A reason why the church in this country is at such a low ebb has come to my inbox today. At a seminar at a recent Christian gathering the 50 people in attendance were asked what their top ten priorities would be for a minister in a Scottish church. The final list is below, I'm not sure if they are ranked by importance, but looking at the list I'm not sure that it makes much of a difference.
1. Leadership skills
2. Developing Abilities
3. Recognising Abilities
4. Knowledge of denominational principles
5. Good communicator
6. People focused
7. Knowledge of church structure
8. Practical work experience
9. Management skills
10. Active participant in the community
No place for..... well you tell me what you think is missing.
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2 comments:
Scott...
I found that so unbelievably sad and so incredibly concerning. I'm no genius, nor am i am I drawing on decades of pastoral experience, but i just drew up the following list and made 11 points without even mentioning one of the 10 that were mentioned in your post. I can't believe there is no mention of a pastor as one who...
1. Loves Jesus
2. Knows the Gospel of Jesus' coming, living, dying and rising and to be able to live out that Gospel every day
3. is mighty in the Scriptures (like apollos - Acts 18:24).
4. is able to correctly handle the word of truth (2 tim 2:15) by valuing doctrine and fending off false teaching
5. is passionate preacher of God's living and active Word in an expository way that lets God's Word do the talking and continue to change lives
6. is a man of prayer - need i point out the obvious - like Jesus
7. An example for the believers in speech, life, love, faith and purity
8. Knows an overwhelming desire to love and shepherd the flock God entrusts to him with great care and careful attention
9. Has the heart of Jesus for the world and a strong missional desire to reach out
10. is clear and focussed in teaching, applying and leading a church within the biblical pattern of a local church
11. Humble
Scott, it breaks my heart to see a list that could so easily describe (on the whole) any job in the secular world involved with social care and miss out entirely what Scripture teaches us about Pastors and leaders and their giftings. These are just a few quick thoughts and not in any thought through order of importance at this stage. Here are some attributes a pastor should have:
1. A growing love for Jesus Christ with an understanding of His grace expressed through His life, death and resurrection – Matt 22:37, Phil 1:9-11, 1 Peter 1:3-9
2. Exhibits Christ-like attributes, imitating and modelling Jesus to others – Col 5:1-2, 1 Tim 4:15-16
3. Lives a life of integrity in all aspects of life – private and public – 1 Tim 4:12
4. Godly and pursues righteousness and godly living – Col 3:1-17, 1 Tim 6:11
5. Trustworthy in holding and teaching doctrine – 2 Tim 2:15, 2 Tim 3:14, Titus 1:9, Titus 2:1
6. Preaches the Word truthfully and correctly and is passionate about the expository preaching of God’s Word in its entirety whereby the Word speaks and not simply the preacher. 2 Tim 3:16-17, 2 Tim 4:2-3
7. A man of prayer – Col 4:2, 1 Tim 2:1-8
8. Committed to sharing Jesus (missionary minded/evangelist) – Matt 28:18-20, 2 Tim 1:8-12, 2 Tim 4:5
9. A humble man – Phil 2:1-11, Col 3:12, 1 Peter 5:5-6
10. Shepherd of the flock – Psalm 23, Col 1:28, 1 Thes 2:10-12
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