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The Pastor's Call

The Importance, Meaning and Mechanics of Church Leadership

The First Year

My first year as pastor would be a year of careful examination, community connecting, and goal-setting. I strongly believe the Word of God provides guidance for all areas of my life. My view of ministry for a new church comes from the Word of God. In the Book of Nehemiah, we find that this cup bearer for the king went about his task of rebuilding the city walls carefully. He first surveyed the city to assess the work needed to be done. In my first year as pastor, I would, through prayer, take a careful look at the congregation so the Lord can show me the flock, their needs, and how to minister to them. Nehemiah didn't make any major changes immediately. I firmly believe that it is important for the pastor not to come in making major changes in his first year. The focus should be on getting to know the people and loving them.

This time of examination would include getting to know the Deacons, Trustees, and Ministry heads so we can come together as a leadership team. The ability for a church to accomplish its mission is in the hands of the leadership, so they must function as a team and not individuals. Once God reveals the heart of the people, he will open the door for ministry to meet their needs. I am a pastor who desires to know the people. I want to know them by name. This will be the burden I will bear in the first year as I carefully examine things.

I would work on connecting myself in the community. It is my desire to return the church back to its rightful place in the society. The church was once a strong force in the neighborhood and many programs flowed from the church to help those in need. The pastor was a known, recognizable figure in the community. His name was called when he walked into the 7-Eleven. People waved when he stopped for gas. He walked the neighborhood streets. He was a man who could get people out of trouble by giving his word. He was known in the school system and visited classrooms. It starts with the pastor getting connected in the community and its activities. I would want people to know that I am the pastor and that I represent God and His people. Through a strong connection in the community, I believe the church will grow and resources will be made available to ministries which address the needs of the people.

Finally, I would begin to set goals for myself and the ministry of the church. My personal goals remain the same but are adapted to the setting in which I am serving at the time. The goals I have are to maintain my connection with God, guard my study and prayer time, nurture my family, build the church from the inside out, and stay aligned with God's Word. In establishing goals for the church, I would gather information from the leadership team and membership. I would seek the Lord for a vision and direction to the vision. Once the vision is set, I would share the vision with the leadership team. We would then develop immediate, short and long-term goals to support the vision.

It is important for me to keep at the forefront the mission of the church given by Jesus in Matthew 28:19-20: Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:

Luke 4:18-19 : The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

These scripture bring into focus for the church a holistic ministry that will meet the needs of the saved and unsaved. I believe God will move us as he did the remnant that was in Jerusalem. He will rebuild relationships and reestablish ministries. God will bind us in His love. He will send the workers we need to do His work. I firmly believe that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him, remain in prayer, and walk in faith. I have done this in my ministry and know of no other way. As I walk in Jesus' footsteps, I am able to perform a careful examination, make community connections, and set goals for the success of His church.

The Pastorate and the Deaconate

The Bible clearly states that there are two biblical officers in the church. They are the pastor and deacon. I believe that there is no work of a pastor more imperative to his ministry than that of “equipping” and partnering with the very men who have been appointed by the church to serve the congregation with him. Deacons, according to Acts 6:3, are assigned the task of caring for the Saints. This work should never be taken lightly, the responsibility for their training rests primarily with the pastor.

Through this partnership, I believe there has to be a good working relationship between the Pastor and Deacons. There must be an understanding of roles. The Pastor is the spiritual head of the church. He functions as the shepherd for the flock. The shepherd must be involved in the lives of his sheep but this causes him to be spread thin, so the work of the Deaconate is to come alongside and assist the Pastor.

This role of the Deacon has been blurred by tradition. It is important to understand the reality of just what makes up a Deacon. A Deacon is not the director or controller of the church. He is in a position of Servant Leadership which requires him to be led by sound spiritual guidance that comes from the Pastor and the Deacon's own personal relationship with Christ. Deacons are not the Pastor's “Yes Men,” This type of treatment of Deacons degrades their position of Servanthood. As pastor, I encourage the Deacons to partner in ministry with me and be active participants in the various ministries of the church.

Through our partnership, we serve the congregation and by being examples of holiness. We serve together to administer ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper. We visit the sick, the widows, and members who have strayed from the flock. We join together in carrying out God's vision for the church. Without a good partnership with the Deacons, the Pastor is destined to fail and the church is crippled.

In my current position, the Deacons and I work hand in hand. Our focus is not on power but on building people and God's kingdom. We meet monthly to discuss the business and needs of the church. We come together to pray prior to going out to serve God's people in worship on Sunday. The Deacons and I work together to strengthen the ministry of the church. There is a Sheepfold ministry in place to care for the spiritual need of families in the church. This ministry has been designed to minister to the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of the congregation. The membership should be divided into equal groups, and a Deacon assigned to each group. We meet quarterly to discuss the Sheepfold ministry. I assign members to a Sheepfold once they complete New Members Training. The Deacon who is the Sheepfold leader then takes the responsibility for staying in contact with the members of his Sheepfold and keeping me informed of their needs. This partnership has helped in caring for the congregation and fosters good communications.

The Board of Trustees

I view the Trustees as a part of the leadership team. They are important to the success of the church because they ensure the ministry is financially stable, the church property is well maintained, and they protect us from loss or damages. The trustee ministry is very important in helping the church reach its goals.

The Trustees are not a biblical office but, like the Deaconate, are important to the overall operation of the church. The mixing of these two offices of the church often causes problems because it takes the focus off of their primary responsibilities.

The Trustees are to be people of good character. They are to be committed to the Lord. They are the people to whom the church has entrusted the church's business administration. They develop the policies and procedures associated with the business side of the church for approval by the church body. They are the people to whom the Pastor can look for guidance on tax and budget issues, and the overall financial health of the ministry.

As Pastor, my interaction with the Trustees is important. The overall operation of the church is the responsibility of the Pastor so there must be a good relationship between himself and the Trustees. I feel this relationship must include mutual respect and good communication. They have been placed in position by the church. My responsibility as Pastor is to respect that choice while monitoring their function to insure they are operating within biblical covenants and the will of the church as stated in the by-laws.

There must be good communication between the Pastor and Trustees. As Pastor, I should know the financial position of the church and the giving patterns of the membership. This doesn't mean I am over their shoulders telling them what to do. It does mean that I am provided reports each week, a report of individual giving, a budget, and a monthly budget analysis. In our communication, I would expect the Chairman of the Trustees to update me on the progress of projects as well as projects the Trustees want to present to the church.

In my current position, the Trustees and I work hand in hand. Our focus is doing what is best for the congregation and the Kingdom of God. I meet on a regular basis (normally on Friday) with the Chairman of Trustees to discuss the business and needs of the church. We discuss giving patterns as published on the weekly report. He provides input on the projects and possible issues. Our conversation is not limited to finances. We discuss the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of the congregation since he is a long-standing member with great in sight. The Chairman of Deacons, Chairman of Trustees and I meet to discuss ongoing issues and projects so when we go to the church family the Deacons Ministry and Trustee Ministry are supportive of each other.

Spiritual Leadership

The body of believers must recognize the New Testament as the Basic Foundation and guide for the church. The Bible is the foundation of my belief so I would have a problem with bylaws that would prevent me, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to lead the church. I do understand that we are also bound to obey the law of man as long as it doesn't come against the Word of God. The bylaws of many churches were written years and often decades ago. Some were written around the turn of the century. Many churches' bylaws are copied off of other churches' bylaws without scrutinizing those rules or adjusting them to the Word of God and to the specific community these bylaws will ultimately serve.

The bylaws of many churches are created around a legal mindset moreso than a spiritual mindset, and democratic majority rules are often the central basis of many church bylaws. While church voting is not, in and of itself, a bad thing, proper teaching should go forth, reminding us that, with very few exceptions, most every scriptural example we are provided for God's people to determine spiritual matters by democratic majority vote has led to dire consequences. Our right to express our opinion by vote must be tempered by our trust, first and foremost, in God, and second in the undershepherd God has placed in leadership. Not every church member is on the same spiritual level, but every church member has a vote. The majority rule, therefore, logically leverages most any church vote in favor of the statistically least spiritual, as the congregation at large embrace this process as reasonable and rational, when it is, in fact, legalism and, by the very examples set forth in scripture, not usually the wisest way to administrate the spiritual path of a body of believers. In this view, a church's bylaws should not be the same kind of document as a country's constitution, bill of rights, or even city charter. Approaching a church's bylaws the same way one might draft articles of incorporation of a city or bylaws for a lodge or Elks club, is wrongheaded.

Many churches use an evaluation process for employees and volunteers. I feel evaluations are good because they help a person improve their performance. I believe the standard for evaluating a Pastor must be from the Word of God. I certainly feel that, through prayer, bylaws should be in place to make the church focus on operating within the will of God. If I am sure in my spirit of that intent, I can be sure my ability to function and lead as Pastor would not be hindered by the bylaws.

Counseling

Sound biblical counseling adds to the spiritual health of the church. There are five principles I hold to when counseling. They are as follows: (1) pray so that I may be used by the Holy Spirit to touch lives, to offer hope and spiritual maturity, (2) strive to counsel in practical, result-oriented, holistic ways, (3) recognize the combination of the infallible Word of God in conjunction with current proven ethical and psychological applications can provide positive, practical solutions to problems, hurts, stresses, and frustrations, (4) practice Biblical requirements of love, care, support, and restoration, (5) practice confidentially as required by law and report issues as required by law.

I believe that counseling must consider (1) it must examine and evaluate all human ideologies and counseling theories and methods, first as to their consistency and agreement with the infallible Word of God, and then with their conscience, social law and professional codes of ethics (2) should work for the temporal and eternal well-being and redemption of human communities and social institutions, (3) individuals in counseling ought to submit themselves to their local church body and to the highest standards of professional education, practice, and ethics, and, (4) using the insights of the Christian faith in helping people to treat everyone as Jesus Christ would have them treated them as set forth in scripture.

I approach counseling very seriously. I will not conduct a wedding without counseling the couple for three or four sessions so they know my convictions and the biblical stance on marriage. In the event a couple has a marital problem, I will not counsel them separately. I require they both attend counseling since issues tend to come out in a proper perspective with the husband and wife both attending. I will not counsel a woman alone. I will have my wife or a mother of the church with me. This avoids the appearance of evil. In conducting family counseling, I bring the individuals who are struggling in first to work through the issues followed by the entire family since it has had an impact on them as well.

I have a degree as a social work technician. This degree required the study of various therapy theories and techniques. In bible college, I was required to take Pastoral Care and Counseling. Through my education and experience, I have learned that there are issues that arise in counseling that are deeper than my abilities so I refer the person or persons to a therapist who is qualified to help them. I don't feel this is failure on my part, but wisdom God has given me so I am not in a position to further cause damage to the person, couple, family, or situation.

Pulpit Conduct

In the King James Version of the Bible the word pulpit is a raised platform reached by steps, or a desk used for preaching and teaching in a service of worship. This is found in Neh 8:1-4 which says, “And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel. 2 And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. 3 And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law. 4 And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose.” (KJV) The pulpit is a scared and powerful platform to be use by pastors and ministers to proclaim God's Word.

I believe it is a place that God meets and anoints his servant for the proclamation of His Word. Those who stand in this place need to stand with a high standard of holy living, preparation, and dignity. The pulpit is not a place for doing anything other than proclaiming God's Word under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. I have been embarrassed being in the pulpit with pastors and ministers who treat the pulpit in a disgraceful manner. I will share three examples I have witnessed:

First, I was visiting a church in Alabama. The pastor was preaching. The Word of God was going forth then all of the sudden the pastor, in his preaching, began to cuss. I have never been so embarrassed. I could not help but to wonder what came over him and how can blessings of the Word of God come out of the same mouth as profane language. This certainly is not behavior I would want in God's house let alone in His pulpit.

The second example occurred when I was sitting under a pastor who was on the verge of being voted out. He was using the pulpit to strike out at various member. The pastor took a text that was interesting but took it out of context so he could whip those who had reported his behavior. As I stated earlier, the pulpit is a scared and powerful platform to be used to proclaim God's Word. It is not a place to push agendas, settle scores, to bully, or to prove a point. The pulpit is for the proclamation of the Word of God to His people.

A final example is of a minister who was on staff under me. I scheduled him to preach the 8:00 AM service. He selected a passage of scripture and a subject. After that, no one had a clue what he was doing. Needless to say, this brother was sat down until we did some one on one counseling and training. I do not believe in standing for God to proclaim His Word unprepared. A preacher who is called has the responsibility to pray, study, and be prepared to preach. Anything less is unacceptable. I will not tolerate it under my leadership.

These three examples are among the things that are hurting the church. Men of God called to preach must give reverence to the pulpit and their calling. We owe it to God and His people to live the life we preach and to be well-prepared to stand before his people.

Reverend Dr. Henry Johnson
18 May 2004
doctorj@praisenet.org
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