pastor have peace and pleasure in any other activity.
Thus, divinely compelled, we should get ourselves into the work, trusting that the One who has called us will always go before us.
Communion with God. "Like people, like priest" (Hosea 4:9, NKJV). These words impose on us a tremendous responsibility. When the pastor enjoys a rich spiritual experience, no doubt he will communicate this to his congregation. Thus there is the critical need in the life of the pastor for close communion with God. If every minis ter always runs to God in fervent prayer, "as in agony," the Lord will certainly invigorate his spirit and multiply his faith.
Individually, and with our family, we should never forego the privilege of communing with God. The pastor should remember that he is a human being, fallible and constantly exposed to danger. Distrusting our own strength, we may fully trust God.
Passion for souls. The founder of the Salvation Army once said to the Queen of England: "Some have passion for gold; others for fame; others yet have a passion for power. My passion, your Majesty, is for souls." But this does not mean just an unrestrained race in pursuit of accomplishing numeric goals. Its greater, underlying expression is the love that brought Christ to the world.
Passion for souls is what Paul demonstrates when he writes to the Galatian people, referring to them as "my little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you" (Gal. 4:19, NKJV). It is Knox pleading: "Give me Scotland or I die!" It is David Brainerd in the snow, coughing blood from his tubercular lungs while praying for the Indians. It is Jim Elliot and his young colleagues spotting the sands with blood at the margin of a creek in Ecuador as they seek for the ignored tribe of the Auca Indians, to lead them to Christ.
God still needs men and women imbued with the sense of mission as was the apostle Paul: "Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!" (1 Cor. 9:16, NKJV).
The true passion for souls does not extinguish when people are merely accounted for in terms of the church's membership ledger books. Through diligent and systematic visitation work, the pastor continues to feed and nourish the people with the bread that came down from Heaven; meeting their needs, comforting them in their afflictions, and encouraging them in their trials.
"Let every minister live as a man among men. Let him, in well-regulated methods, go from house to house, bearing ever the censer of heaven's fragrant atmosphere of love. Anticipate the sorrows, the difficulties, the troubles of others. Enter into the joys and cares of both high and low, rich and poor."3
Servant mentality. The principles of God's kingdom are different from those of the world: "You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all" (Mark 10:42-44, NKJV).
The idea of greatness found in the teaching of Jesus does not agree with what the world thinks. In the church, we all have to be servants. Only Jesus Christ is the Lord of the church. No human being may have the audacity to occupy this position, and even Jesus occupies it because He is the greatest of servants.
Struggling to gain a "promotion," compromising or planning it by some artful means would constitute the very antithesis of true Christianity. Whoever takes this route reveals a passion for power that does not consider the true means that are alone valid as we reach out to attain our aims as servants of God.
We must remember that in God's system there is only one caste that of servant, and that is true no matter where one works. We must be seen as someone who serves, who gives of himself. What really matters is the attitude. Not the title.
Ministerial ethics. Someone has defined ministerial ethics as "moral science." It is an elevated standard of human conduct that involves consideration, respect, and courtesy toward our fellow human beings.
The Bible says: "Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous" (1 Peter 3:8, NKJV). "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness" (Gal. 5:22, NKJV). The corollary of all that is said about ethics is: "Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them" (Matt. 7:12, NKJV).
The principles behind this theme encompass the type of relationship we should maintain with our family, with church members, with a predecessor, successor or colleague, with those who lead us or those we lead. As pastors, we are always dealing with individuals for whom Christ gave His life. They are more important than anything else. Their feelings must never be disrespected, whatever the provocation.
It is almost inevitable, however, that in our relationships with other people we will encounter people with personalities incompatible with our own; yes, even among gospel ministers. In these cases, we need to possess special grace from the Lord to learn how to solve the problems that may arise. Attitudes and decisions that we cannot understand and about which we can do nothing, should be placed in the hands of "Him who judges righteously" (1 Peter 2:23, NKJV). He will take care of it and in time show that "all things work together for good" (Rom. 8:28, NKJV).
Attitudes with the opposite sex. We can never repeat too many times the care that we should take when it comes to our relationships with other people in the arena of our sexuality. This is especially true in these days when, in the name of good communication and a relaxed relationship between individuals, many so-called taboos have been eliminated.
Let's speak from the male pastor's viewpoint: A pastor is expected to be friendly, respectful, elegant, and polite when dealing with anyone, including women. A great part of the church's work is done by women. Most women in the church give evidence of possessing an elevated and exemplary spiritual experience.
But the enemy of God, along with our own human weakness, makes us vulnerable to that special attention we receive or even grant to someone special, that long handshake, that look, or that private interview or counseling situation.
"Abstain from every form of evil" (1 Thess. 5:22, NKJV), says Paul. If today we regret the loss of powerful pastors from the past, it is because this counsel is underestimated. Deep dependence on God, alertness, prudence, Christian discernment, good judgment, and moderation are indispensable to the minister. All this is in addition to the protection a Christian wife represents, especially when the marital relationship is kept strong and each partner maintains themselves as attractive, inviting, and safe for each other.
Financial stability. The difficult survival conditions of the present world may represent, for many pastors, an invitation to involve themselves in sideline businesses to increase the family income. This practice, concealed or not, contradicts the greatness of the pastoral call. "No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier" (2 Tim. 2:4, NKJV).
"The energies of the minister are all needed for his high calling. His best powers belong to God. He should not engage in speculation, or in any other business that would turn him aside from his great work."4
In sending out the twelve disciples, Jesus commanded them: "Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs" (Matt. 2:9, NKJV), which does not mean to adopt an out-of-context lifestyle. The principle implied is that of simplicity no involvement in the spending fever of our days. With the command, Christ guaranteed the support of His servants: "For a worker is worth his keep" (Matt. 10:10, NIV).
When putting in practice the basic principles of economy, what seemed little, with the Lord's blessing, will be multiplied and the needs will be met. The wise control of the family budget will make sure that the spending is no greater than the income, so that the pastor will be free from the danger of indebtedness.
The present days, which are the last and most difficult ones in history, require a powerful ministry, a ministry of quality and uncompromised spiritual commitment. Our struggle is a spiritual one; God's cause is spiritual. We must be spiritual men and women. The church expects to see pastors with this profile.
In these critical days, the fervent prayer of every minister must be that God will grant us all the ability to develop and possess the rare qualities that stand behind true and effective pastoral ministry. It is ever true that this may be ours through the action of the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us so freely.
1 Roy Allan Anderson, The Shepherd-Evangelist (Washington, DC: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1950), 485.
2 Ibid., 480, 481.
3 Ellen G. White, Evangelism (Hagerstown, Md.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1946), 398 (Letter 50, 1897).
4 -------, Gospel Workers (Hagerstown, Md.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1915), 339.
