Pastoral Leadership

We know that progress in the Christian life comes by looking to Jesus (Hebrews 12:1–3). Additionally, God has designed the Christian life so that others lead us in the faith. For instance, a Christian parent should model God’s love and point their child to Christ.

One of the great travesties of today’s contemporary church philosophy is a lack of spiritual conviction. Notice I did not say a lack of communicating spiritual conviction, for that’s not the greatest problem.

When I arrived at Bible Baptist Church a little over two years ago, we had a five acre piece of property, a spacious auditorium, lots of classrooms, and zero debt; but the roof was falling in, much of the property was in disrepair, and every classroom was filled with superfluous material, which made it impossible to use them for ministry.

This past week, Urban Meyer, legendary football coach of The Ohio State University, announced his retirement.

On June 17, 2018, Harvest Baptist Temple of Medford, OR, celebrated forty-one years of ministry. It was also the day that the founding pastor, Dr. Bob Gass, entrusted the heritage and history of that ministry to me.

The heart-felt desire of every godly pastor is to do the work God has called him to do—preach the gospel, disciple new Christians, study God’s Word, prepare biblical messages, equip the church family for the work of the ministry, and serve as an undershepherd of God’s people.

Do you ever begin a new week with a pile on your desk? Scraps of notations from Sunday. Left over to dos from last week. Started projects. Unanswered emails. And on top of all of that, the needs and responsibilities of the coming week.

I don’t read a lot of blogs, but I use social media enough to notice an excess of what 2 Timothy 2:23 refers to as “foolish and unlearned questions.” The online world provides a perfect platform for these kinds of questions because there are so many willing participants.

It seems as if we are surrounded with appeals to do the work of God in a new and “better” way. If only we will cancel our evening services, abandon our confrontational soulwinning, throw out our standards, soften our preaching, replace godly music with sensual music, and avoid politically incorrect subjects such as abortion, homosexuality, and submission on the part of a wife to her husband, then we will begin to see our churches grow.

This is part two of this article. Please click here to read part one.

1. The Pastor Is to Have a Faith Worthy of Following

Remember them which have the rule over you…considering the end of their conversation—Hebrew 13:7

My wife and I began serving in full-time ministry in June of 1974. I had just graduated from Bible College, moved to a city where we knew no one, and at the age of twenty-four started an independent Baptist church with no one but our family. Forty-one years of pastoral ministry later, I stood before the congregation that I loved and at the age of sixty-five read my resignation letter.

Perhaps you’ve heard the phrase, “You must make time to come apart before you fall apart.” It refers to Mark 6:31 where Jesus told his disciples, “Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.”

Being a pastor is a great privilege. The Bible tells us, “This is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work” (1 Timothy 3:1). It is a good thing to desire to serve God as a pastor in His church. (God give us some men—young and older—who would have such a desire!) Yet, being a pastor carries with it great responsibility toward God’s people.

When I survey today’s ministry landscape, I’m encouraged.

Why?

First, I’m hopeful for revival. The fact that our culture is becoming increasingly hostile toward Christianity is disappointing, but it’s nothing Scripture didn’t warn us would happen. I pray for revival of God’s people which will certainly result in renewed evangelism and fruit. In fact, the world’s antagonism toward Christ could be setting the stage for a great last days revival.

Pain changes us. And for the child of God, those words can breathe hope and promise. We who believe Romans 8:28, “Know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

When Terrie and I came to Lancaster in the summer of 1986, our goal was not to build a large church but to reach people for Christ. Over the past thirty-two years, the Lord has done more than we ever could have dreamed, and we praise Him for that. But our goal has not changed. We still want to reach people for Christ and to invest ourselves in Christ’s church.

As a pastor, when God begins to stir the heart of a staff member to another place of ministry, my heart is always to help them clearly discern God’s will, support them in following it, and guide our church family through any transition that may be involved.

Fifty years ago, a man I’ve never met, Kent Keith, wrote a little booklet in which he included ten “Paradoxal Commandments.” They’ve made their way around the world and have often been separated from their author’s name.

Last month I attended the Ohio Independent Baptist Preacher’s Fellowship in Delaware, Ohio. I had the privilege of being one of the preachers at this meeting. It was attended by approximately ninety preachers or full-time ministry workers from across Ohio, and Kentucky. In addition, there were another 150 or so lay people in attendance. The spirit of the meeting was wonderful from beginning to end. I thoroughly enjoyed preaching and attending this meeting. It was a day well spent.

Several years ago, I wrote a blog that cautioned fundamental leaders about unbiblical attitudes and actions that are driving younger ministers from the ranks of fundamentalism. The article attempted to correct abuses within our movement—abuses that presented us as bitter rather than kind and unscholarly rather than exegetical. Although the article was warmly received, there still is a somewhat alarming exodus. And one of the attracting magnets is The Gospel Coalition.