The Role and Gift of Pastor

Pastor is Spiritual Gift and mentioned only once in Scripture.

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, Eph 4:11

Definition: Pastor-(Greek- poime_n): a shepherd

The gift of Pastor differs from the office of the elder (overseer) in that it is a gift and not a position in the church. We often intermix or combine the two but this is in error.

As stated earlier, a Pastor can be an elder and an elder can have the gift of Pastor but it is not necessarily so.

It is important to make a distinction between the two. An elder has oversight. A pastor shepherds. An elder is a watchman while a Pastor could best be described as one who disciples.

The Pastor does not need to meet the qualifications of the elder.

Paul left Titus in Crete for the purpose of appointing elders but you never read anywhere in Scripture where Paul instructs one to appoint a Pastor. A church’s success is not dependent upon the Pastor.

By definition, the pastor is a shepherd. The early shepherds and those that are in Israel today (Bedouin), had a flock of not more than 20. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament by Gerhard Kittel, Ronald E. Pitkin

We see the roll of shepherd illustrated in the Psalms; the early shepherds knew their sheep. They cared for each, individually. In Ps 23, it says “Thou hast anointed my head with oil”. The picture is of individual personal care. The shepherd would put oil on the sheep to help heal any wounds that were inflicted while moving through brush. Oil, put on ticks, imbedded in the skin, would cause them to pull out of their host. These irritants, cuts and ticks, impeded the sheep’s ability to foraging and ruminate.

The picture is of a Believer, who tries to take in the Word and meditate on it. The shepherd, who knows his sheep, will look at the things in the sheep’s life that impedes this process and help him through the “irritants”.

Today, we don’t see the pastor taking this role, that of a shepherd, one who knows his sheep, who anoints them, individually. Having a flock of 20 provided for personal attention and the shepherd could not become inflated due to the size of his flock.

After years of watching the church, it is evident that the original plan of God has been abandoned.

Next:  Should the Pastor be a paid position?

God Breathed or Selective Reasoning

Review the original post "Is the Word Inspired?", ask yourself, "If I believe God's Word is inspired, would I do things differently or do I have selective reasoning?"

The Reputation of an Elder

And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he may not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. 1 Tim 3:7

Of these verses, this is the more complex to understand. In the church, we tend to overlook some faults and (hopefully) not listen to negative words concerning the reputation of others however; we are instructed here to consider how those outside the church perceive the prospective elder.

In meditating on this verse, I thought of two Believers with whom I was acquainted. Both were businessmen. They had a reputation for shoddy workmanship, poor follow through and shady business practices. In another case, I also know a so called Christian who attends church weekly, talks like a Believer in Christian circles, but has a reputation outside the church for being involved in the occult.  I wonder why, as a church, we are unable or unwilling to see and address these character and moral issues?  Perhaps it is that we don’t want to be accused of being judgmental or once we identify the problem, we don’t know how to provide a solution. No matter, the world is both willing and able to see and voice the faults of those in the church. And, we should consider what they say in regards to the prospective elder.

If we select such a person as elder, he may fall into reproach (shame, disgrace) and a snare (trap with bait).

And Not a New Convert

---and not a new convert, lest he become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. 1Tim 3:6

Often times there are verses with commands that give no rationale for the mandate. It is not the case in this verse. Here, Paul gives insight into the reasoning. “Not a new convert unless they become conceited AND fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil”.

When I hear a word like “new”, I tend to think, “How old would one need to be before assuming responsibility for a thriving business”. I would not put a teen in charge. So too, I would not put someone who has not been a Believer, less than 20 years, in charge of church. The ages correlate to one another.  Conceit leads to the “condemnation incurred by the devil”. What was the condemnation? It is the “same judgment as”. The devil’s judgment was separation and condemnation.

The Home and Children of the Elder.

The most important portions of the Scripture concerning the qualifications of the elder are as follows:

…having children who believe, not accused of dissipation or rebellion. Titus 1

Having children-in the Greek the order is to have children in one’s possession. He must possess children. As if you were told that you must possess a license to drive. It is not saying that you should be working to that end but it must be in your possession.

The word ‘children’ is plural. He must have more than one child. The reason will be explained in the next verse.

Having children who believe-the children must be older, not babies. They must be at the age where it is evident that they are Believers.

Not accused of dissipation or rebellion-this refers to the children, they must not be rebellious nor wasting their time, (riotous, as was the prodigal son). These too reflect on an older child. Why is this important? The children must be older as one will be able to see the “fruit” of the elder’s work. If he can not run his home, he can not run a church. Men can mask their character. We know this by all the news we hear of godly men leading double lives. However, children have not learned the fine art of hypocrisy. If the children are rebellious or without self control, so is the home and prospective elder.

This is borne out in Timothy, “He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?)” 1 Tim. 3

“If a man does not know…” (oida-to have seen or perceived-to learn from observation). You see, one can not select an elder by personality or gifting, but rather he must be selected on how he manages his home. If he has no wife and has no children, he has not learned to manage people. Is not the body of Believers like raising a family, nurturing, meeting needs, giving of ones self for others, settling disputes, wiping noses, feeding? If a man did not learn this experientially, he is not to learn on or at the expense of other Believers.

Having one child, as opposed to more than one, does not teach the elder important aspects of parenting i.e. settling disputes among siblings, multi-tasking, giving more of ones self, etc.

Finally if a man must possess children, conversely, he must be married. As mentioned in the previous post, he can not be a single man and hold the position of elder.

The gist of these verses is: God prescribes elders to be married men and have older children. The character of the elder is modeled by his children and we are to observe his children to assist in making a selection for this position. God teaches men by allowing them the day-to-day experience and year-to-year faithfulness of child rearing in preparation to lead a church. If a man fails at raising children, he will fail at leading a church.

Despite what we think, feel or experience, we must follow this prescription.

Qualifications-Part Two

The next 8 characteristics of the elder are self explanatory.

4.Temperate-sober and watchful

5. Prudent-self controlled

6. Respectable-orderly

7. Hospitable-friendly toward strangers

8. Able to teach

9. Not addicted to wine-not to be constantly around wine (drinking often).

10. Nor pugnacious, but gentle-not quarrelsome but patient

11. Free from the love of money.

Next: The home and children of the elder.

The Qualifications of an Elder

It is imperative that one differentiates a pastor from elder. Pastor is a Spiritual gift. Elder is an office in the church that one aspires to.

Ephesians 4:11 is the only reference to the gift of pastor. It is shepherding. A pastor can aspire to the office of an elder (overseer) and elder can have a gift of pastor but the two are not synonymous and they should not be viewed as the same gift/office.

I will write more on the gift of pastor following the qualifications of an elder.

Paul lists the qualifications of an elder in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1.

Each portion of the list is of utmost importance.

1. Paul begins with “an overseer then must be…” As he lists the qualifications, he starts with the most important point, he must be. The word must means that he has to have reached the point and moved on. It is not, “he is working toward or, it is his goal”; rather, he must have reached these points.

Living in Nevada one casino has on its entrance a plaque that reads: One must be 21 to gamble. This sign reveals the minimum age, 21. It does not say, you must aspire to this age nor does it say that it is one’s intended goal. He “must be”, having reached it and gone beyond.

So too, an elder “must be”. These markers are the minimum, not the intended goal for one taking this office.

2. Above reproach is living a life with no blame laid to his name. If he has past errors, he must have cleared his name by seeking forgiveness and making restitution, “having a clear conscience and pure heart…”

3. The husband of one wife is one of the most argued portions of this text. Some say, they can not practice polygamy, having more than one wife at the same time; others, not divorced; and some, they must be married. The polygamist argument can be easily eliminated as the same text is used in 5:9 of the widow, “having been the wife of one man”. History tells us that women never had more than one husband at the same time. This refers to: not divorced. We will delve further into the “must be married” further on.

We have heard, “but what if he was married and divorced before becoming a Christian, can he qualify? The answer is, no. It does not disqualify him as a Believer but it does as an elder. It references his character, not his eternal position. But, aren’t we “new creatures in Christ”? Yes, we are however, can we claim that in our new nature we don’t hold on to our old characteristics?

Next: More qualifications.