What is the Church? What is a Pastor? What is our Mission Forward

What is a Pastor?

Ben has lead us through a passage from Paul’s writing to the people of Collose to give us a clear picture of what the church is. Now, we define what is the role of the servant who will serve and lead a body of people who have confirmed God’s calling for his service.

The role of the pastor can quickly become muddied. The cultural influence to re-define that role seem as weighty as the biblical narratives and propositions that actually define that role. More than 2,000 years and countless cultural expressions of “pastor” have certainly had their way in defining or redefining the role and made clear definitions hard to come by.

What is a pastor? There are three remarkably clear examples in God’s Word for defining this role. The first of which takes us to John 10:1-14

John 10:1–14 (ESV)

1 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber.

2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”

6 This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.

8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.

9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.

13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,

There are two keys to understanding the role of a pastor that comes from the example of Jesus, our Shepherd in John 10. The opening and closing of the description of the Shepherd and his sheep are one in the same relationship!

The sheep know the shepherd! (v.4)

The shepherd knows his sheep! (v.14)

This reciprocal relationship cannot be overlooked.

John 10 may be one of the most picturesque images of a shepherd/pastor in the NT. And - I’m going to simply state rather than prove this piece of information - the biblical definitions of a pastor, shepherd, elder, presbyter, and/or overseer… they are all used synonymously throughout the NT.

Therefore, in light of the overwhelming influence to be defined by a/the culture, we have to be sure we are biblically defined and the culturally designed. We are not culturally defined and then biblically designed. You cannot define somethings essence by a forever changing set of criteria. (Such as, defining pastor by culture). You CAN, however, define something by an unchanging set of criteria then APPLY that definition TO EVER-CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES. (Such as, defining pastor biblically and then applying that definition to cultural iterations).

We need to take the biblical prescriptions, images, and propositions for “pastor” and apply them to our culture.

YOU ONLY HAVE ABOUT 3 MINUTES LEFT AT THIS POINT.

Very quickly then, let us look to Paul’s 1st letter to Timothy, his young apprentice and pastor. Knowing that Timothy understood his role as a shepherd… Paul counseled Timothy, primarily, on the behaviors of a pastor and secondarily on some of the duties of a pastor. They can be summed up like this:

The pastor behaves like a good teacher.

The pastor teaches as a strong protector.

Feel free to follow along in your bible, however, I’m going to quickly read a summary of the character traits of this good teacher and explain the protective nature of his teaching.

READ THE SUMMARY LIST OF ELDER QUALIFICATIONS IN THE ESV STUDY BIBLE - 1 TIMOTHY 3:1-9

Timothy, the pastor, must reach a high bar for character! His “duties” per-say, are narrow in focus and vast in impact. He is to be an able teacher! That is truly the only “duty-driven” explanation in Paul’s list! That he be a good manager of his household and God’s household still echo his responsibilities as a person of respectable and reproducible influence more than his administrative prowess. A man held in high esteem because of his character is one whose word can be trusted when he shares what stream has filled the watering hole for his sheep!

Their thirst is quenched and their well-being protected by his provision and oversight. Individually and collectively.

Paul issued Timothy this word from Christ so that he might protect the doctrines of Christ that would preserve the unity and mission of the body of believers.

Pastor - Shepherd, Teacher, and Protector. His sheep know him and he knows them; he teaches from a life of exemplary character and conduct; and protects the truth of the doctrines of Christ that the church may be unified in its mission.

Pastor Sean Lead us in His word concerning our mission forward and the pastor as protector of doctrine and the unity of the church.