THE
CHURCH'S RESPONSIBILITIES TO THE PASTOR
Elder
David M. Green
10.19.2007
"This
is a true saying, If a man
desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work."
(1 Timothy 3:1).
My previous article was on the subject of the pastor's responsibility to the
church.
Now we want to look at the responsibility the church has toward the
pastor. As with any relationship, both parties have a great
responsibility. For a church to properly function, the Pastor and
the church both need to understand their roles.
As I wrote in my last article, so I want
to repeat it: The call to pastor one of the Lord's churches is the
highest calling a man can have. It would be a step down for a man to
leave the pastoral responsibilities to be the President of the USA.
I also want to say that it is better, much better, to Pastor one
of the Lord's churches (though they be small in size) than to pastor
one of the huge Protestant congregations. I am sure they have a
lot to offer their pastors - $500 suits, new cars, etc. but those
churches are not of the Lord. To pastor one of those churches
would be a major step down from pastoring a true New Testament Baptist
Church.
"But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." (1 Timothy 3:15).
"Unto
him be glory in the church by
Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen."
(Ephesians 3:21).
And
adding to that statement, I would have to say that the local church
is the greatest organization on the earth! It is the pillar and
ground of the truth...We have been chosen to hold the truth and make
sure it is spread from house to house, street to street, city to
city, nation to nation, and continent to continent! It is the
organization by which God has chosen to get honor and glory in.
The
fact that God has chosen there be a man to pastor his churches is
evidenced in Scripture. Let us take a look to see what the church's
responsibility is toward that man.
PRAY
FOR YOUR PASTOR
"Brethren,
pray for us." (1 Thessalonians 5:25).
A
simple statement: “Brethren, pray for us.” Yet, what
powerful words these are! Pray for your pastor!
"Praying
always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching
thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that
I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,
For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I
may speak boldly, as I ought to speak." (Ephesians
6:18-20).
Pray
that the Lord will bless the pastor so that he will be able to feed
the flock properly. Preaching the Word of God is such a HUGE
responsibility. It might be compared to carrying a nuclear weapon
- with the responsibilities that go with it - making sure that it is
used properly, not abused, neglected, etc. But handling the Word
of God is much more than that! But don't misunderstand me here,
the rewards far outweigh anything else a man can do!
"Finally,
brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free
course, and be glorified, even as it is
with you: And
that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all
men have not faith."
(2 Thessalonians 3:1-2).
Again,
we find the plea to pray for the Lord's men repeated here. Pastors
and their families are often faced with peculiar difficulties,
burdens, etc that come with the office. And why should that surprise
us? The devil loves to attack the Lord's men and their families!
Pray for your pastor that he may be used of the Lord in ways that would be pleasing to God.
Pray that God will keep him from errors.
Pray that the Lord will give him sermons that will be edifying to the church.
Pray the Lord will give him physical and spiritual strength.....
Pray that God will grant the Pastor boldness of speech, clarity of thought, and the anointing of the Holy Ghost.
Pray he will not become discouraged or burned out.
Etc. Etc. Etc.
Just pray for your pastor!
SHOW
LOVE & RESPECT TOWARDS HIM
"And
we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and
are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; And
to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake.
And be at peace among
yourselves."
(1 Thessalonians 5:12-13).
The
Lord has placed the pastor in a place of leadership. He is to lead
well, work with the church, and admonish (or teach) the church that
the Lord has placed him in. The church ought to have a love and
respect for her pastor. They ought to esteem him very highly.
That word esteem, according to Webster's 1828 dictionary
means "To prize; to set a high value on; to regard with high reverence,
respect, or friendship." The Holy Spirit did not just say to
esteem him, but to esteem him very highly!
Remember
the pastor is a man. He will have some weakness somewhere. He
might preach a bad sermon sometimes. He may say something wrong.
He may forget to shake your hand at church. Too often, after a
while some people only focus on his problems, and that is all they talk
about. Some church members only listen to their Pastor so they
can find something they disagree with. This ought not to
be. This is not the way any church member should treat their
pastor! Love him because God has
given him a HUGE responsibility. Love him because God has brought
the church and the pastor together.
If
the pastor labors in the Word of God, then he deserves the love,
respect and esteem of the people he pastors.
"Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren;" (1 Timothy 5:1).
"Against an
elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses."
(1 Timothy 5:19).
I'll
never understand the way some churches treat their pastors –
always whispering behind his back, jumping him for every little
thing, never showing him the love and respect he deserves. What a
sad thing this is! There are way too many whispering campaigns
against the Lord's men today! It's bad enough that the devil does
it, how worse it is when the members of the Lord's churches do it!
And what makes matters worse is these church members will go to
people outside of the church with their gossip. Folks, it is no
wonder the world mocks us! More damage is done that way than can
be imagined.
"Let
the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour,
especially they who labour in the word and doctrine." (1
Timothy 5:17).
The
elders that rule well are worthy of double honour! Think about how
you should treat the President of the USA....the pastor ought to be
treated double that. This could also be taken to mean that a church member
should be twice as reluctant to disagree with the Pastor, than with any
other person. And a church member should be twice as ready to defend
the Pastor as he would defend his dearest relative!
FOLLOW
& OBEY THE TRUTH HE PREACHES
"Be
ye followers of me, even as I also am
of Christ."
(1 Corinthians 11:1).
The
Pastor who is following the Lord by preaching the truth of God's Word
ought to be followed. Now, we ought not to blindly follow any man,
no matter how much we like him. But the church who has a faithful and
obedient man as their pastor deserves to be followed and obeyed.
"Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation." (Hebrews 13:7).
"Obey them that
have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for
your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with
joy, and not with grief: for that is
unprofitable for you."
(Hebrews 13:17).
Some
misuse these verses to make a dictatorship out of the pastorate, but
that is not what is being taught here. These verses teach that the
man of God who is faithful to God's word & faithful to the watch
care of the church ought to be obeyed.
ATTEND
CHURCH SERVICES
"Let
us hold fast the profession of our
faith without wavering; (for he is
faithful that promised;)
And let us consider one another to provoke unto love
and to good works: Not forsaking the
assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some
is; but exhorting one
another: and so much the more,
as ye see the day approaching."
(Hebrews 10:23-25).
Attending
the church services is the duty of all members, not just the pastor.
Some folks show up to church every once in a while. We all need to
be here every time the doors are open. You ought to be here for a
host of reasons:
Because God said to be here.
Because we need to be here.
To get encouraged and recharged.
To worship the Lord.
The
church also has a responsibility to come because the pastor is God's man.
And, as God's man, he is God's messenger. The message he has
prepared for the service is a message from God. Listen when he
preaches. You'll have time to trim your fingernails after church.
You can talk to the person next to you later. You can read that
fictional book you bought at Wal-Mart another time. Don't worry
about what you are going to do Sunday afternoon...listen to the message
the Lord has given His man!
SUPPORT
HIM FINANCIALLY
"Who
goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard,
and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and
eateth not of the milk of the flock? Say I
these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? For
it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of
the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen?
Or saith he it
altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this
is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he
that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope.
If we have sown unto you spiritual things,
is it a great thing if we shall
reap your carnal things?
If others be partakers of
this power over you,
are not we rather? Nevertheless
we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should
hinder the gospel of Christ.
Do ye not know that they which minister about holy
things live of the things
of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with
the altar? Even
so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should
live of the gospel."
(1 Corinthians 9:7-14).
A
pastor ought not to become a pastor for the money. That being said,
the church has a responsibility to support their pastor financially.
There is a benefit both for the church and the pastor in doing this.
The more the church is able to support him, the less he will be
concerned with physical things. Let me tell you from experience,
when a man works full time in a secular job and then tries to work
full time for the Lord, something suffers: either the secular job or
the church, but usually both. Add to that the Pastor's family and
they suffer too.
"Let
the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour,
especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. For
the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out
the corn. And, The labourer is
worthy of his reward."
(1 Timothy 5:17-18).
The
man of God needs to be counted worthy enough to be supported
financially. This is in the best interest of the church. I know, not
all churches can support their pastor's full time. That's ok –
as long as the church is doing what she can then she will be blessed
of God.
CONCLUSION
The church has responsibilities to the pastor. Every
pastor is different. If you expect a new pastor to be like a former
pastor, you will have major disappointments. Instead of expecting
him to be a clone of former Pastor So-and-So, expect him to be the
man God has sent your way!
God has set expectations in His Word for both the Pastor and the church. May God help us to follow Him!
RETURN TO PREVIOUS PAGE