WHY IS PASTOR MISSING IN THE BIBLE?
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists,
and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of
ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the
faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure
of the stature of the fullness of Christ, Ephesians 4:11-13
and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of
ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the
faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure
of the stature of the fullness of Christ, Ephesians 4:11-13
Poimen , the word for pastor, or shepherd, is used a number of times in the New Testament, but Ephesians 4:11 is the only place in the King James Version where it is translated "pastor." Every other time it appears in the Greek texts, it is translated "shepherd" in the English version. In this scripture, pastor [poimen] is used with the word teacher. The Greek construction there indicates that the two terms go together--we might hyphenate them in English ("pastor-teacher"). This would counter some church’s beliefs in the “five-fold ministry gifts.”
The importance of this scripture, however, is not whether Paul was talking of five ministry gifts or four. The importance lies with whom he is talking. He is writing this letter to “the saints” in Ephesus, in other words, the believers. He makes clear that in the church there will be some who are apostleS, some who are prophetS, some who are evangelistS, and some who are pastorS and teacherS. It seems clear to me that in the church there are a plurality of these ministry gifts.
The importance of this scripture, however, is not whether Paul was talking of five ministry gifts or four. The importance lies with whom he is talking. He is writing this letter to “the saints” in Ephesus, in other words, the believers. He makes clear that in the church there will be some who are apostleS, some who are prophetS, some who are evangelistS, and some who are pastorS and teacherS. It seems clear to me that in the church there are a plurality of these ministry gifts.
I also found it interesting that in most U.S. churches, the pastor is the number one person in charge of everything, but in this scripture the pastor is not even listed first, but is listed last with the ministry gift of teaching. It is like comparing the importance of pastor to the Sunday school teacher.
Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate a devoted pastor who teaches the Word well, but I have considered a different possibility for this scripture. Doesn’t the scripture imply several apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers? Considering the fact that we all have been given different kinds of gifts, different kinds of service, and different kinds of working, that more than one person is involved in a church functioning correctly? |
Who is a pastor supposed to be? In I Peter 5:1-2, Peter instructs the ELDERS to “Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseerS.” The apostle Peter confirms that the terms "elders" and "overseers" refer to the same personS, and that their work is that of pastoring or shepherding the flock.
So when we read in Ephesians 4:11 that God has given "some as pastors" (literally, "shepherds"), can we not assume that this refers primarily to these elders, or overseers, and not to a one-man office about which the rest of the New Testament is completely silent. I could argue that Paul was a pastor to the church, so was Timothy as well as the elders of Ephesus.
I would like to submit that there are possibly several pastoral callings within a church, within a neighborhood, with in a city and within a geographic area. Unfortunately, with a tradition of only one pastor, many who are qualified are overlooked. |
A pastor in all reality is an elder, someone older and more mature in their walk with God. Someone who relates to the difficulties of others and can help the sheep find their way until they can walk in their own gifts and talents. Someone who has the wisdom of God but the humble submission of Christ. A pastor who can train up the flock until they come “into the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man.” (Please remember this includes women too!) |
My I also offer, that a pastor can be anyone that cares for others and tries to shepherd them to find true life in Christ Jesus. There are pastors in offices, nursing homes, schools, fire departments, police offices, sports teams, etc. etc. Even children can display the gifting of pastoral care to friends and family. There are more pastors than the ONE who stands before you at a church service.
Most importantly, there is the Great Shepherd who sticks closer than a brother and will soon be returning to take us home where we will “understand all.” Proverbs 28:5
KLN
KLN
Visiting the Body of Christ
We have been visiting churches in the area in the hope of networking with fellow Christians as we search to bring unity, and build the Kingdom of God. It is amazing to see the work that these bodies are doing for their communities. We hope to visit your church in the weeks to come!
First Baptist Church of Deer Trail - Pastor Sam Courts
Journey Church Strasburg - Pastor Dusty Morris
Calvary Baptist Bennett- Pastor Bob McCurley
Mountain View Christian Strasburg - Pastor Donn Headley
Strasburg Community Church - Pastor Steve Musser
Living Springs Cowboy Church Byers- Pastor Zac Sanger
Save the Cowboy Kiowa - Kevin Weatherby
Cornerstone Fellowship - Pastor Keith Sauder
First Baptist Church of Deer Trail - Pastor Sam Courts
Journey Church Strasburg - Pastor Dusty Morris
Calvary Baptist Bennett- Pastor Bob McCurley
Mountain View Christian Strasburg - Pastor Donn Headley
Strasburg Community Church - Pastor Steve Musser
Living Springs Cowboy Church Byers- Pastor Zac Sanger
Save the Cowboy Kiowa - Kevin Weatherby
Cornerstone Fellowship - Pastor Keith Sauder
Galatians 6:2 encourages fellow believers to "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. As a community, we are bound together with the love of Christ. We exhibit that love through prayer for one another. Someone in our midst may be hurting, believing for a new job, seeking direction from God. When we come together in agreement for each other, we see God begin to work! We want to agree with you. We encourage our readers to let us know what we can all agree on for you. If you have a specific need that you would like us to pray for, let us know. The Word of God compels us to pray for one another in the community where we live. So agree with us as we pray for each other!
Click on the "Comments Page" button below and we will post the need here in real time. We will utilize initials for privacy sake. |
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Community Prayer List
Calling all Prayer Warriors:
-Pray for the upcoming Corridor Connections meeting @ May Farms in July
-Pray for PL for her continual guidance from God.
-Pray for our neighbors who are cleaning up from hail and floods.
-Pray for RG, he is home from rehab, but still needs healing for his back.
-Pray for LQ and his family. For healing in his sister in law's body and rest for all of them
And now, friends, we ask you to honor those leaders who work so hard for you, who have
been given the responsibility of urging and guiding you along in your obedience.
Overwhelm them with appreciation and love!
1 Thessalonians 5:12-15
been given the responsibility of urging and guiding you along in your obedience.
Overwhelm them with appreciation and love!
1 Thessalonians 5:12-15