Huduma ya Kichungaji, Uhubiri na Misheni ya Kireformed — Sehemu ya 4: Utunzaji wa Kichungaji: Mchungaji wa Kireformed wa BaxterReformed Pastoral Ministry, Preaching, and Missions — Unit 4: Pastoral Care: Baxter's Reformed Pastor

Mstari MkuuKey Verse

"Jitunzeni nafsi zenu, na lile kundi lote, ambalo Roho Mtakatifu amewaweka ninyi kuwa waangalizi ndani yake, mlichunge kanisa la Mungu, alilolinunua kwa damu yake mwenyewe." (Matendo 20:28, SUV)"Therefore take heed to yourselves and to 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." (Acts 20:28, NKJV)

Malengo ya KujifunzaLearning Objectives

Utakapomaliza kipindi hiki, uweze:When you finish this unit, you should be able to:

1. Kumweleza Richard Baxter, huduma yake huko Kidderminster, na kusudi la The Reformed Pastor (1656).1. Describe Richard Baxter, his ministry at Kidderminster, and the purpose of The Reformed Pastor (1656).

2. Kueleza kwa nini Baxter, akifuata Matendo 20:28, huweka utunzaji wa mchungaji mwenyewe kabla ya utunzaji wa kundi.2. Explain why Baxter, following Acts 20:28, puts care of the pastor himself before care of the flock.

3. Kueleza sehemu kuu za utunzaji wa kichungaji: kufundisha kibinafsi, kutembelea, kuwatunza wagonjwa, wanaokaribia kufa na wenye huzuni, kuwafariji wenye mashaka, na kuwarejesha wanaopotea.3. Describe the main parts of pastoral care: personal teaching, visiting, care of the sick, the dying and the grieving, comfort for the doubting, and restoring the straying.

4. Kueleza mijadala juu ya mfano wa Baxter na pingamizi dhidi ya utunzaji wa kichungaji wa kibinafsi, pamoja na majibu ya Kireformed.4. State the debates over Baxter's example and the objections to personal pastoral care, with the Reformed answers.

5. Kueleza jinsi mchungaji anavyoshiriki utunzaji wa kichungaji na wazee, mashemasi na kusanyiko lote.5. Describe how a pastor shares pastoral care with elders, deacons and the whole congregation.

Sauti ya Kozi HiiThe Voice of This Course

Kozi hii imeandikwa kutoka ndani ya utamaduni wa Kireformed na Kipresbiteri, kwa ajili ya wanafunzi wanaoushiriki. Ni ya kihafidhina na inashikilia kwamba Maandiko ni Neno la Mungu lililopuliziwa na lisilo na kosa. Inaposema "sisi," inamaanisha makanisa ya Kireformed yanayofuata maungamo. Pale Wakristo wengine wanapotofautiana, tunaeleza mitazamo yao kwa haki kisha tunajibu. Kipindi cha 2 kilizungumza juu ya mimbari na Kipindi cha 3 juu ya ufundishaji. Kipindi hiki kinazungumza juu ya mchungaji katika nyumba, vyumba vya wagonjwa na mahali pagumu pa maisha ya watu wake.This course is written from inside the Reformed and Presbyterian tradition, for students who belong to it. It is conservative and holds Scripture to be the inspired and inerrant Word of God. When it says "we," it means the confessional Reformed churches. Where other Christians differ, we state their views fairly and then answer. Unit 2 spoke of the pulpit and Unit 3 of teaching. This unit speaks of the pastor in the homes, the sickrooms and the hard places of his people's lives.

Richard Baxter Alikuwa Nani?Who Was Richard Baxter?

Richard Baxter (1615-1691) alikuwa mchungaji Mpuritani wa Uingereza. Aliwahudumia watu wa Kidderminster, mji wa wafumaji katika magharibi ya Uingereza, katika miaka ya 1640 na 1650. Hakuwa mwanachama wa Baraza la Westminster, lakini alikuwa wa harakati ileile ya Wapuritani iliyolizaa, na Kozi ya 1 inasimulia hadithi hiyo. Baada ya kurejeshwa kwa ufalme alikataa kukubali Sheria ya Umoja (Act of Uniformity), na alikuwa miongoni mwa wahudumu waliofukuzwa katika Kanisa la Uingereza mwaka 1662. Alipata afya mbaya kwa sehemu kubwa ya maisha yake, na baadaye alifungwa gerezani. Aliandika vitabu vingi sana. Viwili kati yake, The Saints' Everlasting Rest (1650) na A Call to the Unconverted (1658), vilisomwa sana.Richard Baxter (1615-1691) was an English Puritan pastor. He served the people of Kidderminster, a town of weavers in the west of England, during the 1640s and 1650s. He was not a member of the Westminster Assembly, but he belonged to the same Puritan movement that produced it, and Course 1 tells that story. After the restoration of the monarchy he refused to submit to the Act of Uniformity, and he was among the ministers forced out of the Church of England in 1662. He suffered poor health through much of his life, and he later suffered imprisonment. He wrote a great many books. Two of them, The Saints' Everlasting Rest (1650) and A Call to the Unconverted (1658), were widely read.

Kitabu chake kinachojulikana zaidi juu ya huduma ni The Reformed Pastor, kilichochapishwa mwaka 1656. Kilitokana na mpango wa wahudumu wa kaunti yake kukutana na kufanya upya kazi yao. Neno "Reformed" katika kichwa linasomwa vizuri zaidi kama wito kwa wachungaji kufanywa upya na kuwa waaminifu katika maisha na kazi yao wenyewe, pamoja na kuwa taswira ya roho ya Wapuritani ya kutaka marekebisho. Hakuwa akiandika mwongozo wa uongozi wa kanisa. Aliandika kama mchungaji kwa wachungaji.His best-known book on ministry is The Reformed Pastor, published in 1656. It grew out of a plan for the ministers of his county to meet and renew their work. The word "Reformed" in the title is best read as a call for pastors to be renewed and faithful in their own life and work, as well as a reflection of the Puritan reforming spirit. He was not writing a manual of church government. He wrote as a pastor to pastors.

Baxter alijenga kitabu juu ya andiko moja, mstari wetu mkuu, Matendo 20:28. Paulo alikuwa akisema na wazee wa Efeso, na mstari una amri mbili: jitunzeni nafsi zenu, na lile kundi lote. Kitabu kinafuata utaratibu huu, na kipindi hiki pia.Baxter built the book on one text, our key verse, Acts 20:28. Paul was speaking to the elders of Ephesus, and the verse has two commands: take heed to yourselves, and take heed to all the flock. The book follows this order, and so does this unit.

Jitunzeni Nafsi ZenuTake Heed to Yourselves

Jambo la kwanza la Baxter lilikuwa nafsi ya mchungaji mwenyewe. Alishikilia kwamba mchungaji anayeacha uhusiano wake mwenyewe na Mungu atawaangusha watu, hata awe na shughuli nyingi na ustadi kiasi gani. Huu pia ni mafundisho ya Maandiko. Paulo alimwambia Timotheo, "Ujitunze nafsi yako na mafundisho yako" (1 Timotheo 4:16). Paulo mwenyewe alisema, "nauchapa mwili wangu na kuutia utumwani; nisije mimi mwenyewe, tena, baada ya kuwahubiri wengine, nikawa mtu asiyestahili" (1 Wakorintho 9:27).Baxter's first concern was the pastor's own soul. He held that a pastor who neglects his own relationship with God will fail the people, however busy and skillful he may be. This is also the teaching of Scripture. Paul told Timothy, "Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine" (1 Timothy 4:16). Paul himself said, "I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified" (1 Corinthians 9:27).

Kujitunza nafsi kunamaanisha nini kwa vitendo?What does it mean in practice to take heed to yourself?

Kuwa mwamini wewe mwenyewe. Mtu anaweza kuhubiri injili na asiijue moyoni mwake. Baxter aliwaonya wahudumu wahakikishe kwamba wameokolewa kweli kwa neema, na si kufundishwa tu juu yake. Hili halikuwa wasiwasi wa kuugua. Mafundisho ya Kireformed ya hakika na uvumilivu hufundisha kwamba mwamini anaweza kujua kuwa yuko ndani ya Kristo, na mchungaji anapaswa kutafuta ujuzi huo.Be a believer yourself. A man may preach the gospel and not know it in his own heart. Baxter warned ministers to be sure that they had truly been saved by grace, and not only taught about it. This was not a morbid concern. The Reformed doctrines of assurance and perseverance teach that a believer can know that he is in Christ, and a pastor should seek that knowledge.

Linda maisha yako ya faragha na Mungu. Mchungaji anahitaji wakati wa sala na kusoma Maandiko kwa ajili ya nafsi yake mwenyewe, na si kwa maandalizi ya mahubiri tu. Mitume walijitoa "kudumu katika kuomba na kulihudumia neno" (Matendo 6:4). Sala inakuja kwanza katika orodha.Guard your private life with God. The pastor needs time for prayer and the reading of Scripture for his own soul, and not only for sermon preparation. The apostles gave themselves "continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word" (Acts 6:4). Prayer comes first in the list.

Angalia kiburi chako. Mchungaji anaheshimiwa, na anajaribiwa kufurahia kuheshimiwa. Kitabu cha Baxter ni kikali dhidi ya kiburi. Petro anasema kwamba wazee wanapaswa kutumika "kwa nia njema, si kwa kupenda faida mbaya, bali kwa moyo wa hiari; wala si kama mkiwatawala wale walio urithi wa Mungu, bali kuwa vielelezo kwa lile kundi" (1 Petro 5:2-3).Watch your pride. The pastor is honored, and he is tempted to enjoy being honored. Baxter's book is hard on pride. Peter says that elders are to serve "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).

Angalia nyumba yako. Ndoa na watoto wa mchungaji ni sehemu ya kazi na ushuhuda wake (1 Timotheo 3:4-5). Mchungaji anayetoa nguvu zake zote kwa kanisa na hakuna kwa mke na watoto wake anadhuru vyote viwili. Ndoa, kama Mungu alivyoiumba, ni agano kati ya mwanamume mmoja na mwanamke mmoja, na ndoa ya mchungaji ni picha yake mbele ya kusanyiko.Watch your home. The pastor's marriage and children are part of his work and witness (1 Timothy 3:4-5). A pastor who gives all his strength to the church and none to his wife and children does harm to both. Marriage, as God made it, is a covenant between one man and one woman, and the pastor's marriage is a picture of it before the congregation.

Tunza mwili na akili yako. Wachungaji ni vyombo dhaifu. C. H. Spurgeon, mhubiri mkuu wa Kibaptisti wa Kireformed wa London, aliteseka kwa mshuko wa moyo na ugonjwa wenye maumivu, naye alisema wazi juu ya hilo kwa wanafunzi wake. Kupumzika, urafiki wa kweli na utunzaji wa madaktari si dalili za imani dhaifu. Luka alikuwa tabibu na mwenzi wa Paulo (Wakolosai 4:14).Care for your body and mind. Pastors are weak vessels. C. H. Spurgeon, the great Reformed Baptist preacher of London, suffered from depression and from painful illness, and he spoke openly of it to his students. Rest, honest friendship and the care of physicians are not signs of weak faith. Luke was a physician and a companion of Paul (Colossians 4:14).

Lichungeni Kundi LoteTake Heed to All the Flock

Amri ya pili ni kulichunga kundi lote. Ezekieli 34 ni sura kuu juu ya wachungaji. Mungu anawakemea wachungaji wanaojilisha wenyewe na si kondoo, wasioimarisha walio dhaifu, wasiowaponya wagonjwa, wasiowafunga waliovunjika, wasiowarudisha waliopotea wala kuwatafuta waliopotea (Ezekieli 34:2-4). Kristo ndiye Mchungaji wa kweli na Mwema (Yohana 10:11), naye anamwambia Petro, "Lisha wana-kondoo wangu... Chunga kondoo wangu... Lisha kondoo wangu" (Yohana 21:15-17).The second command is to shepherd the whole flock. Ezekiel 34 is the great chapter on shepherds. God rebukes shepherds who feed themselves and not the sheep, who do not strengthen the weak, heal the sick, bind up the broken, bring back the strayed or seek the lost (Ezekiel 34:2-4). Christ is the true and Good Shepherd (John 10:11), and He tells Peter, "Feed My lambs... Tend My sheep... Feed My sheep" (John 21:15-17).

Baxter alihimiza kwamba kazi ya kichungaji ivuke mimbari. Paulo alieleza huduma yake kwa Waefeso kama ya "kuwafundisha hadharani na nyumba kwa nyumba" (Matendo 20:20). Baxter alilichukulia hili kwa uzito. Desturi yake ilikuwa kukutana na familia za Kidderminster mmoja mmoja, kuwafundisha misingi ya imani na kuzungumza nao juu ya hali ya roho zao. Kipindi cha 3 kilishabainisha kwamba alifanya katekesi ya familia kuwa kiini cha kazi yake. Hoja haikuwa kuthibitisha kwamba alikuwa na shughuli nyingi. Ilikuwa kwamba mahubiri yanayohubiriwa kwa umati hayafikii kila moyo. Mtu anaweza kukaa chini ya mahubiri kwa miaka na bado asijue kama ameokoka. Katika mazungumzo ya faragha, mchungaji anaweza kuuliza.Baxter urged that pastoral work go beyond the pulpit. Paul described his own ministry to the Ephesians as having "taught you publicly and from house to house" (Acts 20:20). Baxter took this seriously. His practice was to meet with the families of Kidderminster, one by one, to teach them the basics of the faith and to talk with them about the state of their souls. Unit 3 already noted that he made catechizing of families central to his work. The point was not to prove he was busy. It was that a sermon preached to a crowd does not reach every heart. A person may sit under the sermon for years and still not know whether he is saved. In a private conversation, the pastor can ask.

Kufundisha na kutembelea kibinafsiPersonal teaching and visiting

Njia ya Baxter inaweza kufupishwa katika hatua nne: tembelea, uliza, fundisha na uombe. Mchungaji huenda nyumbani. Huuliza juu ya imani na maisha ya familia. Hufundisha kutoka Maandiko kile kinachohitajika. Huomba pamoja nao. Wachungaji wengi wa Kireformed tangu hapo wamefuata mtindo huo huo, na utamaduni wa Kipresbiteri kwa muda mrefu umetarajia wazee kushiriki ndani yake.Baxter's method may be summarized in four steps: visit, ask, teach and pray. The pastor goes to the home. He asks about the family's faith and life. He teaches from the Scriptures what is needed. He prays with them. Many Reformed pastors since have followed the same pattern, and the Presbyterian tradition has long expected elders to share in it.

Wagonjwa, wanaokaribia kufa na wenye huzuniThe sick, the dying and the grieving

Yakobo anasema, "Mtu miongoni mwenu anaugua? Na awaite wazee wa kanisa; nao wamwombee" (Yakobo 5:14). Mchungaji na wazee hutembelea wagonjwa, huomba, husoma Maandiko na husikiliza. Hawaahidi yale ambayo Mungu hakuahidi. Hufundisha kwamba ugonjwa uko chini ya mkono wa Mungu na kwamba anaweza kuponya kwa kujibu sala, huku wakishika faraja ya injili kwa wale wasiopona. Kwa wanaokaribia kufa, mchungaji hutoa tumaini la ufufuo wa Kristo. Paulo anaandika kwamba tusiwe "na huzuni kama hao wengine wasio na tumaini" (1 Wathesalonike 4:13). Kwa walioondokewa, hufuata amri ya Paulo "lieni pamoja nao wanaolia" (Warumi 12:15). Yupo, na hakimbilii maelezo.James says, "Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him" (James 5:14). The pastor and elders visit the sick, pray, read Scripture and listen. They do not promise what God has not promised. They teach that sickness is under God's hand and that He may heal in answer to prayer, while they hold fast the comfort of the gospel for those who do not recover. For the dying, the pastor offers the hope of Christ's resurrection. Paul writes that we should not "sorrow as others who have no hope" (1 Thessalonians 4:13). For the bereaved, he follows Paul's command to "weep with those who weep" (Romans 12:15). He is present, and he does not rush to explanations.

Wenye mashaka na wanaosumbukaThe doubting and the troubled

Waumini wengi wanasumbuliwa na mashaka au hisia ya hatia. Mchungaji wa Kireformed anakumbuka kwamba njia ya Bwana kwa watu kama hao ni ya upole: "Atakuwa hatavunja unyasi uliopondeka, wala hatazima utambi utoao moshi" (Isaya 42:3). Hufundisha fundisho la hakika kutoka Maandiko, kama Ungamo la Westminster linavyofanya katika sura yake juu ya hakika. Hutofautisha kati ya mashaka ya mwamini wa kweli aliye dhaifu katika imani na faraja ya uongo ya mtu asiyeonyesha matunda ya toba. Wote wawili wanahitaji injili, lakini wanaihitaji kwa njia tofauti.Many believers are troubled by doubt or by a sense of guilt. The Reformed pastor remembers that the Lord's way with such people is gentle: "A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench" (Isaiah 42:3). He teaches the doctrine of assurance from Scripture, as the Westminster Confession does in its chapter on assurance. He distinguishes between the doubts of a true believer who is weak in faith and the false comfort of a person who shows no fruit of repentance. Both need the gospel, but they need it in different ways.

Wanaopotea na wanaotenda dhambiThe straying and the sinning

"Ndugu zangu, ikiwa mtu ameshikwa na kosa lolote, ninyi mlio wa kiroho mrudishieni mtu huyo, kwa roho ya upole; ukijiangalia mwenyewe usije ukajaribiwa wewe nawe" (Wagalatia 6:1). Hili ndilo lengo la nidhamu ya kanisa pia, inayosomwa katika Kozi ya 4 chini ya "Nidhamu ya Kanisa na Uanachama." Lengo ni kurejesha. Mchungaji na wazee huenda kwanza kwa faragha, kama Kristo alivyofundisha katika Mathayo 18:15-17, na hufanya hivyo kwa upendo na kwa subira. Orodha za dhambi za Maandiko yenyewe hutumiwa bila kuweka dhambi moja juu ya nyingine. Dhambi zote ni nzito, na wote wanaotubu hupata rehema."Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted" (Galatians 6:1). This is the goal of church discipline too, which is studied in Course 4 under "Church Discipline and Membership." The aim is restoration. The pastor and elders go first in private, as Christ taught in Matthew 18:15-17, and they do so with love and with patience. Scripture's own lists of sins are used without ranking one above another. All sin is serious, and all who repent find mercy.

Familia, ndoa na maskiniFamilies, marriages and the poor

Mchungaji hushauri wachumba na wanandoa kutoka Maandiko, akifundisha ndoa kama zawadi njema ya Mungu kwa mwanamume mmoja na mwanamke mmoja, na upendo na uaminifu ambao Waefeso 5 inaeleza. Huwahudumia wajane na yatima (Yakobo 1:27), na hufanya kazi pamoja na mashemasi kwa ajili ya maskini. Mada ya nyumba inachukuliwa tena katika Kipindi cha 5, na huduma ya rehema katika Kozi ya 4 chini ya "Mashemasi na Huduma ya Rehema."The pastor counsels engaged couples and married couples from Scripture, teaching marriage as God's good gift to one man and one woman, and the love and faithfulness that Ephesians 5 describes. He ministers to the widow and the orphan (James 1:27), and he works with the deacons for the poor. The subject of the home is taken up again in Unit 5, and the ministry of mercy in Course 4 under "Deacons and the Ministry of Mercy."

Mijadala na PingamiziDebates and Objections

Mjadala: Je, Baxter alikuwa Mkireformed kweli? Mazoezi ya kichungaji ya Baxter yanapendwa katika makanisa ya Kireformed. Mafundisho yake yalijadiliwa zaidi. Alishikilia namna ya upatanisho ambamo Kristo alikufa kwa namna fulani kwa ajili ya wote, na mafundisho yake juu ya kuhesabiwa haki yalitofautiana na walimu wakali zaidi wa Kireformed wa siku zake, ambao wengine walimpinga vikali. Waandishi wa baadaye wa Kireformed wamemhukumu kwa njia tofauti. Wengine wanasema alikuwa Mkalvini wa kiasi aliyeshika mafundisho ya neema kwa njia yake mwenyewe, na wengine wanasema alipotoka katika viwango vya Westminster. Tunaeleza yote mawili. Tunasoma The Reformed Pastor tukishukuru kwa hekima yake ya kichungaji na tukiwa na Biblia na maungamo kama kipimo chetu. Mafundisho yanayohusika yanashughulikiwa katika Kozi ya 2, katika vipindi vyenye vichwa "Ukombozi Maalum (upatanisho mdogo) na Toleo Huru la Injili" na "Kuhesabiwa Haki kwa Imani Peke Yake."Debate: Was Baxter truly Reformed? Baxter's pastoral practice is admired in Reformed churches. His doctrine was more debated. He held a version of the atonement in which Christ died in some sense for all, and his teaching on justification differed from the stricter Reformed teachers of his day, some of whom opposed him strongly. Later Reformed writers have judged him differently. Some say he was a moderate Calvinist who held the doctrines of grace in his own way, and others say he departed from the Westminster standards. We state both. We read The Reformed Pastor with thanks for its pastoral wisdom and with the Bible and the confessions as our measure. The doctrines concerned are treated in Course 2, in the units titled "Particular Redemption (limited atonement) and the Free Offer of the Gospel" and "Justification by Faith Alone."

Mjadala: Kidderminster ilibadilika kiasi gani kweli? Baxter aliandika kwamba kazi yake huko ilileta mabadiliko makubwa katika mji. Wanahistoria wanabainisha kwamba hii inatokana kwa kiasi kikubwa na maelezo yake mwenyewe, yaliyoandikwa baadaye katika Reliquiae Baxterianae, na kwamba mji ulikuwa na hali maalum: jumuiya iliyotulia na msaada wa wahudumu wengine. Wanauliza kama matokeo yalikuwa makubwa kama alivyoripoti. Tunajibu kwamba Bwana peke yake anajua mioyo. Hatuhitaji kuthibitisha namba za Baxter. Swali kwetu ni kama njia yake inapatana na Maandiko, na inapatana. Paulo alikwenda nyumba kwa nyumba, na Bwana hubariki kazi ya uaminifu kama apendavyo.Debate: How much did Kidderminster really change? Baxter wrote that his labors there brought great change in the town. Historians note that this comes largely from his own account, written later in Reliquiae Baxterianae, and that the town was one with particular conditions: a settled community and the help of other ministers. They ask whether the results were as large as he reported. We reply that the Lord alone knows the hearts. We do not need to prove Baxter's numbers. The question for us is whether his method agrees with Scripture, and it does. Paul went from house to house, and the Lord blesses faithful work as He chooses.

Pingamizi la 1: Kutembelea nyumba ni kuingilia na ni namna ya sheria ngumu. Wengine husema kwamba si kazi ya mchungaji kuuliza juu ya roho ya mtu. Tunakubali kwamba kazi hii lazima ifanywe kwa upole na heshima, na kamwe si kwa roho kali ya kuchunguza. Lakini Matendo 20:20 na Waebrania 13:17, inayosema kwamba viongozi "hukesha kwa ajili ya roho zenu, kama watu watakaotoa hesabu," yanaonyesha kwamba utunzaji wa watu mmoja mmoja ni sehemu ya nafasi hii. Mchungaji asiyeuliza kamwe huwaacha watu peke yao.Objection 1: House visiting is an intrusion and a form of legalism. Some say that it is not the pastor's business to ask about a person's soul. We agree that the work must be done with gentleness and respect, and never with a harsh spirit that pries. But Acts 20:20 and Hebrews 13:17, which says that leaders "watch out for your souls, as those who must give account," show that care for individuals is part of the office. A pastor who never asks leaves people alone.

Pingamizi la 2: Hakuna mchungaji anayeweza kufanya yote ambayo Baxter anaeleza. Hili ni pingamizi la haki la wachungaji wengi waliochoka. Jibu la Kireformed ni kwamba kazi si ya mtu mmoja peke yake. Kristo alitoa wachungaji "apate kuwakamilisha watakatifu, wapate kufanya kazi ya huduma" (Waefeso 4:12). Musa aliambiwa na baba mkwe wake kwamba hawezi kubeba mzigo mzima peke yake (Kutoka 18:17-23), na mitume waliliomba kanisa lichague watu wa kuhudumia meza ili wao wajitoe kwa sala na neno (Matendo 6:1-4). Katika mfumo wa Kipresbiteri, wazee hushiriki usimamizi wa roho na mashemasi hushiriki huduma ya rehema. Washiriki pia hutunzana (Wagalatia 6:2). Mchungaji anayejaribu kufanya kila kitu atavunjika, na mchungaji asiyefanya lolote ataanguka. Hekima hupata njia ya kati kupitia kazi ya pamoja.Objection 2: No pastor can do all that Baxter describes. This is the fair objection of many tired pastors. The Reformed answer is that the work is not for one man alone. Christ gave pastors "for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry" (Ephesians 4:12). Moses was told by his father-in-law that he could not bear the whole burden alone (Exodus 18:17-23), and the apostles asked the church to choose men to serve tables so that they could give themselves to prayer and the word (Acts 6:1-4). In the Presbyterian system, the elders share the oversight of souls and the deacons share the ministry of mercy. Members also care for one another (Galatians 6:2). A pastor who tries to do everything will break, and a pastor who does nothing will fail. Wisdom finds the middle way through shared work.

Pingamizi la 3: Utunzaji wa kichungaji ni kazi ya washauri wa kitaalamu. Wakristo wengine hufikiri kwamba mchungaji anapaswa kumpeleka kila mtu mwenye matatizo kwa mtaalamu wa tiba. Tunasema kwamba Maandiko huzungumza na mahitaji ya ndani kabisa ya roho, kama hatia, hofu, huzuni na tumaini, na kwamba mchungaji ana wito wa kuyasema. Lakini hekima pia humtumia daktari mwili au akili vinapokuwa vibaya, na mchungaji humpeleka mtu kwa daktari inapohitajika. Pale kuna hatari kwa maisha, au dhuluma kwa mtoto au mtu mwingine aliye hatarini, mchungaji anapaswa pia kuhusisha mamlaka husika. Hii si kushindwa kwa imani. Ni upendo.Objection 3: Pastoral care is a job for professional counselors. Some Christians think that the pastor should refer every troubled person to a therapist. We say that Scripture speaks to the soul's deepest needs, such as guilt, fear, grief and hope, and that the pastor has a calling to speak it. But wisdom also uses the physician when the body or mind is ill, and the pastor refers a person to a doctor when it is needed. Where there is danger to life, or abuse of a child or another vulnerable person, the pastor should also involve the proper authorities. This is no failure of faith. It is love.

Matumizi ya KichungajiPastoral Application

Don Alberto ni mzee mwaminifu katika kanisa dogo karibu na Ajijic. Mkewe alikufa wakati wa majira ya kuchipua, na mwanawe wa pekee anaishi Marekani na hawezi kurudi nyumbani. Katika miezi tangu hapo, Don Alberto amekosa Jumapili kadhaa. Washiriki wachache wanasema, "Amemkasirikia Mungu."Don Alberto is a faithful elder in a small church near Ajijic. His wife died in the spring, and his only son lives in the United States and cannot come home. In the months since, Don Alberto has missed several Sundays. A few members say, "He is angry with God."

Mchungaji Hector anamwomba mmoja wa wazee wengine aende naye. Wanakwenda nyumbani alasiri, bila kuleta hotuba. Kwanza, wanasikiliza. Don Alberto anazungumza juu ya nyumba tupu. Pili, wanasoma Zaburi 23 na sehemu ya 1 Wathesalonike 4, na kuomba pamoja naye. Hawamwambii kwamba hasira yake ni kosa, na hawaelezi kwa nini Mungu aliruhusu kifo cha mkewe. Tatu, wanamwalika kula pamoja na mojawapo ya familia baada ya kanisa, ili asiwe peke yake. Nne, Hector anapanga mashemasi waone kama anahitaji msaada wowote wa nyumba. Tano, anarudi kila baada ya wiki mbili. Kwa miezi kadhaa Don Alberto anaanza kuhudhuria tena. Huzuni yake inabaki, lakini hayuko tena peke yake ndani yake. Hii ndiyo kazi ambayo Baxter alieleza, ikifanywa kwa urahisi.Pastor Hector asks one of the other elders to go with him. They go to the house in the afternoon, bringing no speech. First, they listen. Don Alberto speaks of the empty house. Second, they read Psalm 23 and part of 1 Thessalonians 4, and pray with him. They do not tell him that his anger is wrong, and they do not explain why God allowed his wife's death. Third, they invite him to eat with one of the families after church, so that he is not alone. Fourth, Hector arranges for the deacons to see whether he needs any help with the house. Fifth, he returns every two weeks. Over several months Don Alberto begins to attend again. His grief remains, but he is no longer alone in it. This is the work Baxter described, done simply.

MuhtasariSummary

Richard Baxter (1615-1691), mchungaji wa Kidderminster, aliandika The Reformed Pastor mwaka 1656 juu ya Matendo 20:28: jitunzeni nafsi zenu na lile kundi lote. Mchungaji kwanza analinda nafsi yake, maisha yake ya faragha na Mungu, kiburi chake, nyumba yake na afya yake. Kisha analichunga kundi kwa kuhubiri, na pia kwa kutembelea kibinafsi, kufundisha, kuwatunza wagonjwa, wanaokaribia kufa na wenye huzuni, kuwafariji wenye mashaka na kuwarejesha kwa upole wanaopotea. Mafundisho ya Baxter yanajadiliwa, na kiwango cha matokeo yake huko Kidderminster ni suala la majadiliano ya kihistoria, lakini njia yake inategemea Maandiko. Jibu la pingamizi kwamba hakuna anayeweza kufanya yote haya ni kwamba kazi inashirikiwa kati ya wachungaji, wazee, mashemasi na washiriki.Richard Baxter (1615-1691), pastor at Kidderminster, wrote The Reformed Pastor in 1656 on Acts 20:28: take heed to yourselves and to all the flock. The pastor first guards his own soul, his private life with God, his pride, his home and his health. He then shepherds the flock by preaching, and also by personal visiting, teaching, care of the sick, the dying and the grieving, comfort for the doubting and gentle restoration of those who stray. Baxter's doctrine is debated, and the extent of his results at Kidderminster is a matter of historical discussion, but his method rests on Scripture. The answer to the objection that no one can do all this is that the work is shared among pastors, elders, deacons and members.

Usomaji ZaidiFurther Reading

• Richard Baxter, The Reformed Pastor (Mchungaji wa Kireformed; 1656).• Richard Baxter, The Reformed Pastor (1656).

• Richard Baxter, The Saints' Everlasting Rest (Pumziko la Milele la Watakatifu; 1650).• Richard Baxter, The Saints' Everlasting Rest (1650).

• Richard Baxter, Reliquiae Baxterianae (Masalio ya Baxter; yalichapishwa 1696).• Richard Baxter, Reliquiae Baxterianae (published 1696).

• John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion (Misingi ya Dini ya Kikristo; tafsiri ya Beveridge, 1845), Kitabu cha 4, sura ya 3 na 12.• John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion (Beveridge translation, 1845), Book 4, chapters 3 and 12.

• Westminster Confession of Faith (Ungamo la Imani la Westminster; 1646-47), sura ya 18, juu ya hakika.• Westminster Confession of Faith (1646-47), chapter 18, on assurance.

• C. H. Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students (Mihadhara kwa Wanafunzi Wangu), sauti ya Mbaptisti wa Kireformed.• C. H. Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students, a Reformed Baptist voice.

• William Perkins, The Art of Prophesying (Sanaa ya Kutabiri; 1592).• William Perkins, The Art of Prophesying (1592).

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