What is a pastor, anyway? Follow-up on Hebrews 13:7-9

This past weekend, we preached on Hebrews 13:7-9 and many questions came up about the role of pastors in the local church.

While we have taught on this over the years, may the below be a good reminder for us all.

In Scripture, there are only two offices of the church--the office of pastor and deacon (1 Tim. 3:1-13).

The terms elder, pastor, and overseer are used interchangeably throughout the New Testament to refer to the same leadership position (Acts 20:17-28; 1 Pet. 5:1-3). This means that a pastor is an elder, an elder is an overseer, and an overseer is a pastor. In Scripture, these terms are synonymous.

One passage where all three of these terms are used interchangeably is 1 Peter 5:1-3. This passage among others demonstrates that an elder is called by God to pastor and to oversee his congregation:

1 Peter 5:1-3 - So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.

Each of these three terms provides a different emphasis and clarification about God’s intention for this office:

--An elder is a person of responsibility, leadership, and authority in both the Jewish and Christian communities.

1 Tim. 5:17 -Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching

--An overseer is one who has the responsibility of seeing to it that something is done in the correct way. It can also be defined as a steward or guardian of a household.

Titus 1:7 - For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach…

1 Thess. 5:12 - We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work

--A pastor is one who is responsible for the care and guidance of a Christian congregation.

Eph. 4:11 - [Christ] gave [to the church] the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ

The qualifications for a pastor can be found in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. These passages enable us to develop a list of character qualifications that are essential for the office of an elder.

A pastor must be:

•    Male

•    Faithful husbands (if they are married) and chaste/abstinent (if they are not)

•    Fathers to children raised in the Lord (if they have children)

•    Reasonable, calm, “long-tempered”

•    Self-controlled, self-disciplined, and gentle

•    Possessing of good reputations

•    Able to teach and preach

•    Knowledgeable in biblical doctrine

•    Able to discern between true and false teachings

•    Willing to correct and rebuke false doctrine

•    Hospitable

A pastor must not be:

•    Greedy

•    Arrogant

•    Short-tempered or contentious

•    Addicted to drugs or drinking

•    A recent convert to the faith

Scripture reveals that a pastor has several different roles (and this is not all - just some selected!):

•    A pastor preaches and teaches sound doctrine to the church This is his primary role (Acts 6:4; Col. 1:28; Eph. 4:11-12; 1 Tim. 5:17; 2 Tim. 2:24-25; 4:2; Tit. 1:9).

•    A pastor protects the church from false teachers and bad theology. This role is closely connected with his first (Acts 20:28-30; Tit. 1:9; 2:15).

•    A pastor prays for the individual church members and the congregation as a whole on a regular basis (Acts 6:2-4; Js. 5:14).

•    A pastor is called by God to lead and oversee the direction of the church so that the church is fulfilling the Great Commission (1 Tim. 5:17; 1 Pet. 5:1-3; Heb. 13:17).

•    A pastor equips the church members so that they can minister to others (Eph. 4:11-12).

•    A pastor cares for and counsels the individual members of the flock (Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:2).

•    A pastor visits and prays for the sick and persecuted members of the church (James. 5:14).

•    A pastor serves as a model for godly living (1 Cor. 11:1; 1 Tim. 3:1-7; 1 Tim. 4:11-13; Titus 2:7; 1 Peter 5:2).

Pastoring is such a demanding and weighty task that God in his wisdom has determined that every local church needs a plurality of pastors.

1)    A plurality of pastors is biblical.

In Scripture, the task of pastoring is never entrusted to one individual, but, rather, to a group a men who are called, competent, and qualified for the task. Each time the word “church” is used in conjunction with “pastor”, the term for pastor is always plural.

Titus 1:5 -This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order and appoint elders in every town.

Acts 14:23 - And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

Acts 15:4 - When [Paul and Barnabas] came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them.

Acts 20:17 - Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him.

Philippians 1:1 - …To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the

overseers and deacons…

James 5:14 - Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him

Scripture, rather than one’s culture or tradition, should govern the church in all its doctrine and practices. And the clear and consistent pattern of Scripture is that a plurality of pastors should teach, lead, and care for the church. Of course, this doesn’t mean every pastor must be a paid staff member. Some men should serve as "lay" elders and not receive any financial compensation.

2) A plurality of pastors is beneficial.

There are numerous practical benefits for having multiple pastors. Of course, this shouldn’t come as a surprise because there are always numerous blessings for following God’s pattern.

Below are several selected, practical benefits for having more than one pastor.

•    It shares the burden of ministry, which prevents the solo pastor from burnout or depression.

•    It prevents the solo pastor from doing something irrational or unwise.

•    It provides the solo pastor with a pastor, which every Christian needs.

•  It protects the solo pastor from accumulating too much authority. A group of godly pastors appropriately dilute the authority of one individual.

•    It offsets the weaknesses and deficiencies of the solo pastor. No pastor is equipped or able to do everything well. And a group of pastors help offset the individual pastor’s weaknesses and provides more competency, perspective, and skills.

•    It provides the church with leadership in case of an absence of the solo pastor. If something were to happen to the senior pastor, having a group of pastors already established and recognized by the church will ensure that ministry and mission of the church will continue.

•    It makes the pastoral care more efficient and more effective. As a church grows, the difficulty in appropriately and effectively caring for the congregation becomes more and more difficult for one person to handle. A plurality of elders shares this load, ensuring more people receive the pastoral care they need. In short, more shepherds means more shepherding will take place.

Pragmatism should never drive a congregation’s way of organizing a church (or any other matter within the church). But it shouldn’t come as a surprise that following God’s design for his church is full of practical benefits.

3)    A plurality of pastors is Baptist.

Many Baptist churches are hesitant to adopt a plurality of pastors because they think this model isn’t Baptist.

But that is actually not true.

A quick survey of church history shows this was, at one time, a very common Baptist practice.

For example, W.B. Johnson, the first president of the Southern Baptist Convention, wrote a book on church life and polity, entitled The Gospel Developed. In this book, he strongly argued for a plurality of elders in every local church. The reason is because he saw this practice as both biblical and beneficial. He recognized that in Scripture “each [New Testament] church had a plurality of elders.” He went on to assert that “a plurality in the bishopric is of great importance for mutual counsel and aid, that the government and edification of the flock may be promoted in the best manner.”