12: What Does The Bible Say Pastors Are Supposed To Do?

Welcome to the Ready for Eternity podcast. My name is Eddie Lawrence. In this series we've been talking about pastors, but what is it exactly that the

New Testament says pastors are supposed to do? Let's see what the Bible says.

Christians expect pastors to wear a lot of hats. In addition to spiritual responsibilities, medium and large churches tend to cast their pastors into the role of a

CEO or a business expert. They expect him to formulate short and long -range plans to ensure the growth and success of the church.

They tend to measure success by attendance numbers and large budgets.

Some congregations want their pastor to be a political pundit. They want him to weigh in on current events and tell us how

Jesus, Peter, and Paul would vote in the next election. Smaller churches might expect pastors to clean the church building, unlock the doors, and have the building ready on Sunday morning, print the bulletin, maintain the church website, and so forth.

Suffice it to say, pastors are sometimes expected to do it all, and their spiritual responsibilities are overshadowed by physical concerns.

Are these the kinds of things God wants pastors to focus on? What jobs does the

Bible assign to pastors? It might come as a surprise that the Bible assigns very few jobs to pastors.

While the biblical duties are few in number, they represent a huge responsibility with eternal implications.

What are those duties? The descriptions the Bible assigns to pastors, such as shepherds, elders, overseers, and stewards, serve as a hint, and perhaps there is no richer imagery of the role than that of a shepherd.

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 example to the flock.

1st Peter 5 3. What do shepherds do?

I'm talking about the kind that actually care for sheep. The primary role of a shepherd is to lead his sheep to food and water.

He cares for the sick and injured sheep by nursing them back to health, and he seeks out sheep that have strayed away from the flock and become lost.

Last but not least, he protects the sheep from thieves and predators.

All of these responsibilities are vital to the well -being of his flock, but some of those duties are not everyday tasks.

Shepherds who oversee their flocks well minimize sickness and injury. Likewise, closely watch sheep probably aren't able to stray.

With a little luck, thieves and wolves won't be prowling on a daily basis. While it will be necessary to perform these tasks occasionally, the one thing a shepherd can count on every single day is feeding the sheep.

A pastor's primary job is feeding the flock. Likewise, a church pastor's primary job is feeding his sheep in the form of teaching.

One of the basic qualifications for a church overseer is that he must be able to teach and give instruction.

Therefore, an overseer must be above reproach. The husband of one wife, sober -minded, self -controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach.

1st Timothy 3 2. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

Titus 1 9. It is the responsibility of pastors to impart knowledge in the form of sound teaching to those under his care.

Listen to this quote from William Mounts from the Word Biblical Commentary. Teaching is one of the more significant requirements of an overseer and sets him apart from the deacons.

The elders are the teachers. The deacons are more involved in the day -to -day serving. Teaching is one of the more significant ways in which pastors fulfill their duty of equipping individuals within their congregation.

And he gave 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.

Ephesians 4 11 and 12. It's the shepherd's job to teach, train, and empower

Christians. His edification of those under his care equips them to perform their own ministries.

Pastors must also rebuke. According to Titus 1 verse 9, which was read previously, another very important responsibility that a shepherd has is to rebuke those who contradict sound teaching.

A pastor must not only teach the truth, but he must also make sure that he allows no one to subvert it.

Contradicting sound doctrine could come in the form of someone teaching what is false, but it can also appear in the form of ungodly conduct.

Those who subvert the truth, either by their words or their behavior, put their pastor in the position of having to rebuke them.

There will be times when a pastor must protect his congregation from other pastors.

It is a sad fact that many so -called pastors are not pastors at all.

They are really wolves. In Acts 20, Paul offered this advice and warning to the

Ephesian elders. Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock in which the

Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God which he obtained with his own blood.

I know that after my departure, fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock, and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things to draw away the disciples after them.

Acts 20 verses 28 through 30. Paul predicted that fierce wolves would arise from a few of the very elders he was speaking to.

The letter of 1st Timothy demonstrates that Paul's prediction came true. Some of the leaders of the

Ephesian church became the false teachers who Timothy was sent to rebuke.

Pastors must care for those who have become spiritually sick by ingesting the poison of false teaching.

It's the pastor's job to tend to those in this condition by teaching them the truth.

Of course, some may become sick through discouragement or any number of traps devised by our enemy the devil.

While teaching is important, it may not be enough to encourage those who are weary.

It may be in this situation where being an example of endurance may be most important.

So pastors must be an example. Not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the 1st

Peter 5 3. Shepherds must not only teach us how to live, but also show us how to live.

They lead by example, not by domination. It is perhaps through a pastor's example that he teaches most effectively.

It is not enough to know, we must also do. Many have mistaken knowing with doing and fail to actually live as God wants us to.

Our pastors must lead the way by showing us how to live as God would have us to.

A pastor is to exercise oversight of his flock to ensure sound doctrine is taught.

This oversight also includes rebuke of those who contradict the truth, and he cares for the flock and protects it from threats which are both outside and inside the church.

These are all spiritual responsibilities. Pastors must not become distracted.

Managing the church's finances and property is not the role of a pastor. The pastor is not the chief fundraiser or the head political activist for his congregation.

God has assigned deacons the duty of caring for the physical needs of the church. The duties assigned to pastors by God are spiritual in nature.

Too many so -called pastors today focus on building a religious empire. They see their present church as a stepping stone to the next larger congregation.

Their ambition and determination to climb the corporate ladder, so to speak, makes it hard to tell them apart from Fortune 500 executives.

They measure their success by the size of the Sunday morning crowd, the amount of money collected, and how much prestige and status they have among their peers and congregants.

Biblically, the role of a shepherd is one of self -denial. A true pastor will put the good of the congregation ahead of his own ambition.

He understands that the true measure of his success is a congregation that is spiritually strong and healthy.

He understands that the Bible teaches that his role is simple and that any job he takes on which is not spiritual in nature distracts him from his

God -given role. A shepherd's role is teaching sound doctrine, edifying, equipping, and the spiritual care and protection of the flock.

Anything else is falling short of a shepherd's God -given assignment.

Thanks for listening to the podcast. We hope this episode has deepened your understanding of Scripture. If you found this content valuable, please share it with your friends.

For more biblical studies, visit our website at ReadyForEternity .com. That's the word ready, the number four, and the word eternity.

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That's all for now. Keep studying your Bible, growing closer to God, and getting ready for eternity.