The Week in Review

View of Chapter 1 & 6 Pastoral Ministry
Foundations of Ministry – March 12, 2006

Ministering within the church requires God’s people to be prepared biblically for the task. The church of today is faced with choices that could lead them away from being a biblically based church thus rendering it ineffective. John MacArthur, the author of Pastoral Ministry: How to Shepherd Biblically, gives the readers some insights into how to shepherd the church God’s way.

One of the first things the author, John MacArthur, wants his readers to understand is that the title or position of shepherd is one of responsibility and not status. The shepherds in many cultures were the ones that occupied the lowest positions. This encourages all that will accept the call to minister God’s people to understand that this is a way of sacrifice. One must be willing to accept the challenges that will come along with this call. In doing so, one must be willing to also look at how they minister alongside God’s mandated.

In the first chapter, Richard L. Mayhue writes, “A growing number of respected evangelicals believe that the present redirection of the church toward being less biblical and more acceptable to man will ultimately lead to a Christ-condemned church” (3). The writer points out ministers and pastors can take one of two routes. One is the need-based, man-centered, consumer-driven and culturally defined way (4). This way is constantly changing and is based on the desire of the people. The second way (which is the way the writer suggests) is based on God-focused, biblically defined and scripturally prioritized ministry.

It is important to care for the church but it is not in her best interest to give her everything she wants and not the things needed. The responsibility of leadership is to equip the saved for work in the mission and bring the message to the lost. When a church becomes too concerned with making believers “comfortable” one can lose the focus on the true mission of the church.

The writer warns that because of the trends of the church, people are equating religion with Christianity and “going to church” with salvation (13). He also mentions the confusion with emotion as a sign of worship in Spirit and truth and the cleverness of man’s words with the power of the gospel (13). The concern is that if the ministers and the shepherds do not lead biblically, the church will lose it’s power and be replaced with an “impotent, idolatrous religion” (13). The trend of today makes believers act as if they are attending an “elite” club or gathering. Some believers do not see or understand the importance of their part in the mission. That is why the belief of attendance as salvation is so easily accepted. If one attends, then they are part of the body and have done what is necessary to do. If the word of God is not given to combat this belief, the people will continue in this fashion.

What is the way to combat this trend? The writer, James M. George, in chapter six gives some suggestions. It is for the called to serve in a way that is in line with God’s directives. The called must confirm with God and with others they are called to the ministry. They must also have a deep desire to serve in the ministry. The called must be able to teach others or equip them for service.

I agree with the writers of these two chapters that the state of the church is greatly linked to those in leadership over the churches. This warning, however, is not a new one. Jeremiah was sent by God to the priest and the prophets of his time to give them a warning about how they were teaching the people to transgress against his laws. “The priests said not, Where is the LORD? and they that handle the law knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit” (Jeremiah 2:8).

God is still seeking leaders that will follow after him and teach the people what is right and just. The writer states, “This aspiration for the ministry is therefore an inward impulse that releases itself in outward desire. Sanders noted that it is not the office but the work that is the object desired. It must be a desire for service, not for position, fame or fortune” (90).

The call and acceptance to the ministry is to be entered into with prayer and assurance from God. When the assurance is received, then the undertaking should be done only with biblically based instruction. If one tries to lead with selfish desires or gain, the result will be a weak church, with believers not equipped for the true mission because the focus is not on God.

Work Cited

MacArthur, John, et. al. Pastoral Ministry: How to Shepherd Biblically. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2005.

Thompson, Frank Charles, D.D., PH.D. The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible, 5th ed. Indianapolis, IN: B. B. Kirkbridge Bible Co., Inc., 1988.