Moses and the wilderness district

Moses and the wilderness district: six guidlines of district pastoring as seen in the Exodus

Your district may not be as large as Moses', and you may not pastor as long as he did. But his example is worth studying.

Felix Vecchiarelli IV is pastor of the Kinlichee and Window Rock Seventh-day Adventist Churches in Arizona, United States.

As a district pastor, you think you have it hard? Compared to Moses, the first district pastor, your job may not be all that difficult.

Moses wasn’t just to get the children of Israel out of Egypt; he had to get “Egypt” out of Israel. Now, it’s true that your job is basically the same. The only problem, however, was that Israel was not a few hundred tithe-paying, Sabbath-keeping, Jesus-centered parishioners. Moses was to lead hundreds of thousands of mostly unconverted men, women, children out of four hundred years of paganism and bondage!

Let us not forget how the story ends, either. Headaches and all, Israel crossed the Jordan, conquered Canaan, and lived in the Promised Land. Though Moses had to wait for his entrance into the true Promised Land, his task was complete. The people whom he led—his sheep—were safe and sound at home.

How did he do it? What can today’s district pastor learn from the wilderness wanderings? The following are six guidelines of district pastoring that we learn from his incredible journey.

Never forget you represent God

In Exodus 3, notice how many times God says “I.” God was going to work for His people.

He was personally involved. His power and love would bring salvation. At the same time there is one crucial “you” in all this. In Exodus 3:12 God tells Moses, “ ‘When you have brought the people out of Egypt . . .’ ” (NKJV, emphasis supplied). God would accomplish His work through Moses. Most Israelites would never see or speak with God. They would, however, speak with and see Moses. The people of Israel learned about the character of God from Moses; thus, their understanding of God largely depended upon the actions and words of Moses.

Whether you are standing at the pulpit, shopping, driving, or sitting in the comfort of your own home—you represent God. Your actions and words represent God to all who come in contact with you—from church members to members of the community. You and I represent a God who is holy; therefore, God’s holiness should be our characteristic as well.

It is all the more important for a district pastor. You have two or more congregations and two or more communities, which means your influence is felt in many places.

Remember the family

Leviticus 10 tells the story of Nadab and Abihu. God has very specific words for those who serve Him in the sanctuary. “ ‘ “By those who come near Me / I must be regarded as holy; / And before all the people / I must be glorified” ’ ” (Leviticus 10:3, NKJV).

We could discuss several reasons why this is important. But let us just focus on one major issue: pastors’ children, and that applies to many pastors. The fact that God had to remind Aaron of these essential steps immediately after his sons were destroyed tells us that Aaron was at least partially responsible for his children’s doom. A district pastor may face this issue even more than other pastors. The children of district pastors have more strikes against them because in most cases one parent is gone more hours than other pastors are. Even worse, the children are in different churches every Sabbath. Thus, regarding God as holy and glorifying God at all times is a must for the district pastor because of the lasting impression it will leave on the children.

Speak for God, not for yourself

Too many times a district pastor puts too little attention on the sermon due to the time spent attending to the churches. In order to make up time, pastors have come up with many different ways to write their sermons. There are Web sites and books from which to get sermons; or, pastors will use the same sermon over and over; or, pastors will rely too much on stories and testimonies. Though these have their places, from the life of Moses we can see that there is at least one better way to handle the sermon.

As we said, Israel’s understanding of God, to a certain degree, depended upon the actions and words of Moses, especially when Moses would begin a sermon by a “Thus says the Lord.” Moses focused regularly on the word of God, even when it didn’t make sense. Moses was told to part a sea, to strike a rock for water, to place manna in the ark, to call out plagues, etc. Moses listened to God’s word, and it always worked.

There was one time, though, when Moses did not obey God’s word. God told Moses to command the rock to spew water for the people of Israel. Moses struck the rock, instead of commanding it, as told—and as a result of his disobedience he was not allowed to enter into the Promised Land. When a pastor turns from the Word of God, the consequences can be devastating. Sermons must be Bible-centered, and the pastor must spend time in the Word in order to get the sermons the congregation needs to hear.

Turn your congregation’s eyes upon Jesus

When Israel was hungry, manna (living bread) fell from heaven. When Israel was thirsty, they were led to the rock. When Israel was bitten by snakes, they turned their eyes upon the bronze serpent. When Israel was in trouble, they turned to God.

Since time at a given church is limited, in-home visits and in-office visits are so much more important. Turn each member’s eyes toward Jesus. Preach about any biblical issue you want: lifestyle, prophecy, or history. But always tie every thought to Christ. Appeals are vital. Ask your congregation to stand for Christ. Remind your church members that when they walk out the door of the sanctuary, they must live for Christ. Make Christ the foundation of your ministry.

Establish leadership to direct in your absence

Moses didn’t take the container of manna into the sanctuary. Moses didn’t spy on the Promised Land. Moses never killed a lamb during the Day of Atonement service. Moses did not build the sanctuary. At the same time, Moses did not shape and mold a golden calf. Moses also never led the people to revolt. The church is the body; you can’t be the hand, neck, back, ribs, and feet all by yourself.

Get your members active. Get the churches involved in their communities. Let them do the work, even if you must watch it closely. Don’t run every ministry; rather, guide every ministry, be involved, give advice, but let the church members do the work. Pastors should not be concerned or feel anxious with members running ministries, as long as they have chosen Christ-centered men and women. The church must learn to rely upon Jesus, not upon you or me. A healthy body has every part working for good.

Look to the reward

Hebrews 11 tells the story of how faith led the patriarchs and matriarchs of the Old Testament. Listed among them is Moses. We are told that Moses chose to suffer for Christ rather than enjoy the rewards of this world. Verse 26 says that Moses looked to the reward. Through the wilderness wandering, he faced a lot of trials and headaches. Outsiders, Israelites, and even family members persecuted and rebelled against Moses, yet he kept his eyes on the prize and kept the people moving toward the Promised Land.

A district pastor will most likely face a lot of pressure, a lot of work, and plenty of headaches. But keep your eyes on the reward. Choose to suffer affliction in the name of Christ—knowing that every day we work for Jesus, the Promised Land gets a little closer. Our job is a special one. We tend to God’s church even if they are two or more small congregations. Our eyes and the eyes of the church must be kept on preparation for heaven.

Conclusion

Sure, being a district pastor is hard. Just ask Moses. But just as Moses, despite setbacks, succeeded, we too can succeed. Moses had some hard lessons to learn. No doubt we will also. Let’s study his life, his trials, and from them learn to better lead our sheep through the wilderness and into the Promised Land.


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Felix Vecchiarelli IV is pastor of the Kinlichee and Window Rock Seventh-day Adventist Churches in Arizona, United States.

August 2007

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