COURSE SYLLABUS

COURSE TITLE: PASTORAL EPISTLES AND MINISTRY

COURSE HOURS: 4 LECTURER:

A. Course Description:
The course explores the pastor's work and world with particular emphasis on the instructions given
by Paul to the pastoral letters (1 and 2 Timothy, Titus). Current developments in the ministry arena
are synchronised with biblical admonitions on effective pastoral care with a view of enabling
critical reflective thought on the future of pastoral ministry in light of observable trends.

By the end of this course, the student will:

1. Understand the work of the pastor as envisaged in the pastoral letters
2. Appreciate the role of personal and spiritual development of the pastor in enhancing
ministry effectiveness
3. Critically reflect on the observable trends in pastoral ministry in light of biblical guidelines
on pastoral care and leadership.
4. Develop a personal commitment to effective pastoral ministry in their respective areas of
calling.

B. Course Outline

I. Lesson 1 Introduction to Pastoral Ministry

II. Lesson 2An Overview of Pastoral Letters (Timothy and Titus)

1. 1 Timothy
2. 2 Timothy
3. Titus

III. Lesson 3The Heart of a Great Pastor

IV. Lesson 4The Pastor's World

1. Spiritual Development/Formation
2. Personal Development
3. Psychosocial Development: Strategic Pastoral Counselling
4. Leadership Development

V. Lesson 5The Pastor's Work

1. Communicating the gospel
2. Church Leadership and Administration
3. Church Ceremonies
4. Community Engagement
5. Conflict Resolution: Peace Making

VI. Lesson 6 Issues, Challenges and Trends in Pastoral Ministry.

1. Tent Making : The Joy of Bivocational Ministry
2. Challenges of Pastoral Ministry
3. The sacred wilderness of pastoral ministry
4. Preventing ministry failure
5. The role of covenant friendships
6. Commercialisation of the Gospel: Feeding or Fleecing the Flock?

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 7. Ministry Models
8. The Future Trends of Pastoral Ministry: Dynamics for a new century

VII. Conclusion

C. INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES
Lectures, Discussions, Assignments and projects

EVALUATION AND ASSESSMENT

1. Class Attendance and Timely Submission of Assignments 10%. It is expected that

learners arrive and leave the class at the scheduled time.

2. Reflective Questions 70%. The learner is expected to complete and turn in for marking the
reflective questions given at the end of each lesson. These questions are not necessarily
requiring recopying of the material in the manual. It is expected that the student will go
beyond the manual in answering them, tapping from his experience and other books (if
applicable). Answers should be at least a paragraph for each question.

3. Paper 20% TOPIC: CHALLENGES OF PASTORAL MINISTRY. Interview at least 3

successful pastors on the challenges that one experiences as he or she seeks to become
established in Christian Ministry, and how one can overcome them. The pastors may be
from different churches. Compile your report in a 3-5 page paper.

GRADING SYSTEM
A 100-98% A- 97-90%
B: 89-83% B- 82-74%
C: 73-66% C- : 65-58%
D: 57-50% F: Fail= Below 50

REFERENCE LIST
Kimani, B.K., 2015. A Manual for Pastoral Ministry. Nairobi: BENKAR.

Ngewa, Samuel M., 2009. 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus. Grand Rapids, Michigan, Zondervan.

Wiersbe, Warren B. Be Faithful: Timothy and Titus. Grand Rapids, Michigan, David Cook Publishers.

Check the footnotes for information on where various materials were adopted or adapted.

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 Lesson 1
Introduc on to Pastoral Ministry
Objectives

At the end of this lesson, the student will be able to:

1. Understand the importance of pastoral ministry today.
2. Critically reflect on the state of pastoral ministry and the need for training on proper pastoral care
3. Adopt a personal definition of the term “Pastor” based on scripture that will inform his
ministry engagement
4. Understood the place of the call in the ministry
5. Differentiated between ministry and other professions
6. Analysed various ways to confirm and be certain of their call from God.
7. Demonstrated a renewed urgency to pursue their call with passion.

A. INTRODUCTION

Pastoral Ministry is the highest calling on earth. This is because in comparison with all other forms
of calling, it bears the greatest constituency of the people of God. The church, particularly in Africa
is growing exponentially in many parts. Although this is a good sign, it has also heralded its own
problems. Many of the churches in Africa are characterised by weak leadership which does not take
into consideration biblical advice on pastoral care. A proper examination of what pastoral ministry is
all about coupled with its demands, challenges and expectations in our time in light of scripture is a
clarion call that must be heeded by all that love this ministry. We cannot sit back and watch this
ministry being infiltrated by quacks and hirelings. Shouting at the top of our voice on various
platforms on what is going wrong is not the solution. We need a replacement of ideology. There is
need for an investigation into the underlying principles, theories and assumptions that underpin the
actions of those that minister in the wrong way. Once these perceptions are identified, then we can
engage in training that reverses those tendencies in a manner that leaves the society sensitized, either
formally or informally, consciously or unconsciously on what is the best practices in this field.

God's Word communicates compelling principles for pastoral ministry that are timeless and unchanging.
In recent years there has been a considerable focus on the importance of pastoral ministry in the local
church in the form of articles, books, and conferences on the subject. From this focus, principles have
arisen for pastoral ministry, some of which are consistent with the Bible, and others that are
contradictory. There is a great need to clarify what is biblically consistent and what is contradictory, so
that servants of God who are called to pastoral ministry can be faithful to the biblical mandates 1.

Due to a lot of opinions on whom a pastor is and what he is to do, much confusion exists. With the fast
paced, changing nature of the twenty-first century world, the ministry of the pastor needs to be clearly
defined. Without a clear focus on what the assignment is, it is unlikely his ministry will be e ffective.

The focus must be on the biblical model for pastoral ministry. All directives for pastoral ministry
must be tested by the Word of God. These directives should be biblically determined.

B. DEFINITION OF THE TERM “PASTOR”2

The term pastor is the most used title for the church leader today. He is seen as one who is leads the
1
Seth N.Polk,The 21st Century Pastor: His calling, character and competencies. (Liberty University: 2007) p.1
2
Adopted from Seth N.Polk, The 21st Century Pastor: His calling, character and competencies. (Liberty University: 2007) pp.4-6.
.

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congregation. In the New Testament, however, it is the term that is used the least. The term elder
(Gk. presbuteros) is used most commonly in the New Testament, referring to an officer in the local
church. There is a single reference to the office of pastor in Ephesians 4:11 in the listing of the
spiritual gifts in the church. 2 Paul wrote, “He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets,
some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers.” The term pastor, “wasprobably not intended in
Scripture to be a title, but to be descriptive of what an elder does.”

Pastor has roots in the Old French, pastur, literally meaning to act as a shepherd. Elmer Towns3wrote:
The term 'shepherd/pastor' is descriptive of a gift or spiritual ability to look after the sheep of God. The
noun, poimēn, is used by Paul in Ephesians 4:11 as a descriptive title of church leaders. It is translated in
the King James as 'pastor'. From this reference the title, pastor, has gained wide acceptance.
The Greek word could better be translated 'shepherd'. The work of the shepherd is familiar; he is
the leader, guide, feeder (in the sense of leading the sheep into places of adequate forage), helper,
and protector of the sheep. The title shepherd/pastor is reflective of the title that Jesus gave of
Himself, 'I am the good shepherd' (John 10:11).

Wayne Grudem4 wrote:

Although the noun pastor (Gk. poimēn)is not used of church officers elsewhere in the New Testament,
the related verb which means to 'act as ashepherd' or to 'act as a pastor' (Gk. poimainō) is applied to
elders in Paul'saddress to the Ephesian elders. He tells them to 'shepherd the church of God'
(Acts 20:28, literally translating the verb poimainō), and in the same sentence he referred to God's
people as 'all the flock', using another related noun (Gk. poimnion) which means 'a flock of sheep.'
So Paul directly charges these Ephesian elders to act as shepherds or 'pastors.'
The same verb is used in I Pet 5:2 where Peter tells the elders to 'shepherd (Gk. poimainō) the flock of
God that is your charge.' Then two verses later Jesus is called the chief pastor or 'chief shepherd' (Gk.
archipoimēn, I Pet 5:4), implying quite clearly that Peter also viewed the elders as shepherds or 'pastors'
in the church. Therefore, although the noun pastor is only used once to refer to elders, the related verb is
used twice in passages that explicitly identify the task of shepherding with the o ffice of the elder.
Therefore, the term pastor, while literally meaning “to act as a shepherd”, is also commonly used in
the twenty-first century to refer to the office of the elder in the local church . The pastor as the
undershepherd, serves as he follows the leadership of Jesus as the “Good Shepherd” (Jn 10:11).
A third term commonly used in the New Testament is bishop (Gk. episkopos) or overseer. The three
terms are used interchangeably in the New Testament in that “elders are also called pastors or bishops or
overseers.” It is the theological position of this manual that the terms pastor, elder and bishop all refer to
the same office. The term pastor as setforth in the New Testament will be used consistently throughout,
and is in keeping with the practices of the church throughout the ages until recent times.

Reflective Thought Questions:

Of the definitions for the pastor given above, which one bears the greatest weight for your context?
Why?
Develop a personal owned definition of the term “Pastor” using the section above as a starting point
and then going into further research on the same
What do you imagine are the most challenging elements of being a pastor going with the
introduction and definition given above? Why?

3
As quoted by Polk.
4
As quoted by Polk

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C. THE CALL TO PASTORAL MINISTRY
The subject of the call is crucial for every serious pastor. Ministry is not a profession, it is a calling.

1. What the call is not5.

One needs to be sure God has called them for it will keep you in the call even when the going gets tough.
When the unexpected happens, we need help from the unexpected divine source. We need the anointing
to carry on the task God has given us. As Ken Chant rightly says “The sureness of your call must be
without question and tested through life experience. Your certainty must be absolute if you are to fulfil
your ministry as a spiritual leader.” 6At this point, we now turn to what the call is not.
1. The Call is not an answer to parent's expectation.

2. The Call is not a change of scene

3. The Call is not a personal preference

4. The Call is not seminary training.

2. What is the call?

H. Richard Niebuhr7 defines the call to ministry it as having four parts:
1) The call to be a Christian, which is variously described as the call to discipleship of Jesus Christ,
to hearing and doing the Word of God, to repentance and faith, et cetera;
2) The secret call, namely, that inner persuasion or experience whereby a person feels himself
directly summoned or invited by God to take up the work of the ministry;
3) The providential call, which is that invitation and command to assume the work of the ministry
which comes through the equipment of a person with the talents necessary for the exercise of the
office and through the divine guidance of his life by all its circumstances;
4) The ecclesiastical call, that is, the summons and invitation extended to a man by some community
or institution of the church to engage in the work of the ministry.
Niebuhr's four parts of the call include the general call that all Christians receive, the inner prompting for
service to God, the equipping of a person to answer a providential call to ministry, and the specific call
to serve a body of believers in an o fficial capacity. These four parts of the call are sequential in nature,
with each part dependent on the other, in order to constitute a call to ministry.

Stated differently, the call to ministry includes four primary components.

A. First is the call to salvation that all Christians receive.
B. Second is the call to service and discipleship that all Christians receive. This is the call to
follow Jesus Christ in a surrendered life of service.
C. Third is the inner call to selected men to serve in a vocational role as pastors. It is an inner
burning and longing to be used of God. David Fisher wrote, “The call of God to any form of
vocational ministry is a combination of conviction about God's truth and concern for people.
D. Fourth is the outer call to ministry that defines the inner call and serves as confirmation of it. God
confirms the inner call to ministry through the circumstances of providing a place for ministry.

3. Confirming the Call of God

This can be done through:
A.Other Christians. This recognition at first usually comes informally by way of
acknowledgment and encouragement of God's working a person's life and service to Him by
others. The informal acknowledgment by others who have been impacted by a man's service
5
This is an excerpt from my bookPastoring without Pain (on going and due for publication in the days to come).
6
Stan Dekoven, Pastoral Ministry: In the Eye of the Storm (Ramona, California: Vision, 1995), 5.
7
H. Richard Niebuhr, The Purpose of the Church and Its Ministry (NewYork: Harper & Bros., 1956), 64. (As quoted by Polk)

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 to the Lord, serves as an initial prompting that God may be calling.

B. Trusted Counsellors. A man who is experiencing the leading of God must further explore
the possibilities of the call with those whom he is close to. Thomas C. Oden stated, “Having
first engaged in such an inward self-examination, I must then consult with others concerning
their perception of my potential gifts for ministry. In informal, but candid ways, I will submit
my preliminary internal conviction of a call to ministry to the searching judgment of others
whom I trust.”8“In the multitude of counsellors there is safety” (Prov.11:14). These
counsellors can provide clear direction for the path of ministry.

C. Licensing in the local congregation. Licensing serves as approval from other Christians
that there is apparently a calling by God on a person's life. Licensing provides an avenue
whereby a man can confirm the call of God on his life through public a ffirmation of his
life and ministry. Licensing is the church's stamp of approval of the man's preaching
abilities, his soundness in doctrine, and his Christian lifestyle.” 9 Further confirmation,
licensing may or may not lead to ordination.
D. Ordination in the Local Assembly. If there is further confirmation of the calling, the next
step in formal recognition of a person's calling is ordination. According to John MacArthur,
Jr., “Ordination is the process of godly church leaders a ffirming the call, equipping, and
maturity of leaders to serve God's purposes in the next generation.” 10 The setting apart of
certain men for ministry and the subsequent laying on of hands has its roots in the Old
Testament. It was used for commissioning to o ffice, as a sign of blessings being given, and
in order to offer gifts and sacrifices (Gen 38:14, Lev24, Deut 34:9). The order of the Levites
was set apart in this manner (Num 27:18-23).Moses laid hands on Joshua (Deut 34:9). The
practice was continued in the New Testament by Jesus and His disciples. Jesus called the
twelve and sent them into ministry(Mk 3:13-19, Lk 6:12-16, 10:1-16).

4. Conclusion
As we conclude this section on the call of God, several points needs to be stated in light of the
foregoing discussion:
1. Public confirmation of the call is very important. Public recognition validates and lends
credibility to the ministry of the pastor. The formal ordination process of examining a
potential pastor that culminates with a public service and laying on of hands, is a recognition
of God's working that person's life. The public confirmation of the call is vital. Do not be
ordained in secret.
2. Educational Preparation is necessary to sharpen the call. Not all men are afforded the
opportunity to complete formal education and it is not a requirement for serving God. However,
it is extremely valuable for ministry and it is advisable that formal education be completed. A
traditional approach would be to attend Bible College or Seminary to obtain formal education in
preparation for ministry or while in ministry. For those who cannot relocate to a traditional
Seminary setting, there are many opportunities available through modern delivery methods
focused on either online educational training opportunities, or distance learning. While education
is not a requirement to serve God in a formal capacity, it is very valuable and the pastor must be a
lifelong student of the Word of God. Formal education in a quality and conservative

8
Thomas C. Oden, Pastoral Theology: Essentials of Ministry (San Francisco:Harper Collins Publishers,
1983),19 9Consolation Baptist Association, “Suggestions for Licensing a Minister”; available at
http://www.cobaptist. org/ministers%20licensing.htm; Internet; accessed 9 December, 2006.
Though this seems to be referring to the Baptist convention it is not
different from the arrangement in many churches (Quoted by Polk, 54).
10
MacArthur, Rediscovering Pastoral Ministry, 136. (Polk, 54).

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 biblical setting, serves to form the framework of a man's ministry that will impact how he
does ministry for a lifetime.
3. The Call to serve in a local congregation may also be an outer confirmation of the call.
An open door of invitation from a local congregation to serve as their pastor, may serve as
further confirmation of the call of God on a person's life. Open and closed doors are only one
element of outward confirmation.
4. Confirmation of the call can be seen through results in the ministry. If God is really in
the call, He will supply what is needed to do the job and subsequently bless the e fforts. The
volume of such results is not an issue, but it does seem reasonable to concur that if there is a
genuine call present, the hand of God will be evident. Results alone cannot be used as the
final measure of a man's calling. There are other valid questions that should be asked. Is the
pastor's preaching and delivery of the Word of God connecting with the people of God? Is he
able to effectively manage the Lord's church, and is there evidence of that? Is he able to o ffer
biblical guidance to hurting souls?
5. It is important to be certain of your call. It is a terrible thing to miss God's calling on your
life. It is also a terrible thing to make the mistake of wrongly thinking that God has issued a
calling on one's life to vocational ministry. It will result in continual frustration for the one
who has misjudged the call, and for the poor people who are subject to his ministry.
Therefore, it is very important that a man be certain of his calling. There will inevitably be
times in the ministry when the only security the man of God will have is in his relationship
with God, and the security he finds in his calling.Steve Hayes wrote, “It is imperative that if
we are going to finish the race safe and sound,with our ministries intact, we must know that
God's call rests on our lives.” 11 The race ofministry is long, and the stresses on the pastor and
his family are significant. We must know that God's calling is certain on our lives.

Reflective Thought Questions

1. Would you consider yourself to be called of God? Why?
2. Critically reflect on the statement that the call could be confirmed through results in the ministry.
3.What are the challenges with this position and how could they be surmounted?
4.How would you help someone who is not certain of their call?
5.How would you help an individual who has discovered that they are not called of God?

11
Steve Hayes, Safe and Sound (Nashville: Broadman and Holman, 2002), 15.

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Notes:-

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 Lesson 2
An Overview of Pastoral Le ers¹²
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, the student will have:
1.An understanding of the key themes, ideas and structure of the letters of Paul to Timothy
and Titus
2. Acquired basic skills and competencies needed to run a local church based on biblical
advice on effective pastoral care.
3.Critically analysed present ministry trends in light of biblical guidance on effective
pastoral ministry

Introduction
The idea of faithfulness in the ministry runs through the letters of Paul especially 1 and 2 Timothy
and Titus. Being faithful is the big idea that weaves all the four letters together.
Timothy, Titus, and Philemon were all trusted colleagues of Paul, men whom he mentored in the
faith and charged to carry on the work of the Lord Jesus. Timothy became the pastor of the church
of Ephesus, Titus became the overseer of the churches on the island of Crete, and Philemon was a
businessman whom Paul led to Christ. Paul instructed each of these men to be faithful to the Lord,
regardless of their role. Paul charged Timothy, “And the things you have heard me say in the
presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others” (2
Tim. 2:2 NIV). He told Titus to “appoint elders in every town” throughout Crete (Titus 1:5 NIV).
And he asked Philemon to be faithful to his runaway slave Onesimus, whom Paul returned to him.
Paul was so sure of Philemon's faithful character that he said, “Confident of your obedience, I write
to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask” (Philem. 1:21 NIV).

Timothy was not too happy in his church in Ephesus, and Titus was in a di fficult situation on the
Island of Crete. To both of them, Paul wrote: “Be faithful! It's always too soon to quit!”Paul used
the Greek word pistos (“faithful”) at least seventeen times in these three letters. The theme runs
through each chapter: Be faithful to the Word, be faithful to your task, be faithful to the people to
whom you minister. God is faithful!

Authorship of Pastoral Letters13

The traditional position which is supported by the opening verse of each of these books, is that these
letters were written by Apostle Paul. However not all scholars agree with this position. Some think
that these letters were written by a latter believer who used Paul's name. Still others argue that what
we have contains fragments of letters written by Paul, but that most of the content was composed by
someone else.

The argument put forward by those who oppose Paul's authorship fall into four main groups:

1. Historical or biographical argument. Some of the events mentioned in the Pastoral Epistles do not fit
into the account of Paul's ministry in the book of Acts. For example, Paul mentions of leaving Titus at
Crete while Acts does not make any mention of his visit there. To counteract this argument, we would

12
Unless otherwise stated by other citations, this section is a summary of Warren Wiersbe's book, Be Faithful (1 and 2
Timothy, Titus, and Philemon): It's always too soon to quit (Grand Rapids, Michigan: David Cook Publishers).
13

This section is taken from Samuel Ngewa's book, 1&2 Timothy and Titus. (Grand Rapids Michigan:Zondervan,2009), 1-3.

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 say that the book of Acts does not claim to give the account of Paul's life in its entirety. As such, a
judgement of authorship for Pastoral Epistles cannot be made on the basis of collaboration of the
accounts in Acts and the pastoral letters.

2. Linguistic argument. The words and style in pastoral letters is different from the rest of the
writings of Paul. The argument is that the letters use words that do not feature in the other writings
of Paul. Although this argument could be considered strong, Paul may have changed his vocabulary
to fit the circumstances that the churches were facing. Other scholars say that he may not have
changed his vocabulary but used a secretary to write for him, who in turn a ffected his style.
Proponents of this argument name Luke as the secretary.
3. Doctrinal or theological argument. The pastoral epistles do not mention other key teachings seen in
other letters of Paul such as justification by faith etc. To answer this argument, we would say that since
he is writing to Timothy and Titus who were his personal assistants, there was no need to repeat these
teachings to them considering that they had heard them before. Again, he is dealing with a di fferent
situation in these churches that may not have warranted a repeat of the same teachings.

4. Ecclesiological argument. Some argue that the churches in Paul's day were not organized in the
manner characterised in the Pastoral Letters. They may not have had Bishops, elders and deacons. In
that sense, someone else may have written the letters after the death of Paul. This argument cannot be
sustained because Paul himself appointed elders. We also see him having farewell with Ephesian elders
(Acts 14:23; 20:17, 28). On the other hand, the problems with false teaching in the churches for which
Timothy and Titus were responsible may have necessitated organisation and strict discipline.

We now look at the outline of each of the books as seen by Warren Wiersbe14:

A. Outline of the Book of 1 Timothy

Theme: How to manage the ministry of the local church

Key verse: 1 Timothy 3:15

I. The Church and Its Message (1 Timothy 1)

Timothy was one young man who responded to Christ's call to help build His church. He was one of
the apostle Paul's special assistants. Along with Titus, Timothy tackled some of the tough
assignments in the churches that Paul had founded. Timothy was brought up in a religious home (2
Tim. 1:5) and had been led to faith in Christ by Paul himself. This explains why Paul called
Timothy “my own [genuine] son in the faith” (1 Tim. 1:2).

Timothy was born of mixed parentage: His mother was a Jew-ess, his father a Greek. He was so devoted
to Christ that his local church leaders recommended him to Paul, and Paul added him to his “missionary
staff' (Acts 16:1–5). Paul often reminded Timothy that he was chosen for this ministry (1 Tim. 1:18;
4:14). Timothy was faithful to the Lord (1 Cor. 4:17) and had a deep concern for God's people (Phil.
2:20–22).

But in spite of his calling, his close association with Paul, and his spiritual gifts, Timothy was easily
discouraged. The last time Paul had been with Timothy, he had encouraged him to stay on at Ephesus

14
Warren Wiersbe's book, Be Faithful (1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon): It's always too soon to quit (Grand Rapids, Michigan:
David Cook Publishers). (Unless otherwise stated by other citations, this section is made of excerpts from this book). I encourage the
reader to gain access to this book for greater depth on the matters expressed here selectively).

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and finish his work (1 Tim. 1:3). Apparently Timothy had physical problems (1 Tim. 5:23) as well
as periods of discouragement, and you get the impression that some of the church members were not
giving their pastor the proper respect as God's servant (1 Tim. 4:12; 2 Tim. 2:6–8).

Ephesus would not be the easiest place to pastor a church. (Are there any “easy places”? I doubt it.)
The city was devoted to the worship of Diana, the patroness of the sexual instinct. Her lascivious
images helped promote sexual immorality of all kinds (see Acts 19). Paul had done a great work in
Ephesus during his three-year ministry, so “all they which dwelt in [the province of] Asia heard the
word of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 19:10). It was not easy for Timothy to follow a man like Paul! Of
course, Satan had his workers in the city, for wherever there are spiritual opportunities, there are
also satanic obstacles (1 Cor. 16:8–9).

Paul wrote the letter we call 1 Timothy to encourage Timothy, to explain how a local church should
be managed, and to enforce his own authority as a servant of God. In 1 Timothy 1, Paul explained
the three responsibilities of a pastor and people in a local church:

1. Teaching sound doctrine (1 Timothy 1:1–11):

There were teachers of false doctrines in Paul's day just as there are today, and we must take them
seriously. These false teachers have no good news for lost sinners. They seek instead to lead
Christians astray and capture them for their causes.

Paul used military language to help Timothy and his people see the seriousness of the problem (1
Tim. 1:3). Charge means “to give strict orders from a superior o fficer.” Paul used this word (some-
times translated “commandment” and “command” in KJV) eight times in his two letters to Timothy
(1 Tim. 1:3, 5, 18; 4:11; 5:7; 6:13, 17; 2 Tim. 4:1). He was conveying this idea: “Timothy, you are
not only a pastor of the church in a difficult city. You are also a Christian soldier under orders from
the King. Now pass these orders along to the soldiers in your church!”

What was the order? “Do not teach different doctrines from those taught by Paul!” In the original
text there are thirty-two references to “doctrine,” “teach,” “teacher,” “teaches,” and “teaching” in
the three Pastoral Epistles. In the early church, the believers were taught the Word of God and the
meanings of basic Christian doctrines. In many churches today, the pulpit and choir loft are places
for entertainment, not enlightenment and enrichment.

God had committed the truth of the Word to Paul (1 Tim. 1:11), and Paul had committed it to
Timothy (1 Tim. 6:20). It was Timothy's responsibility to guard the faith (2 Tim. 1:14) and to pass it
along to faithful people (2 Tim. 2:2).

2. Proclaiming the gospel (1 Timothy 1:12–17)

In this section, Paul focuses on the impact on the gospel using his personal life as an exhibit. He
talks of what he used to be (1:13a), how he was saved (v13b-15),and what he became(v12,16) to
show that when the gospel is rightly proclaimed it has potential to turn a persecutor into a preacher,
a murderer into a minister and a missionary. Paul not only became a minister but also became an
example (1 Tim 1:16). The local church has a responsibility to proclaim the gospel so that God's
abundant mercy and love may be shed abroad to the seekers.

3. Defending the faith (1 Timothy 1:18–20); Titus 1:10-16

Each local church is in a constant battle against the forces of evil. There are false prophets and false
teachers, as well as false christs. Satan is the originator of false doctrines, for he is a liar from the

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beginning (John 8:44). It is not enough for a local church to teach sound doctrine and to proclaim
the gospel. The church must also defend the faith by exposing lies and opposing the doctrines of
demons (1 Tim. 4:1).
Again, Paul used military language to enforce his statement, for the word charge (1 Tim. 1:18) means
“an urgent command handed down from a superior o fficer” (1 Tim. 1:3). Paul also reminded Timothy
that God had chosen him for his ministry. Apparently some of the prophets in the local assemblies had
been led by the Spirit to select Timothy for service (see Acts 13:1–3 for an example of this procedure).
It was not easy to serve God in pagan Ephesus, but Timothy was a man under orders, and he had to
obey. The soldier's task is to “please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier” (2 Tim. 2:4), and not
to please himself. Furthermore, Timothy was there by divine appointment: God had chosen him and
sent him. It was this fact that could give him assurance in di fficult days. If you are God's servant,
called by the Spirit, obeying His will, then you can “stay with it” and finish the work.

Paul changed the illustration from army to navy (1 Tim. 1:19). He warned Timothy that the only
way to succeed was to hold fast to “faith and a good conscience.” It is not enough to proclaim the
faith with our lips; we must practice the faith in our daily lives. One man said of his hypocritical
pastor, “He is such a good preacher, he should never get out of the pulpit, but he is such a poor
Christian, he should never get into the pulpit!”

A good conscience is important to a good warfare and a good ministry. The magazine editor H. L.
Mencken defined conscience as “the inner voice which warns us that somebody may be looking.”
But a man with a good conscience will do the will of God in spite of who is watching or what
people may say. Like Martin Luther, he will say, “Here I stand; I can do no other, so help me God!”
Professed Christians who “make shipwreck” of their faith do so by sinning against their
consciences. Bad doctrine usually starts with bad conduct, and usually with secret sin. Hymenaeus
and Alexander deliberately rejected their good consciences in order to defend their ungodly lives.
Paul did not tell us exactly what they did, except that their sin involved “blaspheming” in some way.
Hymenaeus said that the resurrection was already past (2 Tim. 2:16–18). Alexander was a popular
name in that day, so we cannot be sure that the man named in Paul's next letter to Timothy (2 Tim.
4:14) is the same man; but if he is, no doubt he withstood Paul by teaching false doctrine.

Delivered unto Satan” (1 Tim. 1:20) implies an apostolic discipline (see 1 Cor. 5:5) and
disassociation from the local church. The verb “learn” (1 Tim. 1:20) means “to learn by discipline.”
When a Christian refuses to repent, the local fellowship should exercise discipline, excluding him
from the protective fellowship of the saints, making him vulnerable to the attacks of Satan. The
fellowship of the local church, in obedience to the will of God, gives a believer spiritual protection.
Satan has to ask God for permission to attack a believer (see Job 1—2; Luke 22:31–34).
Timothy must have been greatly helped and encouraged when he read this first section of Paul's letter.
God had called Timothy, equipped him, and put him into his place of ministry. Timothy's job was not to
run all over Ephesus, being involved in a multitude of tasks. His job was to care for the church by
winning the lost, teaching the saved, and defending the faith. Any task that did not relate to these
ministries would have to be abandoned. One reason some local churches are having problems is that the
pastors and spiritual leaders are involved in too many extracurricular activities and are not doing the
tasks God has called them to do. It might be a good idea for our churches to take a spiritual inventory!

II. The Church and Its Members (1 Timothy 2—3)

Paul wrote this section to Timothy in order to guide him on the right way to order the church. It seems
that Timothy had problems in this area and probably the public services were losing their order and

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effectiveness because men and women members of the church were disobeying God's word. To deal
with this tendency Paul exhorted the men and women in the church and reminded them of their
spiritual responsibilities.

1. Praying men (1 Timothy 2:1–8)

In this section Paul mentions issues to do with the priority of prayer (2:1a), the variety of prayer
(2:1b), the objects of prayer (2:1c-2), the reasons for prayer (2:3-4), the basis for prayer (2:5-7), and
the attitude in prayer (2:8). From these scriptures, there are clear guidelines on the place prayer in
church and ministry:

“First of all” indicates that prayer is most important in the public worship of the church. It is sad to
see how prayer has lost importance in many churches. When a local church ceases to depend on
prayer, God ceases to bless its ministry. The variety of prayer should be utilised to ensure that we
benefit maximally from this practice. Paul gives several ways this could be done to Timothy. He
mentions, Thanksgiving, intercession and supplication as very key in prayer. The basis of prayer is
the redemptive work of Christ on the cross on our behalf.
The attitude in prayer (v. 8). Paul stated definitely that “men” should pray in the local assembly. Both
men and women prayed in the early church (1 Cor. 11:4–5), but the emphasis here is on the men. It is
common to find women's prayer meetings, but not often do we find men's prayer meetings. If the men
do not pray, the local church will not have dedicated leaders to oversee its ministry. It was customary for
Jewish men to pray with their arms extended and their hands open to heaven. Our traditional posture of
bowing the head, folding the hands, and closing the eyes is nowhere found or commanded in Scripture.
Actually, there are many prayer postures found in the Bible: standing with out- stretched hands (1 Kings
8:22); kneeling (Dan. 6:10); standing (Luke 18:11); sitting (2 Sam. 7:18); bowing the head (Gen. 24:26);
lifting the eyes (John 17:1); falling on the ground (Gen. 17:3). The important thing is not the posture of
the body but the posture of the heart.

Paul stated three essentials for effective prayer and the first was “holy hands.” Obviously this
means a holy life. “Clean hands” was symbolic of a blameless life (2 Sam. 22:21; Ps. 24:4). If we
have sin in our lives, we cannot pray and expect God to answer (Ps. 66:18). “Without wrath” is the
second essential and requires that we be on good terms with one another. “Without anger” might be
a better translation. A person who is constantly having trouble with other believers, who is a
trouble- maker rather than a peacemaker, cannot pray and get answers from God.

“Doubting” suggests that we must pray in faith, but the word really means “disputing.” When we
have anger in the heart, we often have open disagreements with others. Christians should learn to
disagree without being disagreeable. We should “do all things without murmurings and disputings”
(Phil. 2:14). Effective praying, then, demands that I be in a right relationship with God (“holy
hands”) and with my fellow believers (“without murmurings and disputings”). Jesus taught the same
truth (Mark 11:24–26).

If we spent more time preparing to pray and getting our hearts right before God, our prayers would
be more effective.

2. Submitting women (1 Timothy 2:9–15)

The word translated “subjection” in 1 Timothy 2:11 is translated “submitting” and “submit” in
Ephesians 5:21–22 and Colossians 3:18. It literally means “to rank under.” Anyone who has served in
the armed forces knows that “rank” has to do with order and authority, not with value or ability. A
colonel is higher in rank than a private, but that does not necessarily mean that the colonel is a better
man than the private. It only means that the colonel has a higher rank and, therefore, more authority.
Submission is not subjugation. Submission is recognizing God's order in the home and the church and

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joyfully obeying it. When a Christian wife joyfully submits to the Lord and to her own husband, it
should bring out the best in her. (For this to happen, the husband must love his wife and use God's
order as a tool to build with, not a weapon to fight with, Eph. 5:18–33.) Submission is the key to
spiritual growth and ministry: Husbands should be submitted to the Lord, Christians should submit
to each other (Eph. 5:21), and wives should be submitted to the Lord and to their husbands. The
emphasis in this section (1 Tim. 2:9–15) is on the place of women in the local church. Paul
admonished these believing women to give evidence of their submission in several ways.

Modest dress (v. 9). The contrast here is between the artificial glamour of the world and the true
beauty of a godly life. Paul did not forbid the use of jewellery or lovely clothes, but rather the
excessive use of them as substitutes for the true beauty of “a meek and quiet spirit” (see 1 Peter 3:1–
6). A woman who depends only on externals will soon run out of ammunition! She may attract
attention, but she will not win lasting affection. Perhaps the latest fashion fads were tempting the
women in the church at Ephesus, and Paul had to remind Timothy to warn the women not to get
trapped. The word translated “modest” (1 Tim. 2:9) simply means “decent and orderly.” It is related
to the Greek word from which we get the English word “cosmetic.” A woman's clothing should be
decent, orderly, and in good taste. “Shamefacedness” literally means “modesty, the avoidance of
extremes.” A woman who possesses this quality is ashamed to go beyond the bounds of what is
decent and proper. “Sobriety” comes from a Greek word that means “having a sound mind and good
sense.” It describes an inner self-control—a spiritual “radar” that tells a person what is good and
proper. Ephesus was a wealthy commercial city, and some women there competed against each
other for attention and popularity. In that day expensive hairdos arrayed with costly jewellery were
an accepted way to get to the top socially. Paul admonished the Christian women to major on the
“inner person,” the true beauty that only Christ can give. He did not forbid the use of nice clothing
or ornaments. He urged balance and propriety, with the emphasis on modesty and holy character.
Godly works (v. 10). Paul did not suggest that good works are a substitute for clothing! Rather, he
was contrasting the “cheapness” of expensive clothes and jewellery with the true values of godly
character and Christian service. “Godliness” is another key word in Paul's pastoral letters (1 Tim.
2:2, 10; 3:16; 4:7–8; 6:3, 5–6, 11; 2 Tim. 3:5; Titus 1:1). Glamour can be partially applied on the
outside, but godliness must come from within. We must never underestimate the important place
that godly women played in the ministry of the church. The gospel message had a tremendous
impact on them because it affirmed their value before God and their equality in the body of Christ
(Gal. 3:28). Women had a low place in the Roman world, but the gospel changed that.

Quiet learning (v. 11). “Silence” is an unfortunate translation because it gives the impression that
believing women were never to open their mouths in the assembly. This is the same word that is
translated “peaceable” in 1 Timothy 2:2. Some of the women abused their newfound freedom in
Christ and created disturbances in the services by interrupting. It is this problem that Paul addressed
in this admonition. It appears that women were in danger of upsetting the church by trying to
“enjoy” their freedom. Paul wrote a similar admonition to the church in Corinth (1 Cor. 14:34),
though this admonition may apply primarily to speaking in tongues.

Respecting authority (vv. 12, 15). Women are permitted to teach. Older women should teach the
younger women (Titus 2:3–4). Timothy was taught at home by his mother and grandmother (2 Tim.
1:5; 3:15). But in their teaching ministry, they must not “lord it over” men. There is nothing wrong
with a godly woman instructing a man in private (Acts 18:24–28), but she must not assume
authority in the church and try to take the place of a man. She should exercise “quietness” and help
keep order in the church.

3. Qualified pastors (1 Timothy 3:1–7). Titus 1:5-9

Paul gives Timothy the guidelines for the appointment of church leaders and particularly elders.In this

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section, Paul described the bishop, the deacon, and the church itself. By understanding these three
descriptions, we shall be able to give better leadership to the ministry of the church.

The Pastor (3:1–7)

According to the New Testament, the terms “bishop,” “pastor,” and “elder” are synonymous.

Bishop means “overseer,” and the elders had the responsibility of overseeing the work of the church
(Acts 20:17, 28; 1 Peter 5:1–3).

“Elder”. The translation is from the Greek word presbutes, which means “an old man.” Paul used
the word presbytery in
1 Timothy 4:14, referring not to a denomination, but to the “eldership” of the assembly that
ordained Timothy. Elders and bishops (two names for the same o ffice, Titus 1:5, 7) were mature
people with spiritual wisdom and experience.

Finally, “pastor” means “shepherd,” one who leads and cares for the flock of God. When you
compare the qualifications given here for bishops with those given for elders in Titus 1:5–9, you
quickly see that the same office is in view.
Church organization was quite simple in apostolic days: There were pastors elders, bishops) and deacons
(Phil. 1:1). It seems that there was a plurality of elders overseeing the work of each church, some
involved in “ruling” (organization and government), others in teaching (1 Tim. 5:17). But these men had
to be qualified. It was good for a growing believer to aspire to the o ffice of bishop, but the best way to
achieve it was to develop Christian character and meet the following requirements.

To become an elder/ bishop was a serious decision, one not treated lightly in the early church.

Paul gave sixteen qualifications for a man to meet if he expected to serve as an elder/bishop/pastor.

· Blameless (v. 2a).

· The husband of one wife (v. 2b).
· Vigilant (v. 2c).
· Sober (v. 2d).
· Of good behavior (v. 2e).
· Given to hospitality (v. 2f).
· Apt to teach (v. 2g).
· Not given to wine (v. 3a).
· No striker (v. 3b).
· Not greedy of filthy lucre (v. 3c).
· Patient (v. 3d).
· Not a brawler (v. 3e).
· Not covetous (v. 3f).
· A godly family (vv. 4–5).
· Not a novice (v. 6).
· A good testimony outside the church (v. 7).

4. Qualified deacons (1 Timothy 3:8–13).In many instances the requirements of the deacon are the
same as the ones above, for the pastors.

5. Behaving believers (1 Timothy 3:14–16).Elders, deacons, and church members need to be

reminded of what a local church is. In this brief paragraph, Paul gave three pictures of the church:

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(1)The house of God (v. 15a).
(2)The assembly (v. 15b).
(3)The pillar and ground of the truth (vv. 15c–16).

III. The Church and Its Minister (1 Timothy 4)

Paul gives the job description of a pastor. He must possess three characteristics in order for him to
be successful in serving God. He must be:
1.A good minister, preaching the Word (1 Timothy 4:1–6)
2.A godly minister, practicing the Word (1 Timothy 4:7–12)
3.A growing minister, progressing in the Word (1 Timothy 4:13–16)

IV.The Church and Its Ministry (1 Timothy 5—6); Titus 2-3.

In these two chapters, the emphasis is on the ministry strategies to various groups in the church.
Eight groups are identified each with distinct ministry. Ministry was to be extended :
1.To older members (1 Timothy 5:1–2)
2.To older widows (1 Timothy 5:3–10)
3.To younger widows (1 Timothy 5:11–16)
4.To church officers (1 Timothy 5:17–25)
5.To servants (slaves) (1 Timothy 6:1–2)
6.To false teachers (1 Timothy 6:3–10)
7.To the pastor (1 Timothy 6:11–16, 20–21)
8.To the rich (1 Timothy 6:17–19

B. Outline of the Book of 2 Timothy

Theme: Preparation for the ministry in the last days

Paul used four appeals to encourage Timothy:

A. The Pastoral Appeal (2 Timothy 1)

In this chapter, Paul gives Timothy 3 elements that make up a strong pastor:
1. Courageous enthusiasm (2 Timothy 1:1–7)
2. Shameless suffering (2 Timothy 1:8–12)
3. Spiritual loyalty (2 Timothy 1:13–18)

II. The Practical Appeal (2 Timothy 2)

This chapter outlines the images of a successful pastor:
1.The steward (2 Timothy 2:1–2)
2.The soldier (2 Timothy 2:3–4, 8–13)
3.The athlete (2 Timothy 2:5)
4.The farmer (2 Timothy 2:6–7)
5.The workman (2 Timothy 2:14–18)
6.The vessel (2 Timothy 2:19–22)
7.The servant (2 Timothy 2:23–26)

III. The Prophetic Appeal (2 Timothy 3)

Paul gives Timothy, three appeals that are necessary for him as he goes along with his ministry in
his generation.
1. Turn away from the false (2 Timothy 3:1–9)

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 2. Follow those who are true (2 Timothy 3:10–12)
3. Continue in God's Word (2 Timothy 3:13–17)

IV. The Personal Appeal (2 Timothy 4)

This chapter gives the final appeals Paul gave to Timothy. They could be called his last words, to
his son in the faith, Timothy.

1. Preach the Word (2 Timothy 4:1–4)

2. Fulfill your ministry (2 Timothy 4:5–8)
3. Be diligent and faithful (2 Timothy 4:9–12)

C. Outline of the Book of Titus

Theme: Christians should maintain good works.

Key verse: Titus 3:8

I. Church Organization (Titus 1)

1. Preach God's Word (Titus 1:1–4)
2. Ordain qualified leaders (Titus 1:5–9)
3. Silence false teachers (Titus 1:10–16)

II. Christian Obligation (Titus 2—3)

1. Older saints (Titus 2:1–4a)
2.Younger saints (Titus 2:4b–8)
3. Christian slaves (Titus 2:9–15)
4. Christians as citizens (Titus 3:1–8)
5. Problem people (Titus 3:9–11)
6. Conclusion (Titus 3:12–15)

Reflective Thought Questions

In what ways do you think the admonitions in the pastoral letters could be applied to the church
today Summarize the message of the pastoral letters in one page in your own words. What would
you reduce these admonitions to? Be sure to focus on the key ideas in each book.

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Notes:-

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 Lesson 3
The Heart of a Great Pastor
Lesson Objectives

In this section, the student will:

1. Understand the various components that make up the heart of a great

pastor
2. Analyse the components that make up successful ministry, first based
from the notes, and then through a given case study

A. THE HEART OF A GREAT PASTOR: LEARNING FROM JESUS

Jesus was the first pastor of the Christian era. And what a pastor He was! Jesus' style of ministry ought
to influence our style too. Here is how Jesus ministered and how we can follow that pattern today:

A HEART THAT VALUES PEOPLE Jesus valued people. Jesus went to where people were,
and they knew that He cared for them. He went to a tax collector's booth to recruit Matthew and
stayed for supper. Before the event was over, He had given His critics fodder for their gossip that
He ate with tax collectors and sinners (see Matt. 9:9-12). With Jesus, people came first, and loving
them unconditionally was at the top of His list.

A HEART THAT IS MISSION FOCUSED

Jesus focused on mission. Those who followed Jesus knew much about His purpose and mission.
Perhaps the most succinct of His statements about mission comes from His words to Zacchaeus: “Today
salvation has come to this house…. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke
19:9-10). There are many other statements about Jesus' purpose sprinkled throughout Scripture.

A SERVANT HEART
Jesus thought of Himself as a servant. Jesus' strategy was to present Himself as a servant who asked
for nothing—no money, no privilege, no home, no leisure and no privacy. He knew that it was possible
for spiritual leaders to hinder the gospel by wanting to be king or queen rather than a servant.

A HEART THAT DOES NOT IGNORE THE FUTURE

Jesus emphasized the future. Although Jesus used history and traditions appropriately, He focused
His message and movement on the future. Then as now, His message to His disciples is to get ready
for the new things that God wants to do in them and through them.

A HEART THAT TRUSTS OTHERS

Jesus took risks by trusting His disciples. Jesus risked the whole Christian movement on the
abilities and commitments of ordinary people.

How can we apply the pattern of Jesus for today's pastoral ministry?

15
H.B London and Neil B. Wiseman, The Heart of a Great Pastor.

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B. SUCCESS IN PASTORAL MINISTRY

According to London and Wiseman16, there are several issues that must be considered if at all
success in pastoral ministry will be achieved. We will deal with a few of those:
1. Have a heart that sees every assignment as a holy ground. Every assignment is holy ground
because Jesus gave Himself for the people who live there. Every place is important because God wants
something incredibly important to be accomplished there through us. Every situation is special because
ministry is needed in that place. Like Queen Esther, we have come to the Kingdom for a time like this. It
is hence important for the pastor to ask him/herself questions like:What di fference will I make? Why am
I here? Who sent me? Is this assignment sacred because God placed me here? What does God want to
accomplish through me? Moses discovered during his lifetime that even in tough places God's presence
turns ministry into an adventure. As the evangelist Luis Palau suggests, “Any old bush will do because it
is not us doing something for God, but God doing something through us.”¹
The Bible reminds us, “When you're joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and
organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant” (John 15:5, THE MESSAGE).

You are needed. You are important. You are empowered by God. You serve in the middle of the
action. God wants to enable you to transform your present assignment into holy ground—a place
where He accomplishes supernatural achievements through ordinary people like you.

EVERY ASSIGNMENT HAS SEVEN RESOURCES WAITING TO BE USED:

Seven resources are available for use in every assignment, congregation and community. Although
sometimes unrecognized, these resources are never limited by geography, finances, facilities or
creed. They are available in every church in every place and at any time.
Resource 1: Every Congregation Is Unique.
Resource 2: Every Congregation Responds to a Pastor's Love.
Resource 3: God Provides Supernatural Empowerment in every congregation.
Resource 4: Every Church Needs Bible Preaching.
Resource 5: Every Pastor Is Distinctively Gifted.
Resource 6: Every Setting Has Potential.
Resource 7: Every Church Has Something to Give People.

Ideal conditions do not automatically create a satisfying ministry. Real meaning comes from
developing an intimacy with the Lord Jesus.
Accordingly, in every situation a pastor must ask himself the “ease versus need” questions: Do I
wait for an ideal setting? Do I seek an easy place? Or do I ask God to empower me to make the
assignment He has given me the opportunity I dreamed about?
The compelling issue is whether you want usefulness, ease, fruitfulness, opportunity or satisfaction.
Sometimes opportunity and satisfaction fit together in an assignment. On the other hand, the most
fruitful places may be demanding and difficult.
How a pastor views himself, his competency, his spiritual maturity and God's direction also help
determine outcomes in a specific setting. God has built resurrection life into the fabric of every church.
This supernatural force offers hope for revolutionizing a morally twisted society and for again vitalizing
a lethargic church. Pastors hold the incredible energy of the gospel in their hands and in their hearts. Its
power is amazing. It can penetrate the hardest soil. It's a supernatural power to cope with the minister's
most demanding challenges. This makes spiritual triumphs possible in the toughest of places.

16
Ibid.

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2. Partner with the master gardener in order for you to cultivate your holy ground17. Even the
richest ground requires faithful and frequent cultivation. How to cultivate the holy ground:
· Keep the Door Open to Innovation.
· Admit everything is not okay.
· Restore the supernatural.
· Commit to spiritual awakening.
· Review Your Ministry.
· Resist Cultural Intimidation.

Partnership with the Father of lights makes the adventure of ministry a success. Do not allow the
challenges, frustrations and the difficulties of your ground lead you to rethink of leaving if it is not the
plan of God. Your attitude towards ministry can help you replenish, refire, rekindle your ministry in a
great way. Genuine fulfilment is rooted in knowing what ministry is and then doing it energetically and
creatively. You know better than anyone else when your ministry is vibrant and satisfying. You know
what pleases God. This is what matters most in measuring meaning in ministry. Fulfilment is an inside
and intentional job. Sometimes it may not be given from outside but is generated from within.

3. Discover your ministry placement early enough and work on being your best. Remember
that you grow where God has planted you. One reality is obvious: God wants every ministry to
bloom, to bear magnificent fruit and to have strong roots. He wants His people fed and loved in
every place. He does not, however, expect each pastor to look alike, to grow at the same rate, or to
have the same impact. That is why He planted us where we are.

4. Maximize Today. Live in the Present Fully. Some of the most productive expressions of
ministry in the Church's long pilgrimage of faith should be happening today. Do what must be done
today because it will certainly influence the future of the ministry.
God wants pastors to make the gospel real in contemporary life. This is the precise reason why a
pastor cannot pitch his tent in the past, misuse the present, or resist the future.

5. Be energized by a dream. Dreams are the raw materials of adventure and achievement. They stir
people's blood and make them believe that they can move mountains. Nearly every advance in
Christian history began as someone's dream. A pastor never achieves more than his dreams. God
stands ready to inspire your dream and help you make the dream come true. Everyone gains when a
pastor revitalizes his dreams. The pastor gains. His family gains. His church gains. His world gains.
God always has a plan for every community if He finds a person to fulfil it. The Lord of the Church
stands ready to transform the dreams He gave you for His Church into reality. The challenge is to
dream God's new dream for your setting. Every place has possibilities from God's point of view.
Take hope from Paul, the dreamer, who broke into ecstasies of praise when he recalled how God
turned his dreams into spectacular accomplishments.

6. Maintain your Credibility and Trust at all Times.

Credibility is not everything in ministry, but little can be accomplished without it.
It is developed and maintained by doing the right thing for the right reason over and over. It means
keeping our word and being true to our values.
It is the place in which promise—what we say we will do— and performance—what we actually do
—meet. It means telling the truth and being what we claim to be. Credibility comes from being the
best Christian we can be.
Credibility has to do with who we are on the inside.
Although Ralph Waldo Emerson may not have been thinking about pastors when he wrote the
17
Ibid.

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following, his insight nails this issue for us: “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny
matters compared to what lies within us.”
Credibility takes years to build and can be diluted or even destroyed in a moment.
And it is under constant scrutiny every day by almost everyone we meet.
Mark Twain helps us understand how credibility works when he advises, “Always do right. This
will gratify some people and astonish the rest.”
Credibility has four close cousins in the dictionary and in life, especially in ministry: integrity,
authenticity, temptation and accountability.
Integrity has to do with motives—why we do what we do. It comes from an attitude and
commitment of steadfast adherence to a high ethical standard or code. For a pastor, it is being who
we say we are when no one is looking.

It has a spin-off benefit of giving us moral authority so we can ask followers for any sacrifice
because they know we have been there before them or are willing to go with them now.

Authenticity has to do with genuineness. Like an authentic painting, it's the real thing—not a copy,
imitation or counterfeit. Applied to a pastor, it means we practice what we preach.

It allows no duplicity, no play- acting and no double speak.

Temptation means having our credibility put to the test in the details of living and serving. For the
pastor, temptation most often arises in areas such as power, money and sex. Martin Luther believed
three things were necessary to create an effective minister: prayer, meditation and temptation. Help
for overcoming temptation can be found in the biblical account of Jesus' temptation in the
wilderness (see Matt. 4:1–11).

Accountability is the necessity and willingness to open the details of your life and ministry to
someone whom you can trust and to someone whom you have given the right to ask you questions
about the three big M's—your motives, your ministry and your marriage.

Accountability is also sometimes written into reporting and formal evaluations systems.

How to remain credible:

1. Keep the resistance up. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
2. Develop a code of integrity and live by it. This will act as safeguards for you.
3. Strive for Balance. Burnout makes one vulnerable to moral lapses. (family, personal soul
care, work commitments)
4. Shift priorities.
5. Establish accountability partnerships.
6. Develop outside interests: things that do not relate with your work.
7. Consider not counselling members of the opposite sex alone
8. Don't fool yourself into thinking you are too strong to be tempted.

Reflective Thought Question

Think of various reasons why pastors fail to remain credible in the ministry and list down at least 5.

What steps can be taken to ensure that these reasons are dealt with to ensure fruitful ministry?

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Notes:-

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 Lesson 4
The Pastor's World
Lesson Objectives
By the end of this lesson, the student will be able to:
1. Appreciate the role of various levels of development needed in the pastor's world
and their role in pastoral ministry
2. Apply the principles proposed in this lesson for a successful ministry

A. INTRODUCTION
In this section, the focus is on the various levels of development that are needed to ensure
successful ministry for pastors. These include but not limited to:
· Spiritual Development
· Personal Development
· Character Development
· Ministry Development
· Psychosocial Development

1. Spiritual Development
A pastor should be committed to his own spiritual development so that he does not get to levels of
spiritual dryness.

Raw materials for spiritual development:

a. Try Maximizing the Opportunities for Spiritual Fitness. Remember 1) Spiritual development does not
come by osmosis—it must be intentional; (2) being near the fire is not the same as being on fire; and (3)
it is possible to become overly familiar with the sublime provisions God has provided us.

b. Get acquainted with the Saints of old. They had several things in common: They passionately
sought the Lord. They discovered a gracious God. They took Scripture seriously. Jesus was alive in
their experience. They practiced discipline, at the heart of which was prayer. They were convinced
that obedience was essential for their life and growth. They sought not ecstasy, but surrender of
their will to the Lord. They were thirsty for holiness. They lived not for themselves, but for God
and for others. They knew joy and peace that transcended all circumstances. What a standard those
characteristics provide for a pastor to use as a guide for growing a great soul.

c. Make Ministry More Than a Profession. A balance is needed between call and competency,
professionalism and character.

d. Retain Freshness. A pastor's spiritual fitness requires fresh encounters with God in traditional
faith-formation exercises of prayer, Scripture reading, fasting, devotional reading, soul friendships
and centering on Christ. Freshness may be more important than frequency. Eugene H. Peterson, a
long-time pastor and an insightful eyewitness of present-day ministry, shares this perceptive
observation: “Three pastoral acts—praying, reading Scripture and giving spiritual direction—are so
basic, so critical, that they determine the shape of everything else in ministry. Besides being basic,
these three acts are quiet and done mostly out of the spotlight of public ministry. Because they do
not call attention to themselves, they are so often neglected.

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Nurturing Potential, Building Character
E .Cultivate a God-Permeated Life.
Spiritual formation means getting together often with God. To use teenage language, we hang out
with Him. This God-closeness, like falling in love, creates attentiveness, togetherness and warmth.
This deepening intimacy with God opens our eyes to see amazing mysteries of grace and provides
fulfilment throughout a lifetime of ministry.
2. Personal Development
Among other areas of personal development, shepherding his family is a key issue that pastors need
to address.It is possible for a pastor to be so committed to the ministry till his family su ffers.
Why do Pastors neglect their families?
· Permission from Spouse.
· The Demand for Approval.
· The Demand for Appearance in every place
· The Demand to be successful.
· The Demands of Significance.
· The Demands of Expectation.
· The Demands of Friendship.

All of the demands we have considered exert a powerful pull on the hearts and minds of a pastor
and his wife. The temptation to follow these demands can deceive us into making decisions that
will negatively affect our families. But these demands, although powerful and consuming, are not
the real enemy. In many cases, they are legitimate desires for good things — a need for love,
friendship, and significance. These desires are not really the problem. The problem stems not from
the demands a pastor faces but from the way he and his wife choose to respond to those demands.
A pastor's heart is no different from any other heart. A pastor's neglect of his family cannot simply
be blamed on the pressures, demands, and unrealistic expectations that have been placed on him. In
the end, the struggle he faces — and the neglect of the family — has one root cause: a sinful heart.
The reason a pastor disobeys the direct commands of Scripture to care for his family and excuses
his disobedience is his sinful desire. Rather than trusting God in obedience, believing that God will
meet his needs, he tries to meet his own needs for acceptance, significance, approval, and
friendship. This is a pattern deeply rooted in his heart.

The pastor's wife18

Many women do not feel ready to be a partner in ministry with their husbands. Nearly every pastors'
wives' survey shows they do not feel prepared for their role nor do they understand their husband's
concepts of ministry. Understandably, since they have no frame of reference, they wonder why he takes
his work so seriously and why it takes so much energy and time. The point then is for every couple to
find effective ways to reach a happy agreement on what ministry is. A common understanding of the
requirements of time, commitment, obedience and spiritual ripening are needed. Building such an
awareness helps a couple see ministry for what it is—tough, rewarding, demanding, thrilling work 19.

Segun Olumide (2014) gives several ideas about the person and the role of the pastor's wife:
SHE SHOULD NEVER BE APPOINTED OR ORDAINED INTO THE FIVE- FOLD
MINISTRY (AS AN APOSTLE, PROPHET, EVANGELIST, PASTOR OR TEACHER)
UNLESS SHE HAS SUCH A SPECIFIC CALL.

18
In a case where we are dealing with a husband instead of the wife, you can just interchange the words. We have only used the
wife following the dominant cases in our context. more men than women are in the ministry in our context.
19
H.B.London and Neil B.Wiseman. Married to a Pastor. p.50(Scribd)

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Nurturing Potential, Building Character
Sometimes God can call both husband and wife to be pastors, but a lot of times, a pastor simply
imposes his wife helplessly on the congregation because he sees it as a family a ffair. Every pastor's
wife should be herself. Somebody said, “If you want to be someone really special; be yourself!”

SHE SHOULD COVER HER HUSBAND (THE PASTOR) IN CONTINUED EFFECTIVE

PRAYER. Every pastor's wife must be praying fervent for her husband day and night. She should
set days aside to fast for him. She should remember sinners and other saints, especially the church
members in her prayer and fasting. Sadly, some pastors' wives are good at gossiping about their
husbands who are pastors and about the church members at large, but poor at prayer and fasting.
When they know the weaknesses of their husbands, instead of crying out to God to turn those
weaknesses to strengths, they use them to condemn, abuse and discourage the men for whom God
appointed them to be help- mates (Gen 2:18).

SHE SHOULD BE A MODEL OR EXAMPLE OF HOLY LIVING TO ALL WOMEN AS WELL

AS ALL GIRLS IN THE CIRCLE OF HER INFLUENCE. The Bible says, "...but be an example
(pattern) for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity " (1 Tim 4:12, AMP). For
instance, if a pastor's wife gets angry easily or gossips about church members, then that will not only hinder
her husband's pastoral ministry but also infect or pollute other church members with the spirit of anger or
gossip. Yes. It is so easy for them, especially the women to catch the spirit of their pastor's wife.

HER MODE OF DRESS AND ADORNMENT WILL SET A STANDARD FOR OTHER
WOMEN AND EVEN THE GIRLS UNDER HER HUSBAND'S PASTORATE. The rest of
the ladies in the church will take after her example.

SHE SHOULD PROTECT HER MATRIMONIAL HOME FROM LADIES OR WOMEN

FROM WITHIN OR OUTSIDE THE LOCAL CHURCH. Women in church should be
encouraged to see the pastor in the church o ffice or premises, and not in his matrimonial home.
Some of them may need to see the women leader or co-ordinator if she can handle their cases.

SHE SHOULD MINISTER TO HER HUSBAND SPIRITUALLY, EMOTIONALLY,

SEXUALLY, NUTRITIONALLY, MATERIALLY, AND SO ON. A good wife should not starve
her husband in any way. Thank God sex is a gift from God to humanity to be practised only in marriage
for our protection.

SHE SHOULD BE ALLOWED AND RELEASED TO FUNCTION MAXIMALLY IN THE

AREA OF HER GIFT. She must be encouraged and released to fulfil her ministry both within the
local church and outside.

SHE SHOULD BE A LEADER OR SUPPORTER OF THE WOMEN'S GROUP. Not all

pastors' wives can take the leading position in the church women's group. Some can, but others will
have to assume a supportive role.
Other responsibilities:
-make the home comfortable.
-cherish the noble cause he loves.
-watch his energies.
-learn to be contented.
-give your husband permission to be himself.
-make peace with what you cannot change.
-strive for family stability.
-refuse to be a peace breaker.

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The pastor's kids (PKs)
Every child faces challenges in his or her upbringing. But there is uniqueness to the challenges PKs
face. The life of a PK is complex, occasionally messy, often frustrating, and sometimes downright
maddening. It can be a curse and a bane. But being a PK can also be a profound blessing and provide
wonderful grounding for a godly life. Often the greatest challenges are the greatest grounding and the
biggest falls are the best blessings. “There are expectations that not only are pastors above sin and live
holy lives but their children should as well.” PKs are expected to have great relationship with God and
parents, be experts in bible knowledge etc. They are never allowed to be themselves or be like other
children. This kind of multiple standard causes PKs to focus on the wrong things.
The notion of shepherding one's own children individually is a foreign concept to many Christians,
including pastors. Every pastor needs to take seriously his responsibility to disciple person- ally
each one of his children individually. The task of shepherding your children falls into the mix of
other demands in life. When children are neglected, feelings of resentment and bitterness can
develop in their hearts. They may begin to resent people in the church and may even transfer some
of that resentment to God.
Five Simple ways:
Here are five simple ways a pastor can begin to establish in his household these deliberate
structures that will help him to care spiritually for his children:

a. Shepherd individually. The single most significant task you'll face as a father is not leading
family worship; it's meeting one-on-one with each of your children to read God's Word, engage
their hearts, and pray together. Make sure you are instructing and interacting with your child in
some way — just the two of you — and you will begin to see with greater depth into their lives and
hearts. You will learn things about them that you never knew.

b. Shepherd biblically. Instruct and discipline your children, using God's Word.

c. Shepherd theologically. Adults notoriously underestimate the ability of children to understand

deep theological truths about God and the gospel, and pastors are just as guilty of doing this as
anyone. Children can and should learn theological truth, even at a young age. Obviously, we need
to instruct them at a level that matches their ability to understand. But don't assume that children
can't learn and remember theological truths.

d.Shepherd prayerfully. Part of our individual instruction for our children in the Lord has to do with
how to approach God in prayer. We should pray for our children.
We should pray with our children. We should pray for wisdom as we instruct our children. We
should pray with our children after we discipline them. We should pray for our children with the
whole family. We should pray for others with our children.

e. Shepherd sacrificially. Pastors are busy, and they face many demands on their time. You may miss your
favourite television show or sports event; you may have to give up the time to read that book you're looking
forward to digesting. Prepare yourself, as you commit to this, to lose some of your current “benefits.” Still,
the sacrifice in this short season of life when your children are living in your home is well worth the loss of
time. Not only that, but the task of shepherding your children is a key part of your calling as a pastor (1
Timothy 3:4 – 5) and can even be the means the Lord uses to help your family grow deeper in their love for
God and his church instead of becoming disenchanted and bitter.

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Nurturing Potential, Building Character
3. Character Development.
Stephen Olford said, “God is far more concerned with who we are than what we do. If who we are
doesn't satisfy His holy demands, then what we do is virtually worthless.” 20 The focus should not be so
much on methodology in ministry, but on character that is unchanging and based on the Word of God.
If good character is not present, good methodology is worthless. Pastors are to lead by character
primarily and not by programs. Character is lacking in the twenty-first century as evidenced by a
number of high profile pastors who have fallen and others who have been involved in questionable
ethical situations. Tremendous character deficits lead to cynicism toward pastors, and ultimately toward
the churches they serve. The study of the pastor's character includes specific areas. These include his
personal prayer and devotional life, study habits, private actions, family habits, and public actions and
persona. Each of these is a reflection of who the pastor is, and what is important to his overall ministry.

4. Ministry Development: Abandoning Average21

The average pastor has a declining church, personal frustrations and strained relationship with
family and friends. God has called you to more than mediocrity. He has called you to look to Him,
to work as unto Him, to reflect His excellence, and to demonstrate His glory in a way that draws
people in. You carry the awesome responsibility of introducing people to the Savior and discipling
them to be more like Him. When it comes to that task, average doesn't cut it. Average doesn't lead
to life change. Average is where the enemy wants you to live, because it is the pre cursor of
ineffectiveness—but average is exactly what God is calling you to abandon.
There are seven commitments that must be made to abandon average:
Commitment One—Follow Your Lord.
Commitment Two—Love Your Family.
Commitment Three—Fulfill Your Calling.
Commitment Four—Manage Your Time
Commitment Five—Shepherd Your Flock.
Commitment Six—Maximize Your Church.
Commitment Seven—Expand God's Kingdom.

4. Leadership development
One of the key areas that the pastor should develop as a leader has to do with healing from and
preventing personal attacks. He should be able to survive the onslaught of clergy killers.
a. Clergy killers are laypersons who have serious mental or emotional problems and who feel
an inner hostility toward clergy-persons.

b. These clergy abusers have one major objective in their role in the church—to abuse or hurt
ministers to the degree that they will leave the ministry.

c. These are not normal people, average complainers, critics, and typical dissidents who are
generally unhappy about life itself. Generally there are very few of them, one or two in an
average congregation, but they are deadly and have a knack for gathering a following of
ordinary folk with common complaints and disagreements in the church.

d. They can easily create the illusion that there are hordes of people against the pastor. They
use they in their comments: “They are very unhappy about . . .” Or sometimes they talk of
illusive people: “People are saying that . . .” These are verbal instruments in the arsenal
they use to destroy a minister.
20
Stephen F. Olford, “The Leadership of Christ,” in Giving God the Glory, ed. by David Porter
(Bromley, Kent, England: STL Books, 1985), 32. (as in Polk).
21
Nelson Searcy, The Renegade Pastor: Abandoning average in your life and ministry. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker, 2013), 6-209.

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e. This term is not used to refer to anyone who disagrees with the pastor but is used to identify
persons who have a very mean-spirited disposition toward ministers in general and who
intentionally target ministers for termination. Rediger 22 identifies seven characteristics of
these vicious people:
· They are destructive.
· Clergy killers are determined.
· These persons are deceitful.
· Clergy killers are demonic.
· Denial on their presence by the church leaves clergy killers unrestrained.
· Clergy killers are masters of intimidation.
· Clergy killers are experts of disguise.

How does such evil penetrate a church?

If evil is so terrible, how does it penetrate the structure and life of a church, of all places? The
church is the people of God, the household of faith, the body of Christ, the communion of the Holy
Spirit. Is evil stronger than God and his people? How can Satan get inside a church and cause so
much trouble? Let's look at several answers to these questions.

1. Naïveté of Church People It seems that, unfortunately, most church folk are extremely naive
about the nature of evil in the world today.

2. Preoccupied with Maintenance. When a church is more concerned with its internal
operations, with “maintenance” of the organization, than it is with ministry, it becomes
vulnerable to attempts at internal political control of the organization. When a church is
focused on taking care of itself, paying off its mortgage, paying its bills, and saving money,
and shows little interest in outreach, evangelism, ministry, and missions, it is often headed
for trouble. Churches that are more committed to winning new converts and discipling them
in the faith than to questions of “Who's in charge here?” have their priorities in order and
will be less vulnerable to Satan's attacks. Outreach, evangelism, ministry, and missions will
keep a congregation on its knees in prayer (which always frightens Satan away). Satan can
more easily invade a church that is consumed with secondary matters.

3. Elevating Administration. Evil can better penetrate a church when its leaders have
developed an administrative philosophy rather than a ministry role. Administration is a
necessary part of directing a church's life, but administration must always be a means and
never an end. When deacons and other lay leaders see themselves primarily as
administrators, then control is likely to be more important than ministry. When deacons
emphasize that they are a “board” (not a biblical concept), or when elders call themselves
“ruling elders,” watch out. Control will become the primary issue.

4. A philosophy of appeasement. When the good, prayerful, dedicated, loving lay leaders are
afraid of conflict in the church and have no stomach for challenging those who are using
secular political methods to run the church, they will choose a philosophy of appeasement
rather than reasonable confrontation. Evil will then take advantage of what appears to be an
open door to take over and control the church.

22
The Wounded Minister p.32 on https://www.scribd.com/read/235014722/The-Wounded-Minister-Healing-from-and-Preventing-
Personal-Attacks

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Nurturing Potential, Building Character
Collateral damage
When a minister is under attack by mean-spirited people, he will not be the only one hurt. When
antagonists seek to destroy a minister's life and career, the attack is like throwing a hand grenade:
Several persons and relationships will be damaged if not destroyed. This can be called collateral
damage.

The collateral damage is inflicted on a minister's marriage, children, health, peace of mind, faith,
retirement, and idealism when viciously at- tacked by pathological antagonists and clergy killers.
Human beings are much more than isolated individuals. They are part of a social system or network
of relationships, beliefs, behaviors, and aspirations, including both physiological and psychological
realities. When angry, power-hungry people in a church criticize, attack, or vilify a minister for
reasons that cannot be substantiated with hard evidence, especially if there is no evidence of any
immoral behavior or theological error, a whole host of persons and much of a minister's life and
career are affected, often in a deleterious manner.

How to protect ministers from attack.

I. Develop a culture of protection in the church's organisational structure.

II. Follow conflict resolution procedures set out in the Bible and in the church constitution.
III. Develop a culture of healthy confrontation.
IV. Choose team leaders wisely.
V. Remain committed to the main mission of the church rather than maintenance.
VI. Do not give chance to clergy killers to manifest their evil.
VII. If need be, trouble makers may be excommunicated from the church.
VIII. Ministers should be encouraged to be above board in matters of character.

5. Psychosocial Development: Strategic Pastoral Counselling23

There is need for integration of psychotherapy and pastoral counselling in helping people. Each of
them is unique in its own ways. The pastor should develop himself in both fields but never lose the
unique aspects of pastoral counseling.

The uniqueness of pastoral counseling.

Even though pastoral counseling manifests the characteristics of psychotherapy, it has certain levels
of uniqueness:
The training of the pastoral counsellor. This is distinctive because it provides pastoral counselors
with a spiritual perspective on persons and their problems. Ministers are the only counseling
professionals who routinely have training in systematic theology, biblical studies, ethics, and
church history, and this framework of understanding gives pastoral counselors an invaluable
perspective on those seeking their help. What a shame, therefore, when ministers abandon this
perspective for a psychological one, judging the latter to be superior or more prestigious. Christian
psychotherapists may, with the help of theological reading and reflection, bring their understanding
of persons into line with a Christian view, but the clinical filters through which they see people
make their perspective different from that of pastors. The training of pastors provides them with a
unique and vitally important perspective. It equips them to see people spiritually, that is, in the light
of their relationship with God and their response to this relationship.

The role of the pastoral counsellor. Pastors are also unique among counselors because of their social

23
David G.Benner. Strategic Pastoral Counseling: A Short Term Structured Model. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House,
2003). Scribd.

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and symbolic roles. They are religious authority figures and, like it or not, symbolically represent
religious values and beliefs. People approach pastors, therefore, with di fferent expectations than
those associated with other helping professionals. They expect pastors to represent Christian values,
beliefs, and commitments and to “bring Christian meaning to bear on human problems” (Clebsch
and Jaekle 1964, 4–5).

The context of pastoral counselling. Closely related to the role expectations associated with being a
minister of the Christian church are the symbolic associations related to the context of pastoral
counseling, that is, the church. Hiltner and Colston studied the process of counseling in di fferent
contexts and discovered that, other things being equal, counseling proceeded faster in a church
context (Hiltner and Colston 1961). They concluded that the reason for this was that the symbols
and expectations associated with the church made it immediately clear where the pastoral counselor
stood on important value matters. The counselee, therefore, needed less time to get to know the
counselor's values. Other common associations related to the church, such as it being a place of
quiet or safety or where one meets God, also serve to facilitate the counseling conducted within a
church context. But of even more value is the fact that the church is not merely a building but a
community of faith. Ideally, a minister counsels within a setting of established, trusting, caring
relationships, and no other helping profession has a comparable community resource.

The goals of pastoral counselling. The main goal of pastoral counseling is the facilitation of spiritual
growth. Like other counselors, pastors seek to provide whatever help is possible for the problems that
are presented to them. But solving these problems is not their primary objective. Rather, their goal is to
help people under- stand their problems—and their lives—in the light of their relationship with God
and then to live more fully in the light of this understanding. In so doing, the pastoral counselor works
toward the alleviation of problems because, as St. Irenius reminds us, the glory of God is men and
women who are fully alive. But problems should never be the primary focus. The focus should be the
whole person as he or she lives out life before the face of God. The pastor's working premise is that
spiritual growth is both foundational to all human wholeness and related to all other aspects of
wholeness. There is no sphere of life that is not included within the spiritual. There is, therefore, no
sphere of life that is irrelevant to pastoral counseling.

The resources of pastoral counselling. Finally, pastoral counseling is unique in its use of religious
resources. Prayer, Scripture, the sacraments, anointing with oil, the laying on of hands, and
devotional or religious literature are all (depending on one's religious tradition) potential resources
for the counseling process. The failure to employ any of them suggests an erosion of the
distinctively pastoral aspects of one's counseling. We should note, however, that first and foremost
these religious resources are for a pastoral counselor's own life. Only if they are used meaningfully
in the personal life of the pastor can they be employed appropriately in counselling. There is a high
personal cost associated with the provision of counselling. Counselling a person who is confused,
hurting, angry, or fearful necessarily involves absorbing significant amounts of that person's
distress. I have elsewhere suggested that this absorption of the su ffering and disease of the one
seeking help mirrors in an imperfect way God's healing response to us in our sin (Benner 1983).

Reflective Thought Questions

1. What specific steps are you willing to take to ensure you shepherd your family?
2. Which are the most common character defects in your pastoral ministry context? What
plans do you have to insulate yourself from them?
3. Discuss other ways that could be used to heal and prevent wounding among pastors.
4. List down other areas you think makes pastoral counselling unique from other forms of
counselling.

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Notes:-

32
Nurturing Potential, Building Character
 Lesson 5
The Pastor's Work
Lesson Objective

The student should be able to understand, appreciate and apply the various roles of a pastor in their
pastoral placement.

A. INTRODUCTION
The job description for a pastor will differ from church to church. However there are universal roles
that we see in almost every pastoral task. These include but not limited to:

a. Communica ng the gospel

Paul told Timothy, “Preach the Word”. It is hence important for every pastor to prioritize his work
of communicating the gospel. Key in this task is the realization that we share Christ by first sharing
ourselves. As we interact with people and are engaged in relationships in various levels, we are
exposed to people who read our lives. As such, we cannot tell them to be who we are not. Proper
teaching of the word of God founded on proper hermeneutical and homiletical principles coupled
with the presence of God will produce what we call a passion-driven sermon which not only
maintains the listenership of the pew but also initiates the needed transformation in their lives. An
adequate preaching ministry is essential for the pastor to be faithful and fruitful in the ministry.

b. Church Leadership Administra on

Church Leadership and Administration for the pastor includes:
1. Oversight and leadership in the areas of mission (vision formulation and communication),
manpower (staff and volunteer leadership), ministries (programs), management of people,
finances and other resources.

2. “Equipping the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ”,
(Eph 4:12). Failure to effectively equip others will result in severe limitations on a pastor's
ministry. Equipping the saints leads to multiplication of the ministry and a greater degree of
faithfulness in a particular ministry location and beyond24.
3. Leading others in the journey of faith (Discipleship). For many churches today, follow up
has remained a very challenging issue. This is what is responsible for stagnation in many
churches. Pastors should not necessarily be geared towards creating converts but making
disciples. When Jesus commanded us to “make disciples,” He meant more than converts or
church members; He meant those who take up their cross daily and follow Him. It has taken
hundreds of years and thousands of theologians to diminish this simple fact.
4. Discerning and shaping your church's culture 25. Every one of us lives in a culture that shapes our
actions and inactions. To effectively minister to people in a culture, whether it's a church or
parachurch organization, we must understand culture in general and organizational culture in
particular. We should not import cultural forms of ministry which repel the circumstances in our
ministry setting. That is why a leader should discern the culture they are in. At times one may
adapt those cultural patterns, at other times one will abide by them while in other circumstances
we may lead the people in a process of shaping those cultural forms to coincide with Christian
24
Polk,26
25
Aubrey Malphurs (2013). Look before You Lead: How to Discern and Shape your Church's culture

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Nurturing Potential, Building Character
 perspectives or the trend that the ministry is taking in our context.

c. Church Ceremonies:
Every church organisation has a handbook of church ceremonies which gives guidelines on how to
perform various ceremonies according to the church's statement of faith. It is important for every pastor
to familiarise themselves with what is acceptable within their church organisation and abide by it.

d. Community Engagement.
The church should not ignore its host community. At best it should engage in issues that are of
interest to members of that community. Every pastor should also himself or herself: what sort of
community activities would endear us as a church to our host community? How can we be part of
the life of this community? Organisations like the NCCK in Kenya have come up with church
community mobilization program (CCMP) in order to create more awareness on this issue.
Churches that reach their host communities strive to entrench themselves in the community life.

e. Conflict Resolu}on: Peace Making.

Sometimes the pastor will be involved in arbitration between warring parties in the family,
interpersonal relationships, in the community and even in the country! The virtues of love and
forgiveness should permeate such attempts.

Reflective Thought Questions

1. What do you think are other responsibilities that the pastor should be engaged in?

2. To what extent is your church involved in the functions explained above?

3. What steps are you willing to take in order to ensure that the above functions are applies in
your pastoral placement?

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Notes:-

35
Nurturing Potential, Building Character
 Lesson 6
Trends, Challenges and Issues in Pastoral Ministry
Lesson Objective
By the end of this lesson, the student should be able to discover the various trends, challenges and
issues that are facing pastoral ministry and how to handle them e ffectively to shape the future of
pastoral ministry.

Introduction
Many issues and challenges are facing pastoral ministry today. These are just but a few. Your
context can uncover more. However, the key issue should be how we handle the issues and
challenges to help not hinder ministry.

1. The Tent Making Pastor: The Joy of Bivocational Ministry

Financial sustainability in the ministry is a key issue in our service to God. As the church seeks to
eventually become self-supporting, the pastor may be required to engage in bivocational ministry.
Whenever such an approach is taken, there is need for balance so that what one is involved in will
not get into the way of fruitful ministry. Bivocational ministry helps the pastor to serve his church
without financial strains especially when the church cannot support him/her fully.

2. The Challenges of Pastoral Ministry

The challenges of pastoral ministry can be seen since New Testament times. Studies reveal that an
alarming number of pastors leave the ministry each year. Those that remain in ministry often see
their families in turmoil as a result of the hardships of ministry. The Apostle Paul's ministry
challenges are detailed and described for today's pastor through the New Testament. Today's pastor
can learn a great deal from Paul's example in regard to how to finish the race of ministry 26.

The seven challenges pastors face:

There are so many challenges faced by pastors. They could be categorized in many ways such as
spiritual, economic, psychological, familial, relational, etc.
David Horner27 summarised the challenges that Pastors Face in seven points:

a. Juggling the Demands calling. Our calling will often be misunderstood, challenged, and even
attacked by those who see pastoral calling as a one-size-fits-all issue. The churches we serve will
have stated and unstated expectations about the particular calling they envision for their pastor.
Individuals within those churches will further complicate matters by adding their own
expectations to the mix and keep us, as pastors, off balance by their constant questions about
why we do not do what “pastors should do.” During such times, balance is needed.

b. Sharpening the focus of ministry. Since none of us is born with a fully formed vision for
ministry, the Lord does not expect us to know what it is as soon as we answer his call to serve
him as pastors. Sometimes a clear focus develops as we go through various training periods.
Ministry without vision is tantamount to running with our eyes closed. As the shepherd of the
flock charged with leading your congregation, you have been placed by God in a position of
strategic importance. Without leadership, the status quo becomes the vision. Therefore,
26
Carl Jason Taylor. An examination of key foundational elements for pastoral identity as found in the life and writings of the apostle
Paul. (Viginia: Liberty University, 2011) p.iii
27
David Horner 2008. A Practical Guide for life and Ministry: Overcoming the seven challenges that pastors face. (Grand Rapids,
Michigan: David Cook), 1ff.

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 developing a vision falls to the pastor and his or her leadership team in order for the church
to make progress in its calling to be made complete in Christ (Col. 1:28).

c. Gaining Balance by Building Teams. There is strength in numbers. When we are joined by
like-minded people, we find much-needed strength when others put their backs to the load,
much-needed encouragement when we fall down, and much-needed security when
threatened by outside forces. Team ministry is more e ffective than solitary pursuit of selfish
ambition.(Ecclesiastes 4:1-2). Having help brings strength to any aspect of the ministry God
has given you. God calls you to accept his co- workers with a grateful heart, knowing that he
has prepared them for the work of ministry just as surely as he has prepared you. Team
ministry means you never have to be alone in the work of the Lord. When you work alone
you wear yourself out, you wear others out and you restrict the growth of the ministry. (See
Exodus18; Ephesians 4:15-16).

d. Cultivating Genuine Humility. Without humility before the Lord, it is impossible to keep
your spiritual life in balance. Since the Lord has established that we must walk humbly in his
presence, we lose his steadying hand when our pride and ego assert themselves. We have to
remember that God does not suggest that we be humble. Instead, God commands us to take
action and humble ourselves. Two passages in the New Testament issue this exhortation:
“Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper
time,” and “Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you” (1 Peter
5:6; James 4:10). Humility is an attitude without substitute.
e. Learning to grow through your troubles. The trouble we can get into when we make mistakes
and then refuse to learn from them cannot be exaggerated. What a di fferent world it is when we
seize those moments and decide that we are going to learn something for a change! God wants to
take our failures and teach us not only how to correct them, but also how to avoid them the next
time we face that situation. Life is richer because of what we learn through our troubles. There
are many benefits to be gained after we fail when we open ourselves up to the things God wants
to teach us when we are humble enough to listen and learn. Repeating the same mistake over and
over again suggests either that you do not care or that you do not get it. If that has been your
experience, welcome to the human race! However, we cannot excuse ourselves from God's call
to spiritual maturity. If you do not care that you are repeating the same mistakes, then you have a
bigger problem than just making repetitive errors. A heart that longs to grow in Christ cares
about such things. But if you cannot figure out what you are doing wrong, then again, get some
assistance from a group of discerning, wise consultants, counselors, mentors, or other friends.
Let them hold you accountable until you reach some conclusions and demonstrate that you have
a grasp of the problems and have some viable solutions.

f. Facing the Inevitability of Change. In regards to change, Most of us fall into one of three
categories: those who resist change, those who love change, and those who are willing to
change. To function effectively as an agent for change in your ministry, you need to know
the landscape of pastoral ministry well and prepare for the times and places you are most
likely to run into the need for change. This may be personal or institutional change.
Discerning when transitions are ripe is very important. How can you distinguish between a
genuine need for change and an unhealthy desire to escape from your current situation?
Unfortunately, there is no objective formula. However, the Lord has ways to communicate
his will, especially if we long to know what it is and he can trust us to do what he tells us.
Three signs can be serious indicators that change will be needed:

a. A growing sense of discontentment. This may be noted by a deep hunger to do more for

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 God that is not being satisfied by your current placement, awareness that your
current situation has become a bad fit for your calling, gifts, and strengths. Either the
people or the circumstances have made your ministry unnecessarily di fficult, and
you find yourself swimming against the current over and over again. Sometimes the
Lord has to blast us out of our complacency to get us to listen to what he wants to
say. If we remain comfortable and settled, we may not be willing to uproot our
family and our security in a place of ministry we know for one that is unknown.
Consequently, we may find that he stirs our hearts to lose our sense of contentment
in one place to prepare us for his plans to move us to another location. At any rate,
whenever you find that you are becoming discontent in your ministry, you need to
pay attention and not brush it aside as inconsequential.
b. A fresh clarity of Insight. Another means that God may use to instigate a change in your
life or ministry is the introduction of new in- sights to your heart and mind. Through a
variety of means, God can bring you to a new level of expectation and a new aspiration
for your ministry or your life. He may use someone else's teaching or writing to awaken
a fresh passion for a ministry area that you had never known before. Or he could take a
series of unrelated events in which different speakers addressing di fferent topics hit on a
common theme, which causes you to reconsider what you are doing. This could then be
con- firmed by your own reading and studying over a period of time. You may conclude
that this new insight from the Lord was not just for the sake of giving you new
information, but for planting a new desire within you. Your prayer life may also be the
platform the Lord uses. Who knows which form or from which direction the insight
might come? But before you are ready to change course, you will need clear insight from
the Lord that the transition you are about to make is his idea and not yours.
c. A providential opportunity. When the Lord wants you to change, he could show you
by dropping the opportunity to do something about it in your lap. Through absolutely
no initiative on your part, a possibility to make a change may appear. In itself, that
does not mean that you must make that change. But it does force you to review your
calling, your vision for ministry, and your current circumstances. Many factors could
combine with the new opportunity to cause you to conclude that the Lord is leading
you toward some kind of change.

g. Combating Spiritual Dryness. This is a period of spiritual dehydration. There are signs that
indicate that one is suffering from spiritual dryness:
· We have Loss of the real sense of his presence in our lives.
· We experience great weakness and feel powerless, impotent to face the daily routines
and challenges of walking with Christ (much less leading a congregation).
· Our perspective on life leaves out God's point of view and forgets his sovereign design.
· We become cynical, moody, critical, condescending toward others, demanding, even
hardened in temperament.
· We lose God's peace and contentment and become anxious and restless more readily.
· We neglect or reduce our time with God.
· Our thinking becomes muddled, our priorities confused, and our values inverted.
· We have no room left in our lives, because we are using up every available moment
and have drained every possible resource, leaving ourselves with no margins to
absorb the unexpected.
· We fall prey to sin and temptation more easily than normal and find ourselves
vulnerable to enticements that otherwise would have no appeal.
These nine symptoms of spiritual dryness do not necessarily show up all at once. But when they do
appear in your spiritual life, they serve as a warning that drought is imminent and measures must be
taken to return and be refreshed. The normal Christian life consists of being like a “tree firmly planted
by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither, and in whatever he

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does, he prospers” (Ps. 1:3). As Jesus described it, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and
drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of
living water' ” (John 7:37–38).
The conclusion? If you are like most people in ministry, you will find yourself like a deer panting
for water at some time in your life, your soul thirsting for God (Ps. 42:1–2). When the symptoms
begin to appear, be ready to come to him and drink!
FACTORS CONTRIBUTING SPIRITUAL DRYNESS
i. Someone or something “turned up the heat.”
ii. The purity and holiness of your walk with Christ has been stained by sin. .
iii.You have placed a limit on your willingness to serve and established a plateau on your growth in
your relationship with Christ.
iv. Preparation for public ministry serves as a substitute for personal spiritual growth.
v. Sound doctrine and orthodox biblical theology have satisfied the appetite of your mind but never
penetrated the hunger in your heart to know, love, and serve God. .
vi. A broken relationship has not been reconciled, and the weeds of bitterness and unforgiveness
have choked out your spiritual vitality.

COMING OUT OF SPIRITUAL DRYNESS

1. When you recognize the symptoms of spiritual dryness, do not postpone treatment, but begin
immediately to develop a plan of action.
2. Dangerous circumstances call for drastic measures. Your plan of action needs to include a
break from the routine.

3. Refocus your time on reading and studying God's Word.

4. Any one of the factors contributing to your spiritual dryness will need its own remedy, so
respond appropriately as you recognize how each parching element influences your life.
5. Read or reread a favorite author who has stirred your heart in the past and prompted you to
long for more of Christ.
6. Revise or reinstate the way you spend time alone with the Lord.
7. Share your struggle with someone who will pray for you and hold you accountable to see
you through to the fountain again.
8. Remember that as you seek Christ, he has promised and assured you that he is seeking you!

3. The sacred wilderness of pastoral ministry

At times pastoral ministry gets into a sort of wilderness in which we are unable to explain its
happenings. We begin to minister without a safety net and without all the answers. At this time it is
important for one to survive the risks involved so that they can prevent ministry failure. Great
ministers do not just happen. Great falls from ministry do not just happen either. Several foundation
stones are useful in this regard as discussed by Wilson and Ho ffman 28: Intimacy with God, the
certainty of our calling, stress and burnout management, creating necessary boundaries, refuelling
and reenergising as need be, proper people management, and sound leadership skills. Stated
differently, lack of the above key foundation stones could be called ministry killers. For one to
embrace effective ministry and stay resilient no matter what, these are very important skills to
have29. It is also recommended that covenant friendships be identified in order to help one to be
surrounded by destiny helpers and accountability partners with whom they can travel the journey.

28
Michael Todd Wilson and Brad Hoffman (2013). Preventing Ministry Failure: A shepherd care guide for pastors, ministers
and other care givers. (Downers Grove:IVP).
29
For detailed discussion of these skills, refer to Wilson and Hoffman (2013) already referenced

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 4. Current trends in pastoral ministry: Feeding or Fleecing the Flock?
The hypocrisy and extortion from some shepherds of the church have gone on far too long. These
shepherds were given the precious job of protecting, guiding, and nurturing God's people while they are
on their pilgrimage between heaven and earth. But instead they abuse that power by preaching the word
sparsely and vaguely, thereby, leaving the sheep exposed to the elements without a shield of protection.
The ministers jump from book to book without purpose or direction so that the people cannot follow, not
even explaining the verses with any semblance of understanding. The poor flock goes out more lost and
dismayed than when it entered. The pastor's main goal these days seem to be fleecing the flock for all it
is worth. The ministers take and take and take, until the sheep are left skinny and naked, not strong
enough to withstand the people of the world, much less the schemes of the devil30.

The Bible speaks against such ministries (Ezekiel 34:2-10).God uses the prophet Ezekiel to describe
these shepherds as those that eat the very best and ensure they have clothing, yet those sheep that do
eat, they kill off and starve the rest. They do nothing for those that have a fflictions and did not help
make them to be strong in the Lord. Do these sound familiar?
We need Ministry models that will challenge the existing ones.

5. Ministry Models
Modern Models. The ministry of the modern pastor is multi-faceted. In the words of Richard S. Taylor,
the “concept of success must be expanded to cover the whole gamut of the modern pastors' functions.
He is not only a preacher and a teacher, not only a liturgist, but he is the legal head of a corporation. As
such he is a planner, promoter, organizer, manager, advertiser, delegator, supervisor, and diplomat.
Success in the pastoral ministry requires some degree of skill in every function 31.

Unbiblical Models. Marva Dawn and Eugene Peterson described their angst in reading
congregational descriptions of what churches desire in a pastor today: “With hardly an exception
they don't want pastors at all -- they want managers of their religious company.
They want a pastor they can follow so they won't have to bother with following Jesus anymore.” 32
The pastoral role is now commonly viewed from a corporate perspective. The business model seems
to have taken pre-eminence over the biblical model. In the words of John W. Frye, “Jesus is shoved
into our shadows as we read our management books, do our cultural surveys, attend our leadership
seminars, and applaud or criticize one another's endeavours.”33

Biblical Model34. The biblically compelling model for pastoral ministry is a model that transcends
time and culture. The model found most prominently in the Bible is that of shepherding. The Old
and the New Testament contains indications on shepherding as principle in leading God's People
(Gen.4:2;12:16; 30:31; Exodus 3:1; 2 Sam.5:2; Jer.23:1-4;Ezekiel 34; Acts 20:28; Eph.5:25-27; 1
Peter 5:1-4).
The shepherd works more through the influence of example, rather than the application of power.
People follow a shepherd not because they have to, but because they want to. Sheep are not to be
driven, they are to be led. Many misguided pastors have caused damage to the churches they serve
because they have wielded their power in attempting to convince people to buy into their agenda,
rather than gently guiding people to the agenda of God for His church.
The authority of the shepherd comes from God. Shepherding is rooted in a love of God and a
genuine and sacrificial love for people. It is not founded in a desire to achieve prominence, power,
or prestige. The life of the pastor-shepherd is to be lived out in humble service before God with
great love for God and for His people.
30
David W.Voyles. (2009). A Shepherd's Trial: Feeding or Fleecing the Flock.
31
32
Richard S. Taylor, Principles of Pastoral Success (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1989), 19.(as in Polk).
33
Marva Dawn and Eugene Peterson, The Unnecessary Pastor (Grand Rapids,MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2000), 4. (as in Polk).
Frye, Jesus the Pastor, 18
34
Polk, The 21st Century Pastor, 19-24.

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God's leadership model for the Church is Jesus as the Chief Shepherd, the pastor of the local church
as the under shepherd, the Deacons as servants to the Body, and the Body carrying out the work of
the ministry. This is a timeless and sufficient model for the healthy functioning of God's Church.
The pastor should be careful to study what it means to follow the Chief Shepherd in order to lead
and equip others to do the work of the ministry. It is from this foundation of loving and following
Jesus that the pastor leads others.

6. The Future of Pastoral Ministry: Dynamics for a new century

As we look towards the future new ministry dynamics are needed. These include but not limited to:
1. The dynamics of church leadership: character and ministry will relate in a great way in the
formation of a successful ministry. Being for God will matter more than doing for God. The
core values of ministry will determine its distinctiveness, involvement, overall behaviour
and impact35.
2. The dynamics of preaching. In order to make impact, we must focus on preaching the whole
counsel of God while targeting the needs of the people with the transforming power of the
Holy Spirit. We need to preach to be understood. Preach to e ffect change. Preach depending
on God's message and power. Preach with imagination and to the occasion36.
3. The dynamics of pastoral care. Our shepherd model must still be practical and encouraging
even in light of the corporate approaches being encouraged in which the pastor is being seen
as a “CEO”37. The Biblical model should supersede all other models.
4. The dynamics of spiritual formation. Pastors and church leaders will need to use the normal
activities of church life to touch the innermost lives of their flock to initiate the much needed
spiritual maturity38.

Protecting the future: The pastors are at a greater risk today than ever before. Every pastor should
put structures that will enable them to survive the onslaught against their ministries.

Projecting the future: It is incumbent upon scholars in the area of pastoral ministry to project
trends that are going to shape ministry in the years to come and develop ministry models that will
address the challenges that are going to be presented by these trends.

Preserving the future: Lessons for successful ministry

The future will be preserved by imbibing the lessons learnt for successful ministry and considering
them when making ministry decisions and while initiating new models of ministry.

7. Conclusion:
It is my hope that this class was informational, formational and TRANSFORMATIONAL! If you
pastor effectively and impactfully, it was worth attending! If you do not (and God forbid!) it will be
unfortunate! I wish you well in your future pastoral placements!

Reflective Thought Questions

Of the issues discussed above, which ones bear a lot of weight in your ministry? What steps are you
willing to take to ensure that you deal with inconsistencies between the current nature of your
ministry and what is recommended as best practices in the matters discussed?

35
See Aubrey Malphurs. (2013). The Dynamics of Church Leadership. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books).
36
37
See Also Warren Wiersbe. (2011). The Dynamics of Preaching. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books).
38
See Also Warren Wiersbe. (2012). The Dynamics of Pastoral Care. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books).
See Also Mel Lawrenz The Dynamics of Spiritual Formation.

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Notes:-

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Notes:-

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Notes:-

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