The Office of Pastor Necessitates Maturity - by JOSH BUICE

Found here. Our comments in bold.

----------------

It is clear the author's premise is that the pastor is the singular leader of the local church, likely with an understructure of elders and deacons. But he goes back and forth between various terms (elder, overseer, pastor, shepherd) in such a way as to completely obscure not only the Bible's teaching, but also the very thing he's attempting to explain.

In the end the author never gets a grip on the differences between the words he uses to describe church leadership. His topic, maturity in leadership, does thankfully get discussed, but it's mixed in with a number of truly puzzling assertions.

Also, the author manages to quote only one Scripture.

----------------------

One of the most obvious reasons churches fail is based upon the failure of the leadership. Not all churches fail based on leaders alone, but in many cases, the problems that precipitated the ultimate downfall of a local church were due in some part to failure on behalf of the leadership. This is why it’s essential for pastors to be mature men who walk with God and lead out of faithfulness to God and his Word. (Our first hint that the author believes pastors are at the top of the pyramid.)

The biblical references for the office of pastor appear in several different terms, (Are all pastors occupying the "office" of pastor? Are all these terms synonymous with "pastor?")

but only once does the term “pastor” appear in the text (in the KJV – Ephesians 4:11). The ESV renders the word as “shepherds” in Ephesians 4:11. The word “pastor” is a Latin word that has in mind the shepherding duties of an overseer. (The meaning of the Latin word translated from the Greek word is of little importance. The Greek word is poimén, a shepherd. The reader will notice that our link to the Greek discusses the idea of a singular ruling authority, a position the author takes as well, but we believe that is an imposition based on a western cultural understanding. 

It is a phenomena of church history that the position of pastor has been elevated to the CEO leadership position. The Reformation reformed many errant practices of the church, but left intact the idea of a single man presiding over a congregation. This has been retained through the centuries, but it is a faulty and unbiblical practice. 

In the first century a shepherd was a lowly position [Lk. 2:8]. David was a shepherd, and he was of such little account that his father Jesse was not even going to mention him to Samuel [1Sa. 16:11]. David was not considered worthy to accompany his brothers to fight with King Saul against the Philistines [1Sa. 17:15]. His brothers despised him [1Sa. 17:28]. 

There is no biblical sense in which a shepherd [pastor] was considered a leader.)

The term is used interchangeably with the word, “shepherd” which points out the caring ministry of the office of elder (Acts 20:17, 28; 1 Peter 5:1-4). (Perhaps interchangeably by theologians and Bible teachers, but not the Bible itself. 

Further, Acts 20:17 does not mention shepherds [pastors], it talks about elders. 

Let's quote 1Pe. 5:1-4:

To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow-elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed: 2 Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers — not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

Notice Peter address the elders to instruct them. He wants them to "be shepherds," to serve "as overseers." Therefore, the concept of "elders" does not automatically include "overseers" or "shepherds." Otherwise Peter would not need to tell them to aspire to this.

Notice also that Peter is describing a group of people, not a singular position, All the elders were encouraged to adopt these traits. There is no hint in Scripture that there should a be a sole pastor/leader of a church.)

The facts are clear from Acts 20:17-28 and 1 Peter 5:1-4, that the Greek words used for the office of “pastor” are all used interchangeably (Elder, Pastor [referenced by the word “feed”], Overseer [a word often translated “bishop”]). (No, the facts are not clear, since the author has yet to make the case. And when he attempts to make this case, it's anything but clear.

Also, the office of pastor [shepherd] does not imply that all pastors [shepherds] occupy the office.)

In Ephesians 4:11, the word pastor should be connected with teacher. (Why? The author cannot simply assert an opinion as truth.)

It’s not two offices—one for pastor and another for teacher. It’s most accurately translated as pastor-teacher. (It is? Undocumented statement.)

Maturity by Definition of the Office

The office of pastor is most often referenced in the Scriptures as elder. (No, it is not. Since the author seems given to making undocumented statements, we shall simply offer an undocumented denial.)

The word “elder” in Hebrew is zaqen. In the book of Ezra it is referenced in Aramaic as sib. In the Greek Bible, including the New Testament, it is presbuteros. (This is correct.)

The words that are associated with pastoral leadership in the Bible (This is incorrect.)

point toward the idea of an aged man. The idea is maturity in life and doctrine. (This is correct.)

In Paul’s words to Timothy, he clearly specifies the need for maturity in the qualifications of an overseer (??? The author slides right over to a different word, overseer [episkopé]. He's conflating terms in order to bolster his doctrine.)

by describing the candidate for elder in the local church as one who is “not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil” (1 Tim. 3:6). (The passage uses the word episkopé, not "elder." In fact, Paul does not address elders until 1Ti. 5:17:

The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.

Elders are not automatically overseers. Overseers are derived from elders.) 

Anyone who aspires to the office of elder (If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer... We see how the author continually slides between words to suit his doctrine.)

must not be a recent convert—lacking in biblical wisdom and maturity in order to avoid the trappings of the enemy who often places a target upon those men who are charged with leading the local church.

Maturity in Oversight

In 1 Timothy 3:1, Paul begins the section on the qualifications of a pastor (Back to pastor...)

by referencing the office as an “overseer.” (Back to overseer...)

The term used is episkopē which carries the idea of someone giving oversight or management responsibilities. This is one of the main responsibilities of a pastor. (It is? Where does the Bible tell us this?)

The spiritual oversight of the church is extremely vital to the health of a local church.

If a pastor is lacking in maturity, the church will suffer. For instance, the immature pastor will not be able to properly protect the sheep from the attacks of spiritual predators who constantly seek to harm God’s flock. The immature man lacks the necessary wisdom and is often not sober minded which is required (1 Tim. 3:2) for the office of elder. (This is a moving target. Pastor, elder, overseer... Such confusion is unbecoming of a supposed Bible teacher.)

The spiritual care and protection of the church is the direct responsibility of the elders. (Yes, this is true. Plural. But he was just telling us that a singular pastor has this responsibility...)

If those men lack spiritual maturity, the church will follow their example which will result in immature men who repeat similar problems in the life of their own homes. The church needs faithful mature men who become good examples to the younger men in the church. As you can imagine, immature pastors (Back to pastors...)

reproducing immature men who lead their homes with a spirit of immaturity results in a vicious cycle in the life of the church which causes the church as a whole to spiral out of control. You cannot expect to have immature elders (Back to elders...)

and a mature church. In fact, the idea of immature elders is a categorical contradiction.

Paul addressed this reality in Ephesians 4 as he pointed out the goal of pastoral ministry (Back to pastors... But actually, he has now returned to the pastoral "office," not pastors in general.)

as “equipping the saints for the work of ministry” (Eph. 4:11-12). The goal of equipping also involves developing maturity in the life of the church. Paul goes on to explain:

until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes (Ephesians 4:13–14).

Maturity in Teaching

The main distinction between the office of deacon and the office of an elder (Hmm. Now there's an "office" of deacon and also elder. This is getting to be a muddled mess.)

is the ability and charge of spiritual leadership through the teaching ministry of the local church. Deacons are charged with the practical care of serving the church while elders are charged with the spiritual care of leading the church. Therefore, Paul points out that the men who aspire to the office of an overseer (Another "office.")

must possess the ability to teach (1 Tim. 3:2).

The obvious charge is to preach and teach the Scriptures by rightly dividing the word of God (2 Tim. 4:1-5; 2 Tim. 2:15). That is the primary responsibility of the pastor. (Back to pastor...)

The preaching of God’s Word is the primary ordinary means of grace whereby God grows, equips, strengthens, encourages, confronts, and sanctifies his people.

The immature man will often make serious mistakes at this juncture as he seeks to entertain the church with a shallow pulpit approach. Such a man is constantly trying to create joy by shallow and superficial humor. The immature man will be attracted to pragmatism and man-centered approaches to ministry that attract goats rather than feed the sheep.

Maturity is necessary for the man  No, "men.")

who is charged with leading the local church through the Scriptures. A wise and mature pastor (Pastor...)

understands how to properly feed the sheep. He avoids the gimmicks of church growth, the trappings of social justice, the pridefulness of “pastor-centered” preaching, and the shallow pulpit manner that is always looking for a laugh. A.W. Pink described the man who should occupy the office of elder by stating the following:

It is only those who truly love Christ that are fitted to minister to His flock! The work is so laborious, the appreciation is often so small, the response so discouraging, the criticisms so harsh, the attacks of Satan so fierce, that only the “love of Christ” – His for us and ours for Him – can “constrain” to such work. “Hirelings” will feed the goats, but only those who love Christ can feed His sheep. 1

The pastor must be a man who is mature in conduct and doctrine—one who possesses a life of maturity and the pursuit of God from the pages of Scripture. A pastor marked by immaturity will result in a church marked by immaturity. The woes of an immature pastor will hinder the progress of a local church and precipitate sinful patterns that lead the body of Christ into a spiritual downgrade.

References

1 A.W. Pink, The Gospel of John (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1975), 1139-1140.