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This is a very troubling presentation. The author on one hand clearly states the proper leadership of a church as being the elders, then walks it back, mangles it, and confuses it by conflating pastors, evangelists, and apostles. He wants to "manage expectations" regarding pastors, but ends up making it worse.
Our "expectation" is that the church would fully embrace the biblical model of church leadership. 1Pe. 5:1-3:
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.The elders are the shepherds are the overseers.)
Rumor has it William Shakespeare once said: “Expectation is the root of all heartache.” I don’t actually know if he said it, but things always sound better when you slap a reputable name on them. Regardless, there's a nugget of truth no matter who said it. And it's a nugget of truth that many of us have probably learned in nearly every relationship of life – expectations can be the source of a lot of trouble.
This is true in the pastoral relationship. Pastors have expectations for themselves and other members in the church have expectations for the pastor’s ministry too. Without exaggeration, it seems almost everyone in the church has an opinion about what a pastor should or shouldn't be doing. (The author will never explain what the pastor should be doing.)
By itself that isn't a bad thing. I think pastors should have high expectations for themselves. The ministry is important and what expect from ourselves reflects the value we place on it. It’s also good for congregations to have expectations because they have the responsibility to encourage their pastor to fulfill the ministry. It’s not expectations that are problematic. It’s unbiblical expectations that are. (We are happy to note the author's counsel regarding conforming our expectations to the biblical position. We will discover that the author doesn't always understand what the Bible says about church leadership.)
As a pastor and a friend of many other pastors, I know that these unbiblical expectations can easily creep into the ministry and at other times they break into it like a tidal wave. To be clear, this isn’t a blame game. Yes, congregations can have unrealistic expectations of their pastor. But, and maybe even sometimes more often, pastors impose unbiblical expectations on themselves. Admittedly, sometimes it’s nice to hear: “That’s not your responsibility.” So, what are some patterns I see of these unbiblical expectations? Here’s my top-ten list in no particular order —:
Pastors aren’t necessary: Jesus has ordered his church in such a way where pastors are necessary. (We would agree pastors are necessary, but they are necessary as shepherds who care for the flock. There is no Bible verse that tells us they are teachers, preachers, or the top position within the local church.)
As a pastor and a friend of many other pastors, I know that these unbiblical expectations can easily creep into the ministry and at other times they break into it like a tidal wave. To be clear, this isn’t a blame game. Yes, congregations can have unrealistic expectations of their pastor. But, and maybe even sometimes more often, pastors impose unbiblical expectations on themselves. Admittedly, sometimes it’s nice to hear: “That’s not your responsibility.” So, what are some patterns I see of these unbiblical expectations? Here’s my top-ten list in no particular order —:
Pastors aren’t necessary: Jesus has ordered his church in such a way where pastors are necessary. (We would agree pastors are necessary, but they are necessary as shepherds who care for the flock. There is no Bible verse that tells us they are teachers, preachers, or the top position within the local church.)
We’re told that they’re part of his ascension gift to the church (Ephesians 4:11), (Let's quote these Scriptures. Ep. 4:11:
It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers...
In idle curiosity we would question the author about what he believes about apostles and prophets, since he is a reformationist.)
they serve a vital part of the body (Romans 12:6), (Ro. 12:4-8:
Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
This has nothing at all to do with pastors and their proper role. Paul is speaking to "we," and how "we" all have different gifts.)
they have a role in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20), (Mt. 28:19:
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
Again we wonder what this passage specifically has to do with pastors.)
and it's expected that they carry out the ministry of preaching which is central to the church's ministry (Romans 10:14-17 (Ro. 10:14:
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” [Isaiah 52:7]
This again has nothing to do with pastors specifically. Paul is writing about evangelism.)
and 2 Timothy 2:2). (2Ti. 2:2:
And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.
This verse is Paul telling Timothy to entrust the teaching to reliable men in the church. Paul wants Timothy to foster the development of a group of qualified men to teach.
We are beginning to doubt the author's ability to properly quote the Bible to make his case, for only one of the cited Scriptures actually has anything to do with pastors: Ep. 4:11. Let's quote it again:
It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers...
A pastor isn't necessarily a teacher, and a pastor isn't necessarily an evangelist. The author imposes responsibilities on pastors that are unbiblical.)
If Christ thinks pastors are necessary we need to as well.
Pastors do charity work: Like most people who have a job, earn money, and expect a paycheck at the end of the week, the Bible says a pastor deserves his wages (1 Timothy 5:17). (The author misquotes the verse. Actually, he misquotes the verse that follows. 1Ti. 5:18:
Pastors do charity work: Like most people who have a job, earn money, and expect a paycheck at the end of the week, the Bible says a pastor deserves his wages (1 Timothy 5:17). (The author misquotes the verse. Actually, he misquotes the verse that follows. 1Ti. 5:18:
For the Scripture says, “Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain,” [Deut. 25:4] and “The worker deserves his wages.” [Luke 10:7]
Paul says the worker deserves his wages. It Doesn't mention pastors. Let's quote the author's cited verse. 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.
Paul tells Timothy that it is the elders who do this, not a pastor.)
In fact, Paul goes as far as to write and say that Jesus commands that pastors be paid: “In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:14). (Finally the author actually quotes a Bible verse. We don't wish to pick nits, but Paul is defending his apostleship to the Corinthian church (1Co. 9:1). He notes that those who sow seeds among them deserve part of the harvest (1Co. 9:11). Paul, Barnabas, Peter, and others were itinerant apostles and evangelists. Men like these deserve the support of the Church.
Although we would concede that those who devote themselves to the ministry in the local church deserve to be supported in their service, this passage has nothing to do with churches paying their pastors.)
Pastors aren’t paid volunteers (What is a "paid volunteer?" If someone is paid he is not a volunteer.)
or intended to live off of charity. (That's exactly what a pastor does, he lives off the offerings of the church. That is definitionally living off charity.)
Paying a pastor is actually a matter of obedience to Jesus, and being a pastor is a way to earn your living. (The author tries to connect dots that aren't there. There is nothing in the NT about a staff person called pastor who makes his living from the local church.)
Pastors call all the shots: Whether a pastor likes it or not he’s generally the public face of the church’s leadership and even the congregation. But in a biblically modeled church he’s not on top. Rather, in the New Testament churches are to be led by a plurality of elders (Titus 1:5) (YES!)
who have an equal say in the decisions that are made (see Acts 15:6) (YES!)
and in the shepherding (Acts 20:28). (YES!)
Pastors don’t make all the decisions. Their voice is an equal one among others and responsibility in the church is shared with every elder. (We wonder how the author can make these very accurate and biblical assertions in light of his previous errant remarks.)
Pastors must be good administrators: The church is an organization and with that comes any number of jobs that need to be done to keep things running smoothly, e.g. preparing announcements, unlocking the building, setting thermostats, preparing bulletins, changing church signs, managing social media presence, answering the phone, setting a schedule, finding volunteers, checking the mail, passing on information, setting up or taking down, and on and on. An exhausted pastor recently reviewed his schedule with me and estimated that almost half his week was spent on tasks like this — and tasks for which, admittedly, he wasn’t the most gifted. (Why on earth would someone do duties for which thy aren't gifted? And the author notes this without comment. There should have been an immediate rebuke of this man.)
Often, the administrative details can interrupt and take away needed time for prayer and the ministry of the word (see Acts 6:1-4). (It seems now that the author has a bit of difficulty distinguishing between the various offices and gifts in the church. This particular verse is regarding apostles.)
Pastors co-labor with their wife: No. It’s true that a pastor’s wife — as his wife — may share in some of the private burdens and stress that accompanies the ministry. A pastor needs to wisely discern if his wife is equipped to handle that. But a pastor’s wife is not in any way, shape, or form a co-pastor or co-leader. She’s not responsible to teach and shepherd the women in the congregation, and she's not the women's coordinator or director. In the ministry and the life of the church she isn’t distinct from any other woman and, like every other woman, she is to use her gifts and grace for the building up of the church.
Pastors should give up their Christian liberty: Christians have different convictions that are more or less informed by the Bible on all kinds of issues (see 1 Corinthians 8 and Romans 14). Navigating those differences can be difficult. But the default position of the New Testament is not that a pastor must always yield his Christian liberty to the many differences in the congregation, as if everyone but him is entitled to their convictions. He may chose to do so within biblical parameters (1 Corinthians 9:22), but it shouldn’t be forced upon him. Rather, the biblical norm is that all must work together, all must not despise others, and all must have consciences bound only to Jesus. The liberty you give others should be equally extended to pastors. (This strange paragraph explains nothing. What does the author mean by Christian liberty, and why would it be a problem for a pastor to engage it?)
Pastors need to be a jack of all trades: A pastor needs to be a student of the Bible, and must know how to divide the word of truth rightly (2 Timothy 2:15). (Since Timothy wasn't the pastor of this church, Paul's counsel to him isn't regarding a pastoral duty.)
Pastors co-labor with their wife: No. It’s true that a pastor’s wife — as his wife — may share in some of the private burdens and stress that accompanies the ministry. A pastor needs to wisely discern if his wife is equipped to handle that. But a pastor’s wife is not in any way, shape, or form a co-pastor or co-leader. She’s not responsible to teach and shepherd the women in the congregation, and she's not the women's coordinator or director. In the ministry and the life of the church she isn’t distinct from any other woman and, like every other woman, she is to use her gifts and grace for the building up of the church.
Pastors should give up their Christian liberty: Christians have different convictions that are more or less informed by the Bible on all kinds of issues (see 1 Corinthians 8 and Romans 14). Navigating those differences can be difficult. But the default position of the New Testament is not that a pastor must always yield his Christian liberty to the many differences in the congregation, as if everyone but him is entitled to their convictions. He may chose to do so within biblical parameters (1 Corinthians 9:22), but it shouldn’t be forced upon him. Rather, the biblical norm is that all must work together, all must not despise others, and all must have consciences bound only to Jesus. The liberty you give others should be equally extended to pastors. (This strange paragraph explains nothing. What does the author mean by Christian liberty, and why would it be a problem for a pastor to engage it?)
Pastors need to be a jack of all trades: A pastor needs to be a student of the Bible, and must know how to divide the word of truth rightly (2 Timothy 2:15). (Since Timothy wasn't the pastor of this church, Paul's counsel to him isn't regarding a pastoral duty.)
To do this he needs to study exegesis, theology, history, and homiletics and attain some (yet often humble) competency in those areas. (We actually would expect this from the teacher, not the pastor.)
But it’s easy to expect a pastor to be so much more — as if he must be an expert in the sciences and philosophy, in psychology, health and medicine, and cultural criticism, or have advanced skills in leadership, organization, and mental health counseling together with knowing a little bit about everything. The truth is, he doesn’t need to be and probably can’t be and it’s unrealistic to expect him to be.
Pastor’s (sic) don’t struggle with sin: At face value I assume everyone would acknowledge that their pastor sins — he is, just like you, simultaneously a saint and sinner. But sometimes in the life and fellowship of the church it seems practically denied and even, sadly, sometimes almost not allowed. Yes, the qualifications for elder primarily fall on moral character, but pastors have their daily struggles. (Yet again we are puzzled by the author's pronouncements. He mixes terms as if they're synonymous, like pastor and elder. But they're not.)
Pastor’s (sic) don’t struggle with sin: At face value I assume everyone would acknowledge that their pastor sins — he is, just like you, simultaneously a saint and sinner. But sometimes in the life and fellowship of the church it seems practically denied and even, sadly, sometimes almost not allowed. Yes, the qualifications for elder primarily fall on moral character, but pastors have their daily struggles. (Yet again we are puzzled by the author's pronouncements. He mixes terms as if they're synonymous, like pastor and elder. But they're not.)
By the grace of the Spirit they’re seeking to put to death sinful thoughts, words, and actions and the church needs to be place where he can do that and get encouragement, receive the love that covers a multitude of sins, and get forgiveness when needed.
Pastors have it easy: I won’t exaggerate the claims of the pastorate. Sometimes our public relations adopt a “Woe is me” attitude and conveys the idea that the pastorate is the hardest job in the world. I’m not so certain you can quantify that. But I would simply say that being a pastor isn’t easy. (Yes, of course. That is the point of the article, isn't it? Removing expectations about pastors? Yet the author wants the pastor position to be something it's not, and then laments how it's not easy.
Pastors have it easy: I won’t exaggerate the claims of the pastorate. Sometimes our public relations adopt a “Woe is me” attitude and conveys the idea that the pastorate is the hardest job in the world. I’m not so certain you can quantify that. But I would simply say that being a pastor isn’t easy. (Yes, of course. That is the point of the article, isn't it? Removing expectations about pastors? Yet the author wants the pastor position to be something it's not, and then laments how it's not easy.
We are no longer confident that the author is thinking clearly.)
Being a lazy pastor is but being a faithful pastor isn't. Probably the most difficult part is that a faithful pastor is one who will throw himself into the mess of sin — the heartache it causes, the trouble it brews, and the rebuke it needs. That can quickly get confusion and ugly, and requires a Spirit given grace and patience to overcome.
Pastors should be more like “that guy”: It’s very easy to treat the ministry like a beauty pageant. In our culture people can get starry eyed over their favorite “celebrity” preacher, or preferred personality. The result is that there can be a spoken or unspoken pressure that a pastor needs to be like [fill in the blank]. This expectation can cripple and even ruin a man’s ministry. He may not be as gifted, charismatic, eloquent, smart, or whatever else as that guy over there, but he doesn’t need to be. Paul wasn’t Peter and Peter wasn’t Timothy; and Corinth wasn’t Ephesus. A pastor needs to be himself as he is faithful in the context that providence has wisely placed him.
The burden of the ministry is heavy enough without adding the yoke of unbiblical expectations. To do so will simply lead to heartache for pastors and congregations alike. It's Jesus who defines the terms of the ministry and sets the expectations. At the end of the day a pastor needs to commend himself to everyone's conscience as one who has been faithful to Christ. And that is enough. "See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord" (Colossians 4:17). (**sigh** Let's quote the passage. Col. 4:16-17:
Pastors should be more like “that guy”: It’s very easy to treat the ministry like a beauty pageant. In our culture people can get starry eyed over their favorite “celebrity” preacher, or preferred personality. The result is that there can be a spoken or unspoken pressure that a pastor needs to be like [fill in the blank]. This expectation can cripple and even ruin a man’s ministry. He may not be as gifted, charismatic, eloquent, smart, or whatever else as that guy over there, but he doesn’t need to be. Paul wasn’t Peter and Peter wasn’t Timothy; and Corinth wasn’t Ephesus. A pastor needs to be himself as he is faithful in the context that providence has wisely placed him.
The burden of the ministry is heavy enough without adding the yoke of unbiblical expectations. To do so will simply lead to heartache for pastors and congregations alike. It's Jesus who defines the terms of the ministry and sets the expectations. At the end of the day a pastor needs to commend himself to everyone's conscience as one who has been faithful to Christ. And that is enough. "See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord" (Colossians 4:17). (**sigh** Let's quote the passage. Col. 4:16-17:
After this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea. 17 Tell Archippus: “See to it that you complete the work you have received in the Lord.”
The author seems to be unable to understand plain language. The author presumes without evidence that this is an encouragement specific to pastors. However, Paul is giving instructions to the Colossian church, which includes a message for someone named Archippus. We don't know who he is, but Paul has an encouragement for this person.
Archippus is mentioned again in Phile. 2, and we think it safe to assume that this is the same Archippus:
to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow-soldier and to the church that meets in your home...
Archippus is a "fellow soldier," and there is a church that meets in his home. Does the author really think that Archippus is a paid staff person in a home church?
We think the author's misuse of Scripture and misunderstanding of the various gifts and offices within the church disqualifies him from consideration as a Bible teacher.)
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