Baptist Pastoral Ministry, Missions, and Church Leadership — Unit 1: The Baptist Pastor: Shepherd, Preacher, Servant

Key Verse

"Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock." (1 Peter 5:2-3, NKJV)

Learning Objectives

When you finish this unit, you should be able to:

1. Explain why the New Testament uses three names, pastor, elder and overseer, for one work.

2. Describe the pastor's three tasks of shepherding, preaching and serving, with Scripture for each.

3. Distinguish the inward call from the church's call, and say why a Baptist pastor needs both.

4. Explain how a pastor leads in a congregational church without becoming either a ruler or a hired hand.

5. State the main Baptist positions on who may hold the pastoral office and on the support of the pastor, and answer the common objections.

The Voice of This Course

This course is written from inside the Baptist tradition, for Baptist pastors and those preparing to serve. It is theologically conservative. We hold that the Bible is the inspired, authoritative and sufficient Word of God, and we hold the historic Baptist convictions about the church, the ordinances and the freedom of the local congregation. Where other Christians or historians see things differently, we state their view fairly and then give the Baptist answer. Baptists have never agreed on everything, and when Baptists differ among themselves we say so. Baptist history, doctrine and church government are taught in Courses 1 to 3. This course is about the daily work of leading a church, and it begins with the leader himself.

Three Names for One Work

The New Testament uses three words for the men who lead a local church. "Pastor" means shepherd. "Elder" points to a mature man who deserves respect. "Overseer" points to the work of watching over a flock. These are not three ranks. They are three ways of describing one office.

The proof is in the texts. In Acts 20:17 Paul calls for the elders of the church at Ephesus. In verse 28 he tells the same men that the Holy Spirit has made them overseers, to shepherd the church of God. Peter writes to the elders and tells them to shepherd the flock and serve as overseers (1 Peter 5:1-2). In Titus 1:5 and 1:7 Paul uses "elder" and "overseer" for the same men.

For this reason Baptists have never accepted a ladder of offices in which bishops rule over pastors. The local church has two offices, pastor and deacon. This is the teaching of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, and of older confessions such as the Second London Confession of 1689. Baptists do differ on whether a church should have one pastor or a team of elders. That debate belongs to Course 3, Unit 4. In this unit we use the word "pastor" for the man called to lead the church in the Word and in care, and what we say applies to every man in that office.

The Pastor as Shepherd

The picture of the shepherd runs through the whole Bible. The Lord is the shepherd of His people in Psalm 23. Jesus calls Himself the good shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep (John 10:11), and Peter calls Him the Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4). A pastor is an under-shepherd. He does not own the flock. Acts 20:28 calls the church the one "which He purchased with His own blood," and Peter calls it "the flock of God." The church is not his property or his career. It belongs to Christ.

A good shepherd does four things.

He feeds. Jesus said to Peter, "Feed My lambs" and "Tend My sheep" (John 21:15-17). The food of the flock is the Word of God. A church fed on opinions and entertainment will grow thin.

He leads. Peter tells pastors to be "examples to the flock." A shepherd walked ahead, and the sheep followed. The pastor leads first by the way he lives.

He protects. Paul warned the Ephesian elders that savage wolves would come in, and that men would rise up from among them speaking twisted things (Acts 20:29-31). Protection means teaching sound doctrine and correcting error with patience.

He knows the sheep. Jesus said, "I know My sheep" (John 10:14). A pastor who does not know the names, troubles and joys of his people is a preacher but not yet a shepherd. Unit 2 is given to this work of care.

The Pastor as Preacher and Teacher

Baptists are people of the Book, and the pastor is the man who opens it for the church. Paul charged Timothy, "Preach the word" (2 Timothy 4:2). Among the qualifications for an overseer is that he be "able to teach" (1 Timothy 3:2). He must hold firmly to the faithful word so that he can both encourage others with sound teaching and correct those who oppose it (Titus 1:9). When the early church faced a dispute over the care of widows, the apostles refused to leave the word for tables, and said, "we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word" (Acts 6:4). Prayer and the Word are the pastor's first work.

Baptist preaching explains the text of Scripture and applies it to life. It is not the preacher's opinions with a verse attached. Course 4 gives three units to this subject (Units 6 to 8), so we say only this here: the pastor teaches the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27), not only the parts that please the people.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the famous nineteenth-century London Baptist pastor, spoke to young preachers in his Lectures to My Students. Many of the lectures are about the preacher himself, and not only about method. A man cannot long give to others what he does not himself possess. Paul told Timothy to take heed to himself and to the doctrine (1 Timothy 4:16).

The Pastor as Servant

Jesus told His disciples that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, but "whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant" (Mark 10:42-44). He then pointed to Himself, who came "not to be served but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). He washed the disciples' feet (John 13:14-15). Paul wrote that we preach Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as bondservants of the church for Jesus' sake (2 Corinthians 4:5).

Serving does not mean doing everything. Ephesians 4:11-12 says Christ gave "pastors and teachers" to the church "for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry." The servant-pastor prepares the others to work. A pastor who does everything robs his people of their calling, and he will soon be worn out.

The Call to the Ministry

How does a man come to be a pastor? Baptists have usually spoken of two calls, and both are needed.

The inward call. Paul writes, "If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work" (1 Timothy 3:1). The desire is real. It is a burden to serve God's people that does not go away. But a desire alone proves nothing, because men may want the office for honor, comfort or control. It must be tested.

The outward call. The church tests it. In Acts 13:1-3 the church at Antioch, led by the Spirit, set apart Barnabas and Saul. In Acts 14:23 Paul and Barnabas appointed elders in every church after prayer and fasting. Gifts and character must be visible, and the church must be willing to follow the man. Spurgeon taught that a sincere desire to preach must be proved by gifts and by the response of God's people.

In Baptist practice the local church itself calls its pastor, normally by vote, and the local church ordains him. Neighboring pastors may be asked to examine him and advise, but the final act belongs to the congregation.

Why do we need both calls? A man with only the inward call may be self-appointed, sincere but unfit. A man with only the outward call may be doing a job and not answering God.

The Pastor's Character

Two passages list the qualifications: 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. The overseer must be above reproach, faithful in marriage, temperate, hospitable and able to teach. He must not be a drunkard, violent, quarrelsome or a lover of money. He must manage his own household well. He must not be a new convert, and he must have a good reputation with outsiders (1 Timothy 3:2-7).

Most of these are matters of character and not talent. A gifted man whose life is crooked will do harm.

One phrase is debated among Baptists: "the husband of one wife." Some read it as barring any man who has been divorced and remarried. Others read it as requiring faithfulness in marriage now, and consider each case on its merits. All Baptists agree that a pastor's marriage must be faithful and honorable, and that the church must take great care.

Who May Hold the Office?

Baptists are divided on this question, and a pastor needs to understand both positions.

The main view among conservative Baptist bodies, stated in the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, is that men and women are both gifted for service in the church but that the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture. Supporters point to 1 Timothy 2:12, to the requirement in 1 Timothy 3:2 and Titus 1:6 that the overseer be the husband of one wife, and to the pattern of the apostles and elders in the New Testament.

Some Baptist bodies and churches ordain women as pastors. They point to Galatians 3:28, where Paul says there is neither male nor female in Christ, and to women such as Priscilla, who with her husband taught Apollos (Acts 18:26), and Phoebe, called a servant of the church at Cenchrea (Romans 16:1). They argue that the restrictions in Paul's letters applied to particular situations.

The answer from the majority side is this. We rejoice in what those texts show: women taught, served and worked for the gospel. Galatians 3:28 speaks of equal standing before God in salvation, and no one denies it. But none of these passages shows a woman holding the office of overseer, and Paul's rule in 1 Timothy 2 is grounded in creation (verses 13-14) and not only in local custom. For this reason most conservative Baptists keep the office of pastor for men. Baptist women have served widely as teachers, missionaries, writers and counselors, and we affirm that service gladly. Those who hold the other view are fellow believers, and we speak of them with respect.

Authority and Accountability in a Congregational Church

A Baptist church governs itself under Christ. Course 3 explains how. The pastor's authority is therefore real but limited.

It is real. Hebrews 13:17 says, "Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account." Elders who rule well are worthy of double honor (1 Timothy 5:17).

It is limited. Peter says pastors are not to be "lords over those entrusted to you." The congregation holds final human authority under Christ in membership, discipline, doctrine and finances. He leads by teaching, example and persuasion, not by force.

Two mistakes follow when this is forgotten. In the first, the church treats the pastor as a hired hand, an employee who does what the committee tells him. In the second, the pastor behaves as a small pope or a company chief who owns the church. Both forget that Christ is the head.

Objection: "If every believer is a priest, we do not need a pastor." Baptists do teach the priesthood of all believers. Every Christian has direct access to God through Christ (Hebrews 4:16; 1 Peter 2:9), and no pastor stands between a believer and the Lord. But the same New Testament that teaches the priesthood of all believers also tells us that Christ gave pastors and teachers to the church (Ephesians 4:11). The priesthood of believers removes the pastor as mediator. It does not remove him as shepherd and teacher.

Support and the Bivocational Pastor

Scripture teaches that those who serve the church by the Word should be supported. Paul says, "the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel" (1 Corinthians 9:14). He adds that the laborer is worthy of his wages (1 Timothy 5:17-18; Galatians 6:6).

Paul himself sometimes made tents (Acts 18:3; 1 Thessalonians 2:9), so as not to burden a young church. In many parts of the world, including Latin America and Africa, many Baptist pastors are bivocational: they earn their living at another job and pastor in their remaining time. This is honorable. The ideal is that the church supports its pastor as well as it is able, so that he can give himself to prayer and the Word, but a church that cannot yet do so must not despise a man who also works.

Objection: "Paid pastors preach for money." Peter answers it. Pastors must serve "not for dishonest gain but eagerly." The fault is not in receiving support. The fault is in a greedy heart. A church should deal with its pastor honestly and generously, and a pastor should live simply and never use the ministry for profit.

Pastoral Application

Pastor Daniel, a fictional example, is thirty-one years old. He teaches in a school during the week and pastors a Baptist church of about seventy people in a small town. Two deacons tell him, kindly, that he should visit more. A senior member says, "The pastor is our employee, so he should do what we vote." A younger member says, "A pastor should be the boss, as in other churches."

Daniel does not argue about words. First, he returns to his Bible and to prayer, and asks whether the deacons are right. Second, he asks the deacons to share the visiting (see Unit 2). Third, he teaches the church from 1 Peter 5:2-3, Hebrews 13:17 and Ephesians 4:11-12, that he is neither a hired hand nor a ruler but an under-shepherd who equips others. Fourth, he asks the church to agree on a short written list of what it expects of him, so that all can see what he does.

Summary

The New Testament uses pastor, elder and overseer for one office in the local church, which has two offices, pastor and deacon. The pastor is a shepherd who feeds, leads, protects and knows the flock, a preacher who gives himself to prayer and the Word, and a servant who equips the saints for ministry and does not lord it over them. Two calls are needed: the inward desire and the outward call of the church, which calls and ordains him. His character, as listed in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, matters more than his talent. Most conservative Baptist bodies reserve the pastoral office to men, while some Baptists ordain women, and women serve widely in other ministries. In a congregational church the pastor's authority is real but limited, so he is neither a hired hand nor a ruler. Pastors should be supported by the church, and bivocational pastors are honored.

Further Reading

• Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students, especially the lectures on the minister's self-watch and on the call to the ministry.

• Richard Baxter, The Reformed Pastor (1656), a classic Puritan work on pastoral care.

• J. M. Pendleton, Church Manual (1867), on the pastor and the church.

• Baptist Faith and Message 2000, Article VI, on the church and its offices.

• Second London Confession (1689), chapter on the church.

• Course 2 reading lists, including James Leo Garrett Jr., Baptist Theology (2009).

• Course 3, Unit 4 (the pastor/elder office) and Course 4, Units 6-8 (preaching).

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