This week our pastoral staff spent some time looking at what it means for us to do “church” ministry. One of the challenges the pastoral team faces is the many expectations both the leadership and congregation have of them. As I’ve observed churches and spoken to church leaders both here in Sydney and overseas, it’s amazing the diverse expectations churches have of their pastors. Counsellor, strategist, administrator, fund-raiser, musician, communicator, preacher, evangelist, mobilizer, mentor, vision caster, problem solver, cleaner, care-taker … the list is endless. There’s a difference between what the church wants and what the church needs. Growing as a church will take pastors and leaders who will give the church what it biblically needs. But growing a church will also take a congregation that knows what they should expect biblically from their pastors and leaders. When there is biblical congruency between what our pastors and leaders are giving, and what our congregation is expecting, we will grow.
Ephesians 4:11-16, tells us what we should expect biblically of our pastors/teachers. There we are told that God gave the church pastors/teachers (there is no ‘and’ in the NIV bible separating pastor and teacher. A pastor pastors through teaching the word, and a teacher pastors by teaching the word). The role of the pastor/teacher is to serve the church by equipping all God’s people to serve in ministry and to grow in maturity, so that they might stand firm and not fall over in the Christian life. That means that the role of our pastors and leaders is to help you work out how to serve others at church (ministry); helping you discover and unpack the gifts God has given you to serve at church, so that together with others you might grow in maturity to become more like Jesus (maturity). There are many needs at church, but we’re told here that our greatest need is to grow in ministry and maturity so that we might become more like Jesus. Your leaders and pastors are there to help you do this. It’s not just their primary responsibility, it’s biblically what God has called them to focus on; to do and busy themselves with. My role is to pastor/teach you by helping you work out how to best serve using the gifts God has given you, so that together with others as you do this, you might grow to be more like Jesus. It’s the role of all our leaders to do this. But it’s also your role to want to be equipped to serve others; to want to discover and use your gifts at church, so that you might grow in maturity with others.
In fact, we’re told in v.16, that when there is congruency between what your pastors and leaders are giving, and what you are expecting, we will grow, because as Paul put’s it, ‘each part does its work’. If you’re a leader may you focus on and busy yourself equipping others in ministry and maturity. If you’re not a leader may you focus on and seek to be equipped in ministry and maturity. It’s what every church needs, it’s what our church needs to grow.
