The pastoral ministry

The pastoral calling consists of many sides. Preaching, counseling, handling the sacraments and many other areas. But working with and training those who are closest to you, is a part of that calling that must not be neglected.

In his very last letter, Paul told his friend and disciple Timothy:

“And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”

2 Timothy 2:2

At the same time as Timothy preached, opened new churches and counseled people, he was also supposed to train other men in the same calling he had been given. This dual side of the calling, to train someone at the same time as you perform your ministry, is to me the key to church growth. When you systematically give time to train a group of people, you actually do what Jesus did with the disciples. He understood that quality fellowship with a certain group of men will, as time goes by, produce a new generation of leaders.

To be busy, is not the same as being effective. To be exhausted, does not mean you have achieved much. As leaders, we should not only work hard, we should also work smart.

The most productive time I have, is the time I spend with my leadership team. I have made this the number one priority in my schedule, and I trust God that all these wonderful pastors and department leaders whom I meet every week, will continue to develop their talents to God’s honor.

If you desire to serve God, build a leadership team. Love them, train them, invest in them and work with them. That will become your greatest joy.

TO BE BUSY, IS NOT THE SAME AS BEING EFFECTIVE. TO BE EXHAUSTED, DOES NOT MEAN YOU HAVE ACHIEVED MUCH. AS LEADERS, WE SHOULD NOT ONLY WORK HARD, WE SHOULD ALSO WORK SMART.

A car in a ditch

Once when I was driving my car on a highway during the winter, I spotted a man that had lost control of his vehicle and ended up in a deep ditch. As I stopped to check if he needed any assistance, he said everything was alright and that he did not need any particular help. Together with a couple of friends who had been riding with him in the car, they were now waiting for the tow truck.

I told them we didn’t need the truck, but we could lift the car back up on the road ourselves. The guys just looked at me and shook their heads. They pointed out how steep the hill was where the car went down, and there was no way just a few of us could pull it up again. But I insisted that we tried, and finally they agreed.

It just took us a few seconds, and the car was back on the road. The other guys looked amazed, and admitted that they never thought we could do it. But I pointed out to them the same principle that I am addressing to you; if we work together, we can do more than we imagine.

“Two are better than one.”

Ecclesiastes 4:9

Why a team
Tasks to work with

1) Speak together about what are the advantages of creating leadership teams that work together.

2) Help your team members recognize what strong and weak sides they have. Help them realize how one person’s weaknesses can be covered by another person’s strengths.

3) Think about the church you are a part of. Are there initiatives that need to be taken to establish leadership teams?

3
To lead a team
About how to prepare for leadership

Leadership is a central subject in the Bible. Jesus spent much time teaching His disciples not only that they should lead people, but also how a leader should behave and what kind of motives he must have. All kinds of leadership include influence, and it was important for Christ to teach His followers that this influence should not be used for their own gain. He warned against arrogance and exploitation of the ones they would lead, and made it clear that every leader is accountable before God for how he treats his subordinates.

Preparation

Before we can lead someone else, we must first learn to follow. God will lead us through years of preparation of character and motivation, and if we are willing to learn, He can make something beautiful out of everyone of us. We are the clay – He is the potter. We need to have a teachable heart and be attentive when He corrects us. He wants to bring out the very best in us, release the full potential He has invested in us, so we can become good and faithful leaders.

BEFORE WE CAN LEAD SOMEONE ELSE, WE MUST FIRST LEARN TO FOLLOW.

So if you want to lead a great team, you must first be a good team member. A good leader must himself learn how to follow, to listen and to be loyal. These qualities do not come overnight. Nobody can lay his hand on you and pray that you will be faithful the rest of your life. Faithfulness is built into your character step by step when you follow Jesus and learn from Him.

Leaders like Joshua, Samuel, David and Nehemiah had to be trained in obedience and how to fulfill their duties under different leaders, before God could put them in charge of others. God sees how we follow, and according to how we handle it, He calls us to lead.

I will mention three areas that I believe are particularly important for team leaders to develop: a right understanding of authority, trustworthiness and self-confidence.

1) A right understanding of authority

Maybe the most important lesson we need to learn before we step into a leadership position, is how to handle authority. All leadership includes authority, and when this is misused, it causes great harm to the church.

Jesus said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matt 28:18), and that means that the authority we possess is delegated from Him. We must never think of a position and the influence it gives as something that belongs to us. Every leadership position in the church is a stewardship. We only lead because Jesus has delegated this task to us. And we are not ready to lead anyone, until we have understood how He looks upon authority.

The main lesson is that authority is never given for selfish use. All authority in God’s kingdom is given for the purpose of serving others. Jesus said:

“The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves.”

Luke 22:25–26

ALL AUTHORITY IN GOD’S KINGDOM IS GIVEN FOR THE PURPOSE TO SERVE OTHERS.

Authority has another meaning among us than how it is perceived in the world. Jesus emphasized “Not so among you…” We must not exercise lordship over people or dominate others for our own gain. Many ministry gifts enjoy great respect from church members, but it is a great sin to use this respect to manipulate people. If a pastor from the pulpit speaks about his lack of money, some will probably show up and give him something. But that will not be because The Holy Spirit urged them, but because the pastor manipulated them with what he said.

It is good when the church takes good care of its leaders, but that must always happen in a voluntary and joyful spirit. Leaders must not announce their personal needs in front of the congregation, but trust that God will in every way care for them. God gives authority to him who serves others and uses his position for the benefit of those around him.

In the family

A good example is how the Bible teaches about leadership and family. God has already said in the book of Genesis that man should have a certain authority, but it is not enough to know what kind of authority he has, he must also know in what spirit that authority is exercised.

Let us look at what the apostle Peter says about this:

“Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.”

1 Peter 3:7

In this verse Peter says three things about exercising authority:

a) First: “…dwell with understanding”. If a man does not understand the needs of his wife and children, he can never be a good leader. Only when he is familiar with how they really feel and what they need to be happy, can he lead the family in a proper way.

This is true for every leader, in any kind of position. A leader must do what he can to understand the people he leads. Knowing their feelings and how things looks from their point of view, gives him the information he needs to make the right decisions. Jesus knew what was in the heart of his disciples. Therefore he gained their trust and confidence.

Sometimes the people you lead are eager to serve and need someone who spurs them ahead. But other times they can be tired and frustrated, and then it is more important to comfort them, than to chase them forward! A good shepherd understands the state of the flock, he knows both strengths and weaknesses among them – and chooses his actions correctly.

b) Secondly Peter says: “…giving honor”. A good leader honors the people he works with. As leaders we like to require that every worker does his best, but often forget to honor them. If you already are in a leadership position, when was the last time you really thanked your helpers? When was the last time you made a pleasant surprise for them? Have you taken the opportunity to thank them for what they are doing for the kingdom of God recently? Good leaders do things like this!

c) Third: “…being heirs together”. Peter reminds us of a very important thing: We are all heirs of the same inheritance. When the day comes when we will stand before God, we will all be on the same level. No one is a leader or a subject anymore. All privileges are gone, and we will be judged according to our deeds. Remembering this will help us to stay humble. It will protect us from arrogance and misuse of authority. It will help us to be better leaders.

These are good examples for us who serve in the church. The best that can happen to us is that we learn these principles before we start to lead ourselves. As I said, misuse of power causes great harm and brings judgment upon us.