Who is the Pastor?

This would greatly depend on who you ask and from what denominational affiliation they follow. Some would say the Senior Minister but finding such a person in scripture will be difficult. The word most times translated "Minister" in scripture comes from [diokonos] and is translated either minister or servant. It is where we get our English word (transliterated) as deacon.

The word for Pastor or shepherd is found 18 times in the New Testament. most times it refers to a literal shepherd of real sheep. It is however found three times in reference to church leadership. The first is in Acts 20 where Paul upon returning to Jerusalem and knowing he most likely will not see the churches he established again calls for the "Elders" of Ephesus for some final instructions. he concludes with this:
Acts 20:28-31 (NASB) 28 "Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. 29 "I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31 "Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.

Paul first calls the Elders (presbuteros) and this is their title or designation. they are the spiritually more mature within the church.
Paul tells these men that the Holy Spirit has made them overseers (episkopos) sometimes translated as bishops in the church. This is their ministry or the work they have been called to do.
Finally Paul says they are to shepherd (poimene) the church (also translated Pastor) and this refers to how the overseeing is to be accomplished. as a shepherd tends to his flock. lovingly. kindly, compassionately but also with a firm hand.

All three designations, Elder, Overseer and Shepherd/Pastor refer to the one man or one office. His title, his mission and the way the mission is to be carried out. I is he who is the protector of the flock from false teaching and teachers. This is a very serious and special ministry because those under the care of the Elder/Pastor are tending those purchased with a special price, His own blood.

These men are to be qualified as required in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. It is not a popularity contest! We do not appoint men Elders merely because we need Elders. We do not appoint Elders because they are the biggest givers or the most influential or have great influence over others. They are to be Spirit gifted and qualified men who strongly desire the office first and foremost.

The Holy Spirit gave four offices for church leadership as is recorded in Ephesians 4:11 (NASB) 11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,. The keen eyed reader will notice there is no "and some as" between Pastors and Teachers. I fully believe this is the same office. Pastor/Teacher or the Pastor who teaches. we do not see Senior Minister in that list. The Pastor/Elder is the Spirit designated shepherd of Christs flock as under-shepherd of the Chief or Great Shepherd. In a future blog we will examine how this system of Ministers came about.

The third passage that speaks to this man is 1 Peter 5:1-2 (NASB) 1 Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, 2 shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness;
Peter exhorts the Elders as a fellow Elder to Shepherd (poimene) or Pastor the flock. not by compulsion but by a strong desire (voluntarily) as scripture tells us in I Timothy 3 and according to Gods will for the church and not his own will or desires and not with a view to what he will get out of it. I know of few men who become elders thinking they will either get rich or some elevated praise. usually the exact opposite is the case.

Finally, we are told that Paul appointed Elders in every church/City as was his habit. He did not appoint Ministers or those with the proper credentials (degrees from one of our colleges) or any other recent requirement. He appointed Elder/Shepherds to continue the work after he left. He also commanded that Timothy (an apostolic delegate) do the same. This is not to say that those fine men we call Ministers today cannot be one of the Elders in the church in which they serve. Many a church has made this restriction and frankly it is unscriptural. Whether it is for better control over the man or some other misguided agenda, it is just plain wrong. A man gifted and qualified by the Holy Spirit should not be treated any less then any other man simply because we have chosen to hire from without.

I have talked with many ministers who quite frankly feel like monkeys who are made to dance for the organ grinders (elders) to receive their weekly coin. They are treated merely as employees and given the least amount possible for the most amount of labor. Is it any wonder that so many churches today focus on numbers? Numbers are what keep the paid minister in the good graces of the Elders and are his job protection. As a part of what is called the Restoration Movement of Churches it has been our goal to restore the church of the first century. In many areas we have succeeded. we have no man made creeds, no denominational affiliations, the scriptures are our only rule of faith and we accept any and all as brothers who adhere to Gods word and what it demands, but in the area of church leadership, we have sadly failed to even address the topic.

John