The following 20 quotes caught my attention as I worked through Brian Croft’s The Pastor’s Ministry: Biblical Priorities for Faithful Shepherds (Zondervan, 2015).
“Those who pastor God’s people experience many of the same pulls, pressures, demands, and responsibilities as other Christians. And because a pastor is called to be involved in the lives of the people in his congregation, he must learn to juggle his own schedule with the hectic schedules of his church members as well. Their busy lives create additional tension in ministry, setting many pastors up for failure — even before they begin.” (13)
Be Shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them — not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away (1 Peter 5:2-4).
“Peter’s exhortation to pastors can be summarized in a single sentence: “Be shepherds of God’s flock under your care until the Chief Shepherd appears.” And in case you missed it, Peter is pretty clear about the who, what, when, and how of a pastor’s biblical calling.”
What: “Be shepherds of God’s flock.”
Who: “The “flock that is under your care.”
How: “Not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.”
When: Until “the Chief Shepherd [Jesus Christ] appears” — returning for his flock placed in your care. (14-15)
“Pastors are called to be guardians of the truth. And like a father protecting his daughter from attack, this calling requires courageous, sacrificial action. A pastor must care for his people, yes, but it means guarding them and guarding the truth by protecting them from false teaching. It means helping them understand and grow in the good news of God’s word…if we lose the truth, we have nothing left to give our people.” (22)
“Like Timothy and Titus, we must be aware that a key part of our responsibility in guarding the truth of the gospel is making sure we understand it and that we declare certain key aspects of the message. We need to speak about the sinlessness of Jesus, the fully divine and fully human natures of Jesus, the substitutionary atonement of his death, the imputation of righteousness and reality of forgiveness for his followers, the physical resurrection of Jesus, and his rulership at the right hand of God.” (29)
“Pastors should try to stay up on the current events and latest cultural news. They need to be aware of what is happening in our academic institutions, be informed about upcoming political elections, and have their pulse on the moral controversies of our day. Obviously, they can’t be an expert on everything. But they need to have a basic knowledge of the world in which they live so they know how to guard the truth and can effectively disciple their flock to guard the truth. Apologetics is not simply knowing how to share the gospel; it requires some knowledge of modern heresies and cultural barriers to the gospel. A pastor who understands the culture is better equipped to guard the truth and to teach others to do the same.” (33)
“As the apostles pass on the torch to the next generation, the pattern set by the apostles is continued. Pastors of local churches continue preaching the apostolic witness for the establishment, growth, and health of the people of God.” (42).
“Pastors must study and prepare themselves so they can hear God’s word. A pastor internalizes that word and then preaches it to the people by the Spirit, calling his particular people to respond in obedience. This is more than a human activity; it is a divinely designed spiritual experience between a pastor and his congregation. And the work of preparation is an essential component. It does not happen when a pastor preaches another’s sermons or skimps on the work of preparation. The heart work is key as well, and it is well worth the investment of time as it bears spiritual fruit.” (43).
“Pastors, we need to be grateful for the abundance of commentaries and theological writings we have available to us. Use them! Let them confirm and even correct your own thoughts after you have done your own study. But guard yourself from relying too heavily on them. Busy pastors are frequently tempted to take the path of least resistance and preach the thoughts of others instead of doing the hard work of allowing the Spirit of the living God to work that text in us as a word that will speak specifically to our flock. Authentic, biblical, Spirit-filled preaching happens when a preacher has been deeply impacted by a passage.” (46)
“Many pastors, myself included, will go week after week until eventually that soft but necessary voice calling us to stop and pray just fades out. If enough time passes, the voice of conviction and desire will go away. When that happens, prayer gets squeezed out of our life. Ironically, a pastor can be so busy caring for his people that he never makes time to stop and pray for them. But this isn’t right. It reveals a lack of faith and a problem with misplaced priorities.” (52)
“The godly, faithful life of pastors, or lack thereof, will set the tone for the entire church they serve.” (70).
“We must never forget that we as pastors are where we are today because someone first spoke the word of God to us, taught us, and invested in us. Now we are in the privileged position as preachers of God’s word and pastors of God’s people to do the same in the lives of others.” (72)
“How can a pastor set an example for his people if he only sees them once a week? A pastor should certainly prepare to preach the word, but the word must be ministered both publicly and privately. A pastor best accomplishes this by going to where his people are and spending time with them. Where are your people during the week? You may want to meet a young professional at his workplace, visit an elderly woman in her home and work in her garden with her, or invite a young married couple to your home to talk about the challenges and joys of marriage and raising a family. Let them see the example of your family life as they set out to establish theirs. The shepherd must spend time with the sheep if he wants to be the example God calls him to be.” (75)
“Don’t excuse yourself from the biblical calling to set an example for the flock. Yes, you are a sinner, and you are not perfect. God knows that pastors need the cleansing blood of Jesus and the good news of what Jesus has done, just as much as anyone else. But we also know that God sets a higher standard for leaders. Our acceptance before God has already been fully met for us in Christ. So seek to be an example to others in freedom, knowing Christ has already met the standard you could never meet.” (76-77)
“We rarely notice good, effective eye contact, that is, until we experience bad eye contact. Consider for a moment the importance of eye contact in casual conversation with someone. Good eye contact communicates interest in both the person and what is being said, while bad eye contact communicates disinterest, boredom, and presumed tension between both parties. These principles are magnified in a hospital room…We should be disciplined with our eye contact in our conversations with others, especially when visiting those who are sick.” (94)
“The hospital room and the funeral home are some of the best classrooms in which to learn pastoral ministry. I have held the hands of elderly saints and prayed over them as they took their last breath. I have won over my ‘enemies’ because I took the time to visit them when they were in the hospital. I have watched despair turn to hope as I’ve sat with a grieving widow and talked about Christ. The hospital room and the funeral home present pastors with learning opportunities that can’t be found elsewhere. Death reminds us of our frailty and brokenness. It jolts our hearts out of the delusion of invincibility. Death restores our focus on the eternal things when we are daily tempted to live in the temporal.” (99)
“Widows are largely neglected and forgotten about in the church today. Surely there are exceptions, but it is difficult to argue against the fact that our culture is infatuated with youth. Large portions of the evangelical church seem to be unaware of the biblical call to care for widows, even as they embrace the ministry of the fatherless and the poor. Even those who recognize widows as a distinct group identified in Scripture, many churches still do not make this ministry a priority.” (114)
“When it comes to younger widows, a pastor’s wife can be a special friend, a companion, and a wise accountability partner. We pastors need to be intentional about involving our wives in caring for younger widows, not just for the companionship they provide, but to help us avoid becoming ensnared in dangerous situations as we spend time ministering to vulnerable women struggling with emotional and spiritual challenges brought on by their loss…Though most pastors care with the best of intentions, we must remember that no one is above temptation, and pastors must guard their lives and their hearts by avoiding potentially compromising situations.” (124)
“The irony of church discipline is that many people, including many Christians, wrongly assume that confronting sin is judgmental and unloving…How tragic when a pastor knows of a habitual sin or lifestyle pattern and fears for a person’s soul, yet says nothing! We do not want our sheep to meet Jesus one day and say to him, ‘Lord, I did this in your name, and I did that in your name, and I was in the leadership in your church…’ only to have Jesus say to them, ‘I never knew you’ (Matthew 7:23).” (141-142)
“When a pastor senses he is growing frustrated with a weaker person or is growing impatient over the lack of change and growth, it’s helpful to take a step back and consider this question: How does my timeline for change contrast with God’s timeline? The truth is that we are never guaranteed a certain rate of growth that is the same for every individual. Each person is unique, facing different challenges in the fight against sin.” (151)
“Allow me to add a final plea for this priority to find its way into ever shepherd’s ministry. It takes a pastor to recognize a pastor. As you look for those who have the gift to serve in pastoral ministry, try to set aside for a moment a person’s apparent immaturity and discern who may have a special gift from God to teach his word and care for his people. Even if you don’t have a formal process for identifying and training, you can start by taking this individual to the hospital with you. Let them tag along on your visits to shut-ins. When you sense it’s time, let them lead a Sunday school class or a small group Bible study where you can observe them…The process begins with pastors. If pastors do not accept this role and make this a priority, who will? If pastors do not look to identify and train leaders, who will?” (176)
Michael Carlino serves on the administrative side of the Mathena Center as the Student Associate and Garrett Fellow. He is a Ph.D. student at SBTS and was a Mathena intern in 2018-2019. Michael aspires to be the lead pastor in a church revitalization effort.