1Timothy 3:1 | The Gift & Gravity of Pastors: The Call of a Pastor

Before we begin, I just want to say thank you for last weeks gift and kind words. I speak for both James and myself when I say that you are the gift. It is a joy being your pastor. Thank you for all the years of encouragement. For allowing me to be a pastor. It is a privilege. I am a blessed man.

Well today, we are going to be talking about pastors… The questions I am going to seek to answer this morning is

What exactly does the Bible teach about what a pastor is and does? Does the bible tell us? And does the answer to these questions even matter?

And the short of it is, God makes a big deal about this subject… thus, so to must we…

If someone were to ask you this morning what a pastor is and does, how would you respond?

I had one gentleman come up to me once, self admittedly hung over from the night before and told me that he wanted to do what I do… Taken back, all I knew to do in that moment was to encouraged him to come to church and stick around and who knows what the Lord would do. But the question that I wanted to ask him that I didn’t was, what exactly do you think it is that I do?

I remember in college when I sensed a call specifically to pastoral ministry, I pushed back and thought, “That sounds boring.” Not because I thought ministry was boring, but because my view of pastoral ministry in the local church sounded boring. I was all about going overseas… Doing inner city ministry… Being a youth or college minister… All of which I had participated in participated in prior to sensing this more specific call.

It reminds me of the time I was playing a video game with Isaac, and at the end of the round it shows the highlight reel of the best player, and anytime it was me, Isaac would yell out, “BORING.”

Well apparently he got that from me. Because that’s exactly what I said to the Spirit’s call to pastoral ministry.

So what exactly is a pastor according to the Scriptures? And lest you are tempted to think this message doesn’t apply to you, every word that proceeds from the mouth of God is profitable for us. And whether or not you are called to pastoral ministry, you are called to lead and point others to Christ, you are called to seek, support and be lead by pastoral leadership, and you are to acknowledge and encourage those who are considering pastoral ministry. Furthermore, you are to confront and avoid false teachers like we see in Ephesus…

So this message is for you, wherever you land.

Now since we are going to spend the next three sermons on this subject, before I pray, I want to run through 11 brief thoughts on pastoral ministry to help set us up for success for and potentially address some misconceptions that you might have about the subject.

A Christian does not need a pastor to hear from God… However, God uniquely uses pastors to speak to His people.

SGC BCO 2.1, “From their beginning, local churches have been governed and led by elders (Acts 14:23; 1 Tim. 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9). The elder is ordained in a church to lead, teach, care for, and protect that local church. The Bible refers interchangeably to this office as “elder,” “pastor” (or “shepherd”), and “overseer.”

A pastor’s work week consists of more than just Sundays. In fact, true pastoral ministry is far more than a flat 40-50 hour work week.

Pastors do not have automatic, unbridled, and unquestioning authority. Their authority extends only where God has articulated it in the word. Their authority is real but not ultimate. And pastors are under authority as well.

Biblical pastors are not out of touch with the real world.. In fact, they have a front row seat into real struggles, demonic activity, and their own unique temptations.

It is not easy being a pastor… The statistics should speak for themselves. Apparently, 80% of pastors will not be in ministry ten years later and only a fraction make it a lifelong career (1). On average, seminary trained pastors last only five years in church ministry (2). 100% of 1,050 Reformed and Evangelical pastors had a colleague who had left the ministry because of burnout, church conflict, or moral failure. (2) As an aside, by God’s grace both your pastors are going on 20 years of ministry (40 years total if you add ours together).

The church should not center on the pastor’s personality, the church is to be centered on Christ. In fact, a healthy church has or pursues a team of pastors rather than just one. This is the NT pattern. And this team of pastors has varying gifts, personalities and backgrounds.

This leads me to the next thought, and that is… Pastors need to be pastored too. They are sheep before they are shepherds. And Shepherds need pastors who care for them not just from people from afar. And God knows this so he blesses churches and pastors with the gift of a pastoral team. (Everywhere you see churches established in the NT and where churches leaders are addressed, there is always a team of pastors, not just one.

Bivocational elders, elders who do not receive a livable wage from the church’s finances but rather work outside the church to pay their bills, they have extra challenges given their divided/limited time, attention and energy. That said, not all are called to be financially supported by the church but if the church is able, it should prioritize financially supporting their elders, their training and their resources.

As Christ is the head of the church and calls the husband to be the head of his wife, so to elders are to be qualified men who lead the church in submission to Christ.

Pastors will give an account for their congregation and will be judged by a higher standard than other Christians.

James 3:1 says, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.”

I know that was a whirlwind. But I wanted to lay down a foundation before we dove into the first of three sermons in a series I titled The Gift and Gravity of Pastors. And the big idea for these three sermons is that Christ, the Chief Shepherd gifts the church with qualified imperfect pastors to point them to Him by nourishing them with the word, equipping them for service, and mobilizing them for the gospel’s advance in the world.

Today we are going to focus on THE CALL OF A PASTOR. The following sermons will focus on THE CHARACTER OF THE PASTOR and THE CREDIBILITY OF THE PASTOR.

Let us pray together.

Holy Spirit, as we spend time in your Word, we ask that you would not merely inform our minds, but transform our affections. Give us a great appreciation for the gift of pastoral leadership in our lives. Help us to see the gift and the gravity of pastors and lead us to be better stewards in our prayer lives to pray for all who pastor especially those who pastor us.

For any here aspiring to be a pastor, I pray you would bring about sobriety where sobriety with the office is needed… But also, I ask that you would stir the embers in the hearts of all you are calling to pastoral ministry. Create within them a greater capacity to love and serve… Cultivate humility and a determined initiative to care for others. Give them an ever increasing insatiable hunger for your word. And pour out your wisdom as we navigate the days ahead.

Help us to see our need for shepherds and continue to produce greater measures of trust and thankfulness for you our Great Shepherd. Teach and transform us now in Jesus name. Amen

Again we are in 1Timothy 3. 1Timothy is a letter written by the Apostle Paul to His disciple Timothy who was sent to Ephesus on behalf of Paul. Paul’s letter starts off with immediate instructions on what Timothy needs to do with the false teachers in the church. In chapter 2 Paul addresses a spirit of elitism in the Ephesian church as well as instructions for women’s roles in ministry. And now he turns to instructions on the most important leadership position in the church.

Look with me at verse 1.

Hear the word of our God

1Timothy 3:1

This is the word of our God.

Simply put, Without biblically qualified, commissioned and replicating leaders, the church will suffer and will be susceptible to all types of corruption. More specifically, without called and qualified pastors the church and the advance of the gospel will be stifled.

The significance of this reality is captured in the first phrase of verse 1. It says,

“The saying is trustworthy...”

This phrase is what I like to call , “a phrase of emphasis.”

It’s like when we say, “Now don’t miss this… OR Let me say that again… OR If you hear nothing else today, hear this… OR Here’s the heart of the matter… Or This is what it all comes down to… Or Here’s the key point… Or Let me be clear…”

Paul says, The saying is trustworthy…

He only says this three in his letter. He said back in chapter 1 verse 15 when he said,

“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.” Here Paul is emphasizing the supreme importance of the gospel…

And then later in chapter 4, Paul will use this “phrase of emphasis” when he talks about the importance of being and pursuing godliness.

And we see it here in the 3rd chapter where Paul is giving instructions about what it means to be leaders in the church of God.

So Paul emphasizes three categories of extreme importance in 1Timothy, the Gospel, being and pursuing godliness and seeking, supporting and submitting to biblically qualified pastor in the local church.

Remember, Paul is instructing Timothy on how to leads the Ephesian church… He says in his letter His aim is to help Timothy teach the Ephesians

"how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth."

And seeking, supporting and submitting to godly pastors is top up on the list of how to do that.

In other words, to deny the importance of pastors in ones life and in the church is to forsake God’s gift and priority for His church and the advance of His mission.

In the next phrase of verse 1, we see Paul addressing the person who desires the office of a pastor…

1 The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer,

If anyone aspires to the office of overseer…

It is here, among other places, that we get the idea of a pastor’s calling. A pastor is to be someone that God calls, and if He calls the man, he will have an undeniable desire to serve as a pastor.

This reminds me of a time pastor James relayed what his father told him when he expressed a desire to be a pastor. Mr. Jeff said to James at 16 something like, “If you can do anything else and be content then you should do that.”

At this point, Jeff had a lot of experience in pastoral ministry… He knew that the work is not for the faint at heart. He knew that James would need to be called in order to withstand the pressures and blessings of being a pastor. Now that said, “What exactly is the pastor’s call? What is the office of a pastor?” Because in order to desire something rightly, one must count the cost… It is easy to desire the idea of something, like the idea of marriage or the idea having children or the idea of being a pastor, while at the same time not truly knowing what those things actually are. I can also desire the right thing for the wrong reasons…

So again, what exactly is a pastor’s call?

Take for instance an unfortunate all too often guy who thinks pastoral ministry is about getting paid to talk about the bible once a week, air his opinions and have his way, and experience praise, popularity and ease.

And what they find out when they become one is that people expect you to do all the things, regardless of gifting, limitations of time, experience or even calling… D.A. Carson says this about the

modern pastor expectations… He must be competent as a preacher, counselor, administrator, PR guru, fundraiser, and hand-holder. Depending on the size of the church he serves, he may have to be an expert on youth, competent on a copy machine, something of an accountant, janitor, evangelist, small groups expert, an excellent chair of committees, a team player, and a transparent leader. Of course, his own home must be exemplary, and he should never appear tired or discouraged, since he must always be spiritual, prayerful, warmhearted, and passionate but calm under pressure. He should spend no fewer than forty hours a week in sermon preparation, no fewer than thirty or forty hours in counseling, at least twenty hours in regular visitation of his flock, another fifteen in door-to-door evangelism, at least twenty in administration, another ten in hospital calling, a further ten to forty (depending on the area) in ministry to the poor and deprived —leaving about fifty for miscellaneous matters (especially being available if anyone wants to see him at any time of the day or night).”

And though this is a wrong take on what a pastor is and is to do… When you plant a church and/or your church is smaller, this most assuredly describes things to a “T.”

So what exactly is a biblical pastor?

Our text calls a pastor an overseer.… I mentioned earlier, the term overseer, pastor and elder in the NT are descriptions of the same role… They simply describe a different aspect of the role, like turning a diamond to see it in its fullness.

Overseer highlights more of the managerial/leadership side of the pastoral ministry. The word elder highlights the seasoned nature of the pastor, and the term pastor highlights the care ad authority found in office.

Now, there are only two primary offices in the local church prescribed by God and that is the Pastor and the Deacon. The main difference between the two deals primarily with function and authority. Both offices require leadership and maturity in the faith that can be attested to by others. But only one is given authority, requires the gift of teaching, and limits itself to men. And that is the pastorate.

Pastors lead the church in teaching and protecting sound doctrine, casting vision, developing leaders, providing pastoral care, overseeing all the ministries, and being prayer warriors.

If you are looking for a more succinct description of the Pastors Call, Pastors are called, gifted and godly men who lead the church in teaching, praying and oversight.

Let’s tease this out a little more…

In 1Peter 5:2-3, Peter the apostle and disciple of Jesus, tells us what a pastor is to do. He writes, 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.

The first truth I want us to zero in on is that

#1. A pastor is a shepherd and church members are the flock.

Jered Mellinger writes, “shepherding imagery is the primary metaphor used in Scripture to describe the responsibilities of spiritual leaders. Sheep have no way of defending themselves, and so a flock must be guarded and governed by shepherds who know, love, and feed the flock. Shepherds are charged to teach and admonish the flock, protecting them from wolves who sow division and false doctrine. They must keep the flock from going astray.”

I also really like this one quote in Timothy Laniak’s book on the need for shepherds…

He quotes another source that said,“An account from Wales could as easily have come from ancient Palestine: My mother, a hill farmer of consummate skill, is still amazed at the variety of ways a sheep can find to die. Even the hardy Welsh mountain breed with which I was brought up are susceptible to braxy, pulpy kidney, staggers, pneumonia, pasturella, twin lamb disease, cancer, hypothermia in the winter, maggots in the summer, scab, scrapie, foxes, crows, and dogs. They push their heads through fences and get stuck. They climb trees to pick at foliage and get hung up by their horns or legs. They fall down banks, get bitten by snakes and stung by wasps. They tumble into ponds and streams. They gorge themselves on fallen ash leaves, roll on their backs and blow up like balloons. They poison themselves on ragwort. Rams’ horns, this is my favorite, regularly grow into their own heads… They starve, freeze, get depressed and fall ill—but a good shepherd can counter every affliction.”

Brother’s and sisters, the true job of a pastor aint no joke. It is not some clean professional academic job.

One pastor once said, “A minister is not merely a public preacher, but a counsellor of souls, just as the physician is for their bodies, and the lawyer for their estates…”

Furthermore, A biblical pastor is one who spends time with the sheep. Cares for the sheep. Leads the sheep to the still waters of God’s word and grace.

I love what one pastor said, “A shepherd is not doing his job if he doesn’t smell like the sheep.”

The point here is that pastors are not meant to be disconnected from their people. But rather, they are to be among them.

And the last thing I will say on this, a biblical pastor is to be a man’s man. Meaning he is not looking for a fight but He will not sit back when something needs to be said or done. He is dedicated to looking out for and confronting the wolves that seek to devour… And he will tell the people what they need to hear rather than just what they want to hear.

A pastor is an undershepherd taking care of God’s flock.

The last truth in 1Peter 5:2-3 I want us to consider is that

#2. A biblical pastor has a specific group of people he is responsible for…

Zero in on the first parts of both verse 2 and 3. The text says, “the flock of God that is among you” and “those in your charge.”

Hebrews 13 speaks about our leaders giving account for how they lead… They are going to give an account for those in their charge… This is one of the many reasons we must join a church. So that it is clear who is responsible for us and who we are responsible for.

Meaning… the pastors are not the only ones responsible for folks… But that’s another message for another time.

I don’t know if you know this, but your pastors pray for you by name… Your pastors celebrate, weep over, and seek to equip you to take greater steps of faith in your walk with Jesus.

You see, biblical pastors spend countless hours preparing lessons and sermons, overseeing all that goes on in the church, developing leaders, meeting with one another, making hard decisions, praying, hosting, counseling, confronting, visiting, being on call, and planning.

That’s what pastors do… That’s what we do.

To get a little more specific, Let’s consider Pastor James as an example… Here’s what he does on the regular… And I am not even going to be able capture it all here. On top of being a godly man, husband, father, son and an active contributing neighbor in his neighborhood… My brother works two jobs to make ends meet while at the same time pastors full time at the church. He is not being held at gunpoint. This is something that he does voluntarily and with much joy. He loves His God and He loves you.

Furthermore, James is what Mario has coined as the Swiss Army Knife of Pastors. James can do it all.

Currently, he leads the music team, oversees the media team, SGC kids, safety team, really ALL things Sunday service, He preaches/teaches at least once a month - often more. He oversees all of our church documentation and finances. He built and maintains our church website. He oversees the church’s communication and is the guy to talk to when it comes to church center App. He oversees our ministry to New Hope.

On top of all of this and more, he is quick to offer his home to guests, events and overnight stays. He provides countless hours of counsel and leadership training. He meets with and cares for me on a weekly and sometimes daily basis, and he is ready whenever to fill in and teach at moments notice

This man has shed many tears and sacrificed much of his life for this congregation. If you haven’t thanked God for Pastor James recently, be sure to…

So, a biblical pastor is a man who not only knows the job of the pastor, not only is gifted to teach, not only is mature. But also he is a man who desires to pastor.

And brothers and sisters, I pray that it is obvious… Your pastors are happy pastors. We love what we do. There’s nothing we’d rather be giving ourselves to outside of our home than pastoring you.

Let’s turn now to the final phrase of 1Timothy 3 verse 1.

1Timothy 3:1, “The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.”

I find it interesting… Ephesus is dealing with false teachers and corrupt pastors who were spreading poison… And rather than just address the false teaching, Paul encourages those who might desire to be a pastor. But this makes sense given that they have proven that they are submitting themselves to unqualified toxic leaders.

Paul also makes sure to highlight, that the pastorate is a noble calling… A calling worthy of honor… A calling worthy of pursuit.

We can see this in the text back in 1Peter 5.

In the 1Peter 5, Peter says in verse 1, “So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder”

Here, Peter identifies himself as a fellow elder… He elevates the role of the elder by equating his role, likely in the Jerusalem church, as equivalent to their role...

Peter was certainly, unique… He was set apart as a big “A,” Apostle of God, a unique title given to those who were witnesses of Christ’s teachings and resurrection. Not everyone got such a privilege...However, Peter goes out of his way to level the playing field by referring to himself as a fellow elder .

So the pastorate is NOBLE because it is equated to Peter’s role in the church…

We also see in the same chapter in 1Peter 5 that Jesus is the Chief Shepherd… It says down in verse 4 “And when the chief Shepherd appears,”

Which means, the pastors role flows not only from the authority of Jesus but also His example and leadership. Pastors are undershepherds… They take care of Christ’s sheep and following Jesus’ lead.

In other words, the task is noble because the task is representing Christ…

People do not need pastors to gain access to God… However, according to the Bible we need more than just an isolated relationship with Jesus. We need to be pastored.

And to be a pastor, requires grit and maturity… Being a pastor means being susceptible to increased Satanic attacks, sitting on the front row of peoples joyful moments and devastating moments all the while you are having your own…

The office of pastor is also Noble because what Peter says awaits those who pursue the ministry.

1Peter 5, “4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

Peter Parker’s grandfather once said, “With great power comes great responsibility.” I want to change it up this morning and say, “With great eternal rewards, comes great sacrifice on earth.”

You see, Pastors care for Christ’s most prize possession…

Furthermore... the pastorate is anything but boring.

I have confronted demonically oppressed individuals. Been held at gun point. Stood toe to toe with a guy who wanted to fight me. Been falsely accused, yelled at and rejected.

I love what pastor Tony once said, “A good shepherd isn’t doing his job if he aint stepping in sheep poop.”

I have seen men, women and children come to faith, set free from bondage, and grow in to maturity. I have been thanked, cussed and everything in between. I have had the privilege of seeing people married and babies born. I have walked with people as they have grieved the loss of a loved one. And I have walked individuals through the pains of abuse, divorce, and betrayal.

And this doesn’t get close to capturing it all… The Call of a Pastor is a noble call. A call worth pursuing. But it also a call that has a great cost.

Are you here and desire to be a pastor? You desire a noble task. Lean in. Focus on becoming a godly churchmen in the church. Pursue and care for people right now.

Pursue your pastors. Don’t make them chase you down. You chase them down. Look for ways you can meet with them and go through discipleship material. Be open to feedback about what you believe is your calling.

And be patient. Because the highest authority in the church, save Christ, is the elder. The process takes time. Years at times.

Affirming a person’s call, observing their character, their gifting, their competency, their consistency, their influence, how they handle pressure and pain and their chemistry with the leadership all takes time…

For those of you who are unaware, James Richardson, is currently in the pipeline for elder development. And there are also several others aspiring to the office, which is exciting. Be sure to be praying for them.

The last question I’ll ask as I close is

Are you here, and haven’t thought much about the gift and gravity of pastoral ministry?

Today the Lord is calling all of us to grow in our prayer life for our pastors. He is calling us to lean into to seeking and receiving the counsel and care of our pastors, rather than waiting til they seek us out.

He is calling us to grow in thankfulness for gifting us with pastors who imperfectly though it may be, reflect all that we have discussed today.

And don’t forget, your pastors are human too. They need encouragement and correction like everyone else. And the Lord wants to increasingly use you in our lives for just that.

Let’s finish with a wonderful promise that has been fulfilled in Christ and I believe in our very church:

Jeremiah 3:15 “‘And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. 

We turn now to receive Communion.

Brothers and sisters, as we come to the Lord’s Table, we slow down and take time to remember the One who calls and commissions pastors, the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ.

Today we’ve reflected on the calling of pastoral ministry, its nobility, its gravity, and its cost. But as noble as that task is, it is only a dim reflection of a far greater Shepherd, the one who didn’t just care for the sheep, but laid down His life for them.

Jesus said in John 10:11,“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

Every true pastor points not to himself, but to Christ, the Lamb who was slain and the Shepherd who saves. And no pastor, no matter how faithful, could ever give what Jesus has given us: His own body broken, His blood poured out, to bring us near to God, to forgive our sins, and to make us His flock.

Now, the bread and the cup remind us not only of Jesus’ death, but of His ongoing care for us. He still feeds us, not with mere bread, but with His Word, His presence, and His grace. He has not left us alone. He feeds us through His Spirit and through the gifts He has given to His church, including faithful pastors who lead, protect, teach, and lay down their lives in service.

So as we eat and drink, let us:

Thank Jesus, the Chief Shepherd, who leads us with nail-pierced hands.

Repent of ways we’ve gone astray like sheep.

Pray for those He has entrusted to shepherd this church.

And rejoice that Christ Himself is among us, feeding us now, and one day will bring us home.

Whenever you are ready come to the table. Receive this gift by faith turning away from all sin, and submitting to and treasuring Christ above all.

If you would like to know more about Jesus and being born again, I will be available in the back.