📖 Huduma za Kichungaji — Sehemu ya 1: Misingi ya Kibiblia ya Huduma ya Kichungaji📖 Pastoral Ministries — Unit 1: Biblical Foundations of Pastoral Ministry

UtanguliziOrientation

Huduma ya kichungaji haikuanzia katika seminari. Haikuanzia katika dhehebu. Haikuanzia katika kamati ya kutoa vyeti vya utumishi. Huduma ya kichungaji ilianzia moyoni mwa Mungu Mwenyewe, aliye Mchungaji wa asili na wa milele wa watu wake. Kabla hajawahi kuwepo mchungaji yeyote wa kibinadamu, alikuwepo Mchungaji. Kabla hajawahi kuwepo kundi lolote, ulikuwepo moyo wa Mchungaji. Na kila mtu anayeingia katika ofisi ya uchungaji leo anaingia katika mkondo ulioanzia kwenye kiti cha enzi cha Mungu na unaotiririka katika kila ukurasa wa Maandiko.Pastoral ministry did not begin in a seminary. It did not begin with a denomination. It did not begin with a credentialing committee. Pastoral ministry began in the heart of God Himself, who is the original and eternal Shepherd of His people. Before there was ever a pastor, there was a Shepherd. Before there was ever a flock, there was a Shepherd's heart. And every man who steps into the pastoral office today is stepping into a stream that began at the throne of God and runs through every page of Scripture.

Ili kuielewa kazi ya mchungaji, ni lazima tuuelewe moyo wa Yule anayewaita wachungaji. Mchungaji si meneja wa kampuni. Yeye si mfanyabiashara wa kuuza bidhaa. Yeye si mkurugenzi mtendaji. Yeye ni mchungaji — na mchungaji ni mwema kadiri tu Bwana wake alivyo mwema. Sehemu hii inaweka msingi wa kibiblia kwa kila jambo jingine tutakalojifunza katika kozi hii.To understand the work of the pastor, we must understand the heart of the One who calls pastors. The pastor is not an executive. He is not a salesman. He is not a chief executive officer. He is a shepherd — and a shepherd is only as good as his Master. This unit lays the biblical foundation for everything else we will study in this course.

I. Moyo wa Kichungaji wa Mungu katika Agano la KaleI. The Shepherd-Heart of God in the Old Testament

Tangu kurasa za kwanza kabisa za Maandiko, Mungu anajifunua kama Mchungaji wa watu wake. Yeye ndiye anayeongoza, anayelisha, anayelinda, anayekusanya, na anayerejesha. Daudi — ambaye yeye mwenyewe alikuwa kijana mchungaji katika mashamba ya Bethlehemu — alipochukua kalamu kumweleza Mungu wa Israeli, aliichagua picha iliyokuwa ya kawaida kabisa maishani mwake: "BWANA ndiye mchungaji wangu, sitapungukiwa na kitu" (Zaburi 23:1).From the earliest pages of Scripture, God reveals Himself as the Shepherd of His people. He is the One who leads, feeds, protects, gathers, and restores. When David — himself a young shepherd boy in the fields of Bethlehem — picked up his pen to describe the God of Israel, he reached for the most familiar image in his life: "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want" (Psalm 23:1).

Neno lile dogo wangu ndilo linaloleta tofauti yote. Kuna hadithi inayosimuliwa ya baba mmoja aliyemfundisha mwanawe mdogo kukariri Zaburi ya ishirini na tatu kwa kuhesabu maneno manne ya kwanza kwenye vidole vinne vidogo vya mkono wake (kwa Kiingereza, "The Lord is my"). Kidole cha kwanza kilikuwa the, kidole cha pili kilikuwa Lord (Bwana), kidole cha tatu kilikuwa is (ndiye), na kidole cha nne kilikuwa my (wangu). Baba alikisisitiza kidole hicho cha nne — Mchungaji wangu — na akamfanya mwanawe akishike kwa nguvu kila alipokariri zaburi hiyo. Miaka kadhaa baadaye, mvulana yule mdogo alikuwa mahututi akikaribia kufa. Daktari alipokuja kuuchunguza mwili, aliukuta mkono wa mtoto ukiwa umekishika kwa nguvu kidole cha nne cha mkono wake mwingine. Baba, machozi yakimtiririka usoni, alieleza, "Hii inamaanisha alimjua kweli, na alimtumaini kwa uhakika, Bwana Yesu kama Mchungaji wa nafsi yake." Hilo ndilo ambalo kila mchungaji anapaswa kukumbuka kuhusu kila mshiriki wa kundi lake — jambo pekee lenye maana mwishoni ni kama wanamjua Yeye kama Mchungaji wangu.That little word my makes all the difference. There is a story told of a father who taught his small son to recite the twenty-third Psalm by counting it out on the four little fingers of his hand. The first finger was the, the second finger was Lord, the third finger was is, and the fourth finger was my. The father emphasized that fourth finger — my Shepherd — and made his son grasp it tightly each time he recited the psalm. Years later, that little boy lay dying. When the doctor came to examine the body, he found the child's hand wrapped firmly around the fourth finger of his own opposite hand. The father, with tears running down his face, explained, "It means he really knew, and confidently trusted, the Lord Jesus as the Shepherd of his soul." That is what every pastor must remember about every member of his flock — the only thing that matters in the end is whether they know Him as my Shepherd.

Isaya alichora picha ile ile: "Atalilisha kundi lake kama mchungaji, atawakusanya wana-kondoo mikononi mwake, na kuwachukua kifuani mwake, nao wanyonyeshao atawaongoza polepole" (Isaya 40:11). Angalia upole huo. Mchungaji hawasukumi kondoo wake — anawaongoza. Hawaachi walio dhaifu — anawabeba. Hawachoshi akina mama wachanga wa kundi — anawaongoza polepole kwa mwendo wao. Huu ndio moyo wa Mungu anayewaita wachungaji.Isaiah painted the same picture: "He shall feed His flock like a shepherd; He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young" (Isaiah 40:11). Notice the tenderness. The shepherd does not drive his sheep — he leads them. He does not abandon the weak — he carries them. He does not exhaust the young mothers — he gently leads them at their pace. This is the heart of the God who calls pastors.

Lakini Agano la Kale pia linatupa picha ya kutisha ya kile kinachotokea wachungaji wanaposhindwa. Ezekieli 34 inasimama kama sura ya kutisha kuliko zote katika Maandiko kwa mtu yeyote anayetaka kuingia katika uongozi wa kichungaji. Kupitia nabii, Mungu ananguruma dhidi ya wachungaji wa uongo wa Israeli: "Ole wao wachungaji wa Israeli, wanaojilisha wenyewe! Je! Haiwapasi wachungaji kulilisha kundi?" (Ezekieli 34:2). Wachungaji hawa walikuwa wamekula mafuta, wamejivika sufu, na kuwachinja walionona — lakini hawakulilisha kundi. Walio dhaifu hawakuwatia nguvu. Wagonjwa hawakuwaponya. Waliovunjika hawakuwafunga jeraha. Waliotawanyika hawakuwakusanya. Waliopotea hawakuwatafuta. Na Mungu Mwenyewe alisimama akasema, "Tazama, mimi ni juu ya wachungaji" (Ezekieli 34:10). Kila mtu anayesoma Ezekieli 34 angepaswa kuisoma akiwa amepiga magoti.But the Old Testament also gives us a sobering picture of what happens when shepherds fail. Ezekiel 34 stands as the most terrifying chapter in all of Scripture for any man who would step into pastoral leadership. Through the prophet, God thunders against the false shepherds of Israel: "Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?" (Ezekiel 34:2). These shepherds had eaten the fat, clothed themselves with the wool, and slaughtered the fatlings — but they had not fed the flock. The weak they had not strengthened. The sick they had not healed. The broken they had not bound up. The scattered they had not gathered. The lost they had not sought. And God Himself stood up and said, "I am against the shepherds" (Ezekiel 34:10). Every man who reads Ezekiel 34 ought to read it on his knees.

II. Kristo Mchungaji MwemaII. Christ the Good Shepherd

Kila wazo la mchungaji katika Agano la Kale linafikia utimilifu wake katika Yesu Kristo. Katika Yohana 10, Yesu alisimama katikati ya viongozi wa dini wa siku zake — wengi wao wakiwa wachungaji wa mshahara kwa maana mbaya kabisa — akatoa dai la kushangaza kuliko yote katika historia ya uchungaji: "Mimi ndimi mchungaji mwema. Mchungaji mwema huutoa uhai wake kwa ajili ya kondoo" (Yohana 10:11).Every shepherd theme of the Old Testament reaches its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. In John 10, Jesus stood up among the religious leaders of His day — many of them hireling shepherds in the worst sense — and made the most astonishing claim in pastoral history: "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep" (John 10:11).

Kondoo, kwa asili yao, hawawezi kujitunza wenyewe. Phillip Keller, aliyetumia miaka mingi akiwa mchungaji halisi wa kondoo kabla hajawa mwandishi, anasimulia habari ya kondoo jike mzuri na mwenye kuzaa sana aliyekuwa naye. Alizaa wana-kondoo wenye nguvu waliokua haraka. Kosa lake pekee lilikuwa kwamba alikuwa mpenya-ua. Hakuwa na utulivu wala kuridhika. Kila mara aliishia nje ya ua katika malisho fulani yaliyoungua. Na baya zaidi ya hilo, aliwafundisha kondoo wengine kumfuata. Hiyo ni picha kamili ya moyo wa mwanadamu. Nabii Isaya alisema waziwazi: "Sisi sote kama kondoo tumepotea; kila mmoja wetu amegeukia njia yake mwenyewe" (Isaya 53:6). Mchungaji hapaswi kamwe kusahau kwamba watu walioketi kwenye viti vya kanisa lake si wateja, si watumiaji wa huduma, si wachangiaji tu — wao ni kondoo. Na kondoo, wakiachwa peke yao, watatangatanga hadi kwenye malisho yaliyoungua na kuwaongoza wengine pamoja nao.Sheep, by their very nature, cannot take care of themselves. Phillip Keller, who spent years as an actual shepherd before he became a writer, tells of a beautiful and productive sheep he owned. She bore sturdy lambs that matured quickly. Her only fault was that she was a fence-crawler. She was restless and discontent. She would always end up outside the fence in some burned-out pasture. And worse than that, she taught the other sheep to follow her. That is a perfect picture of the human heart. The prophet Isaiah said it plainly: "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way" (Isaiah 53:6). The pastor must never forget that the people in his pews are not customers, not consumers, not contributors — they are sheep. And sheep, left to themselves, will wander into burned-out pastures and lead others with them.

Yesu alisema mambo matatu kuhusu Mchungaji Mwema ambayo kila mchungaji anapaswa kuyaelewa. Kwanza, Yeye anawajua kondoo wake. "Naye huwaita kondoo wake kwa majina yao, na kuwaongoza nje" (Yohana 10:3). Katika vilima vya miamba vya New Zealand kuna mchungaji aitwaye Andrew ambaye hutembea na kundi lake alfajiri na kumwita kila kondoo kwa jina lake. Kila kondoo huitikia jina lake mwenyewe. Hiyo ni picha ya jinsi Yesu anavyolijua kundi lake — si kama umati, bali kama mtu mmoja mmoja, kila mmoja akiitwa kwa jina lake. Pili, kondoo wake wanaijua sauti yake. H. V. Morton anasimulia habari ya wachungaji wawili waliokuwa wamejikinga usiku katika pango moja karibu na Bethlehemu, makundi yao yakiwa yamechanganyika pamoja. Asubuhi, mchungaji mmoja alisimama mbali kidogo na kutoa mwito wake wa pekee. Kondoo wake — na kondoo wake peke yao — walijitenga na wale wengine wakakimbia kwake. Wasingemjia mtu mwingine yeyote, lakini waliujua mwito wa mchungaji wao wenyewe. Na tatu, Yeye anautoa uhai wake kwa ajili yao. Mchungaji Mwema hakimbii mbwa-mwitu anapokuja. Mtu wa mshahara ndiye anayekimbia. Mchungaji Mwema anakufa.Jesus said three things about the Good Shepherd that every pastor must understand. First, He knows His sheep. "He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out" (John 10:3). In the rugged hills of New Zealand there is a shepherd named Andrew who walks his flock at dawn and calls each sheep by name. Each sheep responds individually to its own name. That is a picture of how Jesus knows His flock — not as a herd but as individuals, each one called by name. Second, His sheep know His voice. H. V. Morton tells of two shepherds who had taken shelter in a single cave near Bethlehem during the night, their flocks all mixed together. In the morning, one shepherd stood some distance away and gave his peculiar call. His sheep — and only his sheep — separated themselves from the mass and ran to him. They would have come for no one else, but they knew the call of their own shepherd. And third, He lays down His life for them. The Good Shepherd does not run when the wolf comes. The hireling runs. The Good Shepherd dies.

Baada ya kufufuka kwake, Yesu alimchukua Petro kando katika ufuo wa Bahari ya Galilaya akampa agizo linaloeleza huduma ya kichungaji hadi leo: "Lisha wana-kondoo wangu… Chunga kondoo zangu… Lisha kondoo zangu" (Yohana 21:15–17). Angalia kiwakilishi hicho. Wana-kondoo wangu. Kondoo zangu. Kamwe si mali ya mchungaji. Kundi ni mali ya Kristo, na mchungaji ni wakili — kamwe si mmiliki.After His resurrection, Jesus took Peter aside on the shore of the Sea of Galilee and gave him the commission that defines pastoral ministry to this day: "Feed My lambs… Tend My sheep… Feed My sheep" (John 21:15–17). Notice the pronoun. My lambs. My sheep. They never belong to the pastor. The flock belongs to Christ, and the pastor is a steward — never an owner.

III. Mchungaji kama Mchungaji MsaidiziIII. The Pastor as Undershepherd

Hapa tunafika kwenye kiini cha kozi hii. Mchungaji si mchungaji mkuu. Yeye ni mchungaji msaidizi — mchungaji anayetumika chini ya Mkuu wa wachungaji. Hii ndiyo kweli ya msingi itakayomfanya mchungaji abaki mnyenyekevu katika mafanikio yake, mwaminifu katika kushindwa kwake, na imara katika uzee wake.Here we come to the heart of this course. The pastor is not the chief shepherd. He is an undershepherd — a shepherd serving beneath the Chief Shepherd. This is the foundational truth that will keep a pastor humble in his successes, faithful in his failures, and steady in his old age.

Andiko la kozi, 1 Petro 5:1–4, linaieleza ofisi hii kwa usahihi wa daktari mpasuaji:The course Scripture, 1 Peter 5:1–4, lays out the office with surgical clarity:

"Basi, wazee walio kwenu nawasihi, mimi niliye mzee mwenzenu, na shahidi wa mateso ya Kristo, mshiriki wa utukufu ule utakaofunuliwa baadaye; lichungeni kundi la Mungu lililo kwenu, na kulisimamia; si kwa kulazimishwa, bali kwa hiari; si kwa kupenda faida ya aibu, bali kwa moyo; wala si kama wajifanyao mabwana juu ya wale walio chini ya uangalizi wenu, bali kama mlivyo vielelezo kwa lile kundi. Na Mkuu wa wachungaji atakapodhihirishwa, mtaipokea taji ya utukufu, isiyokauka.""The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: 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; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away."

Soma kifungu hicho polepole. Kila kirai ni mahubiri chenyewe. Lichungeni kundi la Mungu — si kundi lako, ni kundi lake. Lililo kwenu — Mungu huwaweka wachungaji mahali maalum kati ya watu maalum. Na kulisimamia — mchungaji ni mchungaji na msimamizi pia; moyo na akili vyote vinahitajika. Si kwa kulazimishwa, bali kwa hiari — huduma ya kichungaji iliyo wajibu mtupu hatimaye itamwangamiza mtu huyo. Si kwa kupenda faida ya aibu, bali kwa moyo — pale fedha inapokuwa nia, ofisi inaharibika. Wala si kama wajifanyao mabwana — mchungaji kamwe hawamiliki watu. Bali kama mlivyo vielelezo — mahubiri huongezewa nguvu maradufu na maisha. Na Mkuu wa wachungaji atakapodhihirishwa — inakuja siku ya kutoa hesabu ambayo hakuna mchungaji atakayeikwepa. Mtaipokea taji ya utukufu, isiyokauka — na siku hiyo, kila mchungaji msaidizi mwaminifu atapokea thawabu yake kutoka mkononi mwa Kristo Mwenyewe.Read that passage slowly. Every phrase is a sermon to itself. Shepherd the flock of God — not your flock, His flock. Which is among you — God places pastors in specific places among specific people. Serving as overseers — the pastor is both shepherd and overseer; both heart and head are required. Not by compulsion but willingly — pastoral ministry that is mere duty will eventually destroy the man. Not for dishonest gain but eagerly — the moment money becomes the motive, the office is corrupted. Nor as being lords — the pastor never owns the people. But being examples — preaching is doubled by living. And when the Chief Shepherd appears — there is coming a day of accountability that no pastor escapes. You will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away — and on that day, every faithful undershepherd will receive his reward from the hand of Christ Himself.

Hiyo ndiyo ofisi. Huo ndio wito. Hicho ndicho kipimo.That is the office. That is the calling. That is the standard.

IV. Alama Tano za Huduma ya Kichungaji ya KibibliaIV. Five Marks of Biblical Pastoral Ministry

Tukichota kutoka katika ushuhuda mzima wa Biblia, tunaweza kutambua alama tano zinazoeleza huduma ya kichungaji iliyo aminifu. Alama hizi tano zitajirudia katika kozi nzima.Drawing from the entire biblical witness, we may identify five marks that define faithful pastoral ministry. These five will recur throughout the course.

Kwanza, huduma ya kichungaji ni ya kitheolojia. Mchungaji analilisha kundi kwa Neno la Mungu. Paulo alimwambia Timotheo, "Lihubiri neno; uwe tayari wakati ufaao na wakati usiofaa" (2 Timotheo 4:2). Mimbari inapodhoofika, kanisa linadhoofika. Maandiko yanapobadilishwa kwa hadithi, ufafanuzi wa maandiko unapobadilishwa kwa visa vidogo, Neno la Mungu linapopunguzwa kuwa jukwaa tu la kurushia maoni ya mchungaji, kundi linakufa njaa. Kondoo hulishwa kwa majani mabichi, si kwa utepe uliofungwa kwenye nguzo ya ua.First, pastoral ministry is theological. The pastor feeds the flock through the Word of God. Paul told Timothy, "Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season" (2 Timothy 4:2). When the pulpit grows weak, the church grows weak. When Scripture is replaced with stories, when exegesis is replaced with anecdotes, when the Word of God is reduced to a launching pad for the pastor's opinions, the flock starves. Sheep are fed by green grass, not by ribbons tied around the fence post.

Pili, huduma ya kichungaji ni ya ulinzi. Mchungaji analilinda kundi dhidi ya mafundisho ya uongo, walimu wa uongo, na matumaini ya uongo. Paulo aliwaonya wazee wa Efeso, "Najua mimi ya kuwa baada ya kuondoka kwangu mbwa-mwitu wakali wataingia kwenu, wasilihurumie kundi; tena katika ninyi wenyewe watainuka watu wakisema mapotovu, ili wawavute wanafunzi wawaandame wao" (Matendo 20:29–30). Kila mchungaji lazima awe mlinzi. Hawezi kumudu kuwa mjinga kuhusu mbwa-mwitu wanaotoka nje, na kwa uzoefu wangu mwenyewe, hawezi kumudu kuwa mjinga pia kuhusu uwezekano wa upinzani kuzuka ndani ya mifumo yake mwenyewe ya uongozi — hata, nyakati fulani, kutoka katika baraza lake mwenyewe la mashemasi.Second, pastoral ministry is protective. The pastor guards the flock against false teaching, false teachers, and false hopes. Paul warned the Ephesian elders, "I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves" (Acts 20:29–30). Every pastor must be a watchman. He cannot afford to be naive about wolves from outside, and in my own experience, he cannot afford to be naive about the possibility of opposition arising from within his own leadership structures either — even, at times, from his own deacon board.

Tatu, huduma ya kichungaji ni ya kimahusiano. Mchungaji anawajua kondoo wake kwa majina. Anatembelea hospitalini. Anaketi mezani jikoni. Analia mazishini. Anacheka harusini. Mchungaji anayewajua watu wake kutoka mimbarini tu kamwe hatawachunga kwa kweli. Mimbari ni mnara wa mlinzi; malishoni ndiko kazi inakofanyika.Third, pastoral ministry is relational. The pastor knows his sheep by name. He visits the hospital. He sits at the kitchen table. He weeps at the funeral. He laughs at the wedding. The pastor who only knows his people from the pulpit will never truly shepherd them. The pulpit is the watchtower; the pasture is where the work gets done.

Nne, huduma ya kichungaji ni ya kujitoa dhabihu. Mchungaji Mwema aliutoa uhai wake. Mchungaji msaidizi hawezi kufanya chini ya hapo. Kutakuwa na usingizi utakaopotea, likizo zitakazokatizwa, muda wa familia utakaotolewa, na sifa njema itakayohatarishwa. Yeyote anayeingia katika huduma ya kichungaji akitarajia starehe hajasoma maelezo ya kazi hiyo.Fourth, pastoral ministry is sacrificial. The Good Shepherd laid down His life. The undershepherd cannot do less. There will be sleep lost, vacations interrupted, family time surrendered, and reputation risked. Anyone who steps into pastoral ministry expecting comfort has not read the job description.

Tano, huduma ya kichungaji ni ya kuwaandaa wengine. Waefeso 4:11–12 inatuambia kwamba wachungaji na waalimu wametolewa kwa kanisa "kwa kusudi la kuwakamilisha watakatifu, hata kazi ya huduma itendeke, hata mwili wa Kristo ujengwe." Mchungaji si mhudumu pekee katika kusanyiko. Yeye ni mwandaaji wa wahudumu. Uchungaji wenye mafanikio haupimwi kwa wingi wa kazi anazofanya mchungaji, bali kwa idadi ya waumini walioinuliwa ili kutumika.Fifth, pastoral ministry is equipping. Ephesians 4:11–12 tells us that pastors and teachers are given to the church "for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ." The pastor is not the only minister in the congregation. He is the equipper of ministers. A successful pastorate is not measured by how much the pastor does, but by how many believers have been raised up to serve.

V. Kutoa Hesabu kwa Milele kwa Mchungaji MsaidiziV. The Eternal Accountability of the Undershepherd

Tunarudi pale tulipoanzia. Mchungaji anatumika chini ya Mkuu wa wachungaji, na siku moja Yeye atadhihirishwa. Yakobo anaonya, "Ndugu zangu, msiwe waalimu wengi, mkijua kwamba tutapata hukumu kubwa zaidi" (Yakobo 3:1). Ofisi ya uchungaji ni tukufu — lakini pia ni nzito. Onyo la Ezekieli 34 kwa wachungaji wa uongo halikwisha muda wake Agano la Kale lilipofungwa. Bado linasimama.We come back to where we began. The shepherd serves under a Chief Shepherd, and one day He will appear. James warns, "Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment" (James 3:1). The pastoral office is glorious — but it is also weighty. Ezekiel 34's warning to false shepherds did not expire when the Old Testament closed. It still stands.

Hata hivyo, kuna upande mwingine wa faraja. Mungu yule yule anayewahukumu wachungaji wasio waaminifu huwapa thawabu walio waaminifu. Petro anaiita "taji ya utukufu, isiyokauka" (1 Petro 5:4). Paulo, karibu na mwisho wa maisha yake, aliandika, "Nimevipiga vita vile vizuri, mwendo nimeumaliza, imani nimeilinda; baada ya hayo nimewekewa taji ya haki, ambayo Bwana, mhukumu mwenye haki, atanipa siku ile" (2 Timotheo 4:7–8).There is, however, a comforting flip side. The same God who judges unfaithful shepherds rewards faithful ones. Peter calls it "the crown of glory that does not fade away" (1 Peter 5:4). Paul, near the end of his life, wrote, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day" (2 Timothy 4:7–8).

Kila mchungaji anayesoma haya anapaswa kutulia na kujiuliza swali rahisi: Mkuu wa wachungaji atakapodhihirishwa, atanikuta nikililisha kundi lake, au nikijilisha mwenyewe? Atanikuta nikiwajua kondoo wangu kwa majina, au nikiendesha tu taasisi ya kidini? Atanikuta nikiutoa uhai wangu, au nikiulinda? Haya si maswali ya kinadharia. Ndiyo maswali pekee yenye maana hatimaye.Every pastor reading this should pause and ask himself a simple question: When the Chief Shepherd appears, will He find me feeding His flock, or feeding myself? Will He find me knowing my sheep by name, or merely managing a religious institution? Will He find me laying down my life, or protecting it? These are not theoretical questions. They are the only questions that finally matter.

Huu ndio msingi. Kristo ndiye Mchungaji. Sisi ni wachungaji wasaidizi. Kundi ni lake, si letu. Neno ni chakula chetu, kweli ni silaha yetu, watu ni dhamana yetu, na Siku ya kutoa hesabu ndiyo upeo wetu. Kila jambo jingine tutakalojifunza katika kozi hii — wito na tabia, kuhubiri, ibada, maagizo ya Bwana, harusi na mazishi, kutembelea watu, ushauri, uinjilisti, ufuasi, uongozi, na kumaliza vizuri kwa uaminifu wa muda mrefu — linatiririka kutoka katika misingi hii ya kibiblia. Bila misingi hii, huduma ya kichungaji inakuwa kazi ya kitaaluma tu. Pamoja nayo, huduma ya kichungaji inakuwa wito mtakatifu unaostahili maisha yote ya mtu.This is the foundation. Christ is the Shepherd. We are undershepherds. The flock is His, not ours. The Word is our food, the truth is our weapon, the people are our charge, and the Day of accountability is our horizon. Everything else we will study in this course — calling and character, preaching, worship, ordinances, weddings and funerals, visitation, counseling, evangelism, discipleship, leadership, and the long faithful finish — flows from these biblical foundations. Without them, pastoral ministry becomes a profession. With them, pastoral ministry becomes a sacred calling worthy of a man's whole life.

— Dkt. Wayne Cook
Seminari ya Teolojia ya Chapala— Dr. Wayne Cook
Chapala Theological Seminary

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