The Gift is the Person

There are leadership graces for the Church and none of them are abilities–they are all people.

I am going to make this emphasis on people over ability for a very important reason. Let that sink in just a bit. I am touching on a couple of common ideas and ways of speaking. The question I am already posing to you is, “Do you carry gifts with you, or are you the gift?” Read on, and I will try to bring some deep encouragement to you as a leader.

It might be true that graces and gifts are things given to men just as it says in Ephesians 4:7, “to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it,” and in Romans 8, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us…” but to imagine these leadership gifts as externalized feature sets is an awkward proposal. What I mean by this is that gifts and graces do not exist in concept or in concrete form outside of a person, and I believe this truth is simple and instinctive. For example, when a person contains a grace or an ability we are commonly, and correctly, fond of identifying that person with their gift. We might say that a person is athletic, or another is giving, or another is a strong leader…yet we aware of the fact that we are only identifying one of that person’s graces. We might also say, “that person has a grace to lead,” or “she has a gift to prophecy.” We do not imagine, and we do not find in Scripture, support for the idea that the grace or gift lives in a vacuum in space, or is simply removable part of that person. For instance we don’t have an icon that represents the gift of healing that floats in the spirit realm. We know that the gift of healing is a portion of The Healer at work through us! This helps us see how Romans 11:29 “for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable” clears the idea that gifts and graces might be added to us–and then taken away–from people based on performance. We are given gifts, gifts are even imparted to us through prophetic words and prayer (see 1 Timothy 4:14), but we do not see them as commodities that are added to us like groceries in a removable cart…they are in us and we only know them in reality when we exercise them personally.

To the next level: when a person has an outstanding gift strength we usually emphasize our recognition of it by saying: “That person is an artist,” “They are a teacher,” “She is the leader,” or “He is an administrator.” Did you notice that the identification word just became a noun, and not an adjective? When a gift is so strong in someone that it defines their nature, then we become very comfortable giving them a more concrete title. It is a title that defines who we know them to be, not what we know they can simply do. We know all along that this title doesn’t define everything about them–nor does it identify their position in an organization–it simply shows that we discern their strength and we are comfortable attaching it to their identity. When we discern a primary grace, or ability, in a person we are comfortable assigning them identity based on it. This is normal. This further supports our understanding the grace (energy) and gift (ability) are not external. They are internal to the person and intrinsic to their very being.

These first two ideas I have just proposed are very important. Here is why. If we make the mistake of imagining gifts and graces to be external to the person, then we will fall into some serious traps–I will name a few. First, if we view gifts as something we drag around in a suitcase, then we might fear losing them if we fail. We might fall prey to our insecurities if we gloat over gifts like rewards from heaven for ourselves and fail to see them as gifts for others. If we view gifts as trophies that we can put on a shelf, then we might fall prey to pride and look to them for our righteousness. This idea of gifts will become idolatry, and the Lord, of course, can only tear it down. We might also look down on others who don’t seem to have the gifts we most admire, and this will bring judgement, division, and diminishment. If we think of graces, our abilities, as externalized toys then we might think we can use them–or play with them–or reveal them–at our whim and fancy. This will reveal that our hearts are immature and that we have no idea how great and serious a call we have to love others with our gifts and abilities. Have you noticed that in fellowships where the gifts are promoted before the value of the person is promoted, that all kinds of confusion, and mean spirits enter in? Let’s note the warning in James 3:16 which specifically tells us why: “For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.” We overcome this wrong-headedness when we go back and affirm that graces and gifts are to be found in people and we can’t separate the giftedness from the beauty and value of the person. To be specific, we can overcome much of our fear of charismatic expression by focusing on honoring people at all times, then we won’t throw out the baby (spiritual gifts) with the bathwater (pride and ambition) in our haste to avoid error. To abandon spiritual gifts because of fear of ambition makes as much sense as encouraging mediocrity in all areas of life in order to avoid falling into any pride.

Now, I want us to focus on leadership gifts in particular. Most people refer to the passage in Ephesians 4 and 1 Corinthians 12:28 as “leadership gifts.” This is where the picture of seeing the person as the gift–not just having a gift is most important. When Ephesians 4:11 says, “it was He who gave some to be…” Note: “some to BE.” That’s right, he didn’t say “some to have.” Jesus has poured out leadership gifts for the Church…and His gifts are human BE-ings! Some people are so strong in their grace that we realize that they just are…they just are apostles, they are prophets, pastors, teachers, or evangelists. We know that each person is a diverse set of human algorithms and no one descriptive will contain them wholly, but we must be confident to identify who people are to us in their strength. In 1 Corinthians 12 when we read, “and in the church God has appointed first of all…” it goes on to list the graces of people, not the identification of some raw gift as though it could be exercised outside of a person. In Ephesians 2:20 Paul did not say that the Church was “built on the foundation of the apostles’s gifts and prophets abilities.” He said it would be built on the “foundation of the apostles and the prophets.” Jesus is a Family man. He is building His Church which is a Family. The Church is not a commodity trading center. The Family is made up of beautiful people, not high minded projects, teachings, and organizations. We are not trade-able commodities…we are valuable, irreplaceable sons! So, now, let’s stand up on our desks and say it aloud: leadership gifts are always people.

Why am I spending so much time on this? I want to promote the deep value in discovering the people of great grace around us who God has brought us to help us, and I want to help leaders rest into who they really are.

The Pastor is a Unique Leadership Grace

The pastor is one of the beautiful leadership graces given to the Church to equip her and build her up. I love you, pastors! We need you, pastors! I want to be pastored!

In Ephesians 4 this unique grace is listed, “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers…” all for the purpose of equipping and strengthening the Family of God. This is one of only two uses of the Greek word for pastor in all the New Testament outside of the Gospels, the other is in 1 Peter when Jesus is referred to as both the “Chief Shepherd [pastor] and the Overseer” of our souls. Jesus is our ultimate pastor. His own identification with this grace gives it deep value–just as His identification with the apostle, the prophet, the teacher, and the evangelist give them their deepest definition. He is our ultimate model for pastoring and we will investigate that further in this article. Right now it is good to affirm, simply, that we need pastors and we need to be pastored!

Let me tell you exactly what I want to do next: First, I want to convince you that everyone can pastor some, and–according to an increasing measure of ability–some are called to be received as unique leadership gifts for us all!

Defining the Grace to Pastor

Defining a pastor by pointing first to his spot on the top of a leadership chart is not a Kingdom mindset. I believe that defining this leadership role by discovering the heart and function of the pastor is the right way to go. Most of us have not had that luxury in our journey as believers because we entered into a fellowship where the word “Pastor” was already stuck to an office door so the discussion was already over. We probably had an encounter with Jesus, chose to follow Him, and then began the process of being assimilated into modern church culture (yes, I left the “c” lower case on purpose) which has one or maybe a few positions for “pastors” depending on budget and size. Modern church culture is permeated, unfortunately, with management leadership styles where “pastors” are often required, hired, and fired according to an organizational flow chart. In some cases, the pastor’s spot on the chart is just below a voting “Board” which serves as a corporate tool to keep the pastor under control. Some have the “pastor” at the top of the flow chart and he or she has a special velvety chair on the stage. Others have, for fear of promoting an institutional position have tried to ban the word pastor from their fellowship’s language all together, especially hip, modern ones. All of these ideas of what a pastor really is depends on the pastor being a position in an organization. Did you hear that? Yes, it is true. These ideas in the organizational world depend on the the pastor being not much more than the idea of a chief position.

This widespread systematic mindset has led to a longstanding myth that the word “Pastor” is a manager’s role that lives only in the fellowship’s flow chart, and in the case of the anti-traditionalist, if you remove the role of pastor then you can kill institutionalism. I say good luck to that idea. Do you have an institutional mindset? Take the test:

1. Do you call anyone a “pastor” who is not on staff at a local fellowship?

2. Have you ever said, “I feel called to be a pastor…I am looking for a church to hire me?”

3. You are a woman. Say a loud,”I can be a pastor.” Was that awkward?

4. You are a man. You read #3 and became uneasy because you think women should not serve in an office of leadership over men. Is that what I really said?

No, I am not going to provide an answer key for those four questions. These questions are designed to make us curious about the institutional mindset that has touched us all. If the word has become a noun that means a position in an organization somewhere near the top, but we have forgotten that it is first and foremost a grace–an ability–then we will always struggle. This article is, in part, about rediscovering the basic actions of pastoring. Let’s discover pastor…as a verb!

Instead of focusing on the institutional pathologies that have created our problem let’s jump straight to our solution which is to discover the function of pastoring. The function is the action or the work of pastoring. We must discover the verb of pastoring, before we can effectively recognize the noun. A person who is a pastor must, of course, act like one! Let’s keep the discussion simple and ask some simple questions like: “How do they see?” “What do they naturally do?” “ What strength and weakness does the pastor bring?”

The Pastor’s Heart

I believe the pastor always sees people by name and face. If the pastor were just a lead teacher this would not be the case. If she were just an administrator this would not be required. Pastors are about individual people, just as shepherds are about individual sheep.

Listen to these words as Jesus defines the vision of the pastor in Matthew 18: “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13 And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off.” Could this lesson be more clear? Pastors love people. Pastors don’t just love large groups of people, that belongs to another kind of person. Pastors don’t just gather people together for a specific ministry purpose, that, too, is another kind of person. Pastors genuinely know their people intimately and with a sincere love–the kind of love that will fight for, even at a high cost, their well being. He knows them individually, but he will bring them together. The pastor will war against isolation in his people because he knows that the Church is a family and that togetherness is mandatory.

This self sacrificing heart of the shepherd is outlined when Jesus says in John 10:11,   “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.” Pastors sacrifice for people. Those hired to be pastors of organizations often have to run–and not always because they are weak of heart–when the wolf comes. Sometimes the wolf is the very system he joined and not just evil influences from without. The point here is that a pastor is connected in heart with his people in a way that keeps him committed even in the face of pain. This sounds like family more than business doesn’t it? Pastors will sacrifice for individuals. Now, some leaders will sacrifice for their great vision, or for the force of their numbers and influence, but a true pastor will give it all even for just one.

Finally, inside of these simple notes on the heart and vision of the pastor (which we assume you notice we have taken right from the heart of our Chief Shepherd!) is an encouragement that the pastor’s role is not to preserve tradition, but to preserve people. In Matthew 12:11,  “He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” It is because of the shepherd’s compassion that he is moved to take care of his people. Pastors deeply empathize with their people. “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.” Mark 6:34 The shepherd cares more about the sheep than the rule books of religion. We are not bucking against the Sabbath here, quite the contrary, the Sabbath belongs to the sons of God at rest with their Dad. The religious men Jesus was correcting, however, had begun to glory in and promote the keeping of commandments over carrying out the heart of the Father who loves his family. All commandments and the rules of God were written in order to help and protect His precious people. People were not made just to follow a set of rules as though the rules needed to be protected! It is the other way around. Some have believed that promoting and protecting a tradition was their primary role as a leader in an organization. Some have served their whole lives to preserve a man-made system as though it was what would keep the people safe. This is born from a benevolent spirit, but the Scripture informs us otherwise. We are to serve people first–which is part of the first and greatest commandment–and let all other rules and commands, no matter how excellent, take their rightful place inside of the pastor’s ultimate rule: love the people.

Let me ask you now: Do you love people more than ministry ideas? Do you feel their joys and pains and want to be with them? Can you write down some names of people that you would fight for their health and future? If you can answer these questions positively, then you already have the heart of a pastor. Maybe it is time to say it…go on…try it: “I am a pastor.”

The Pastor’s Function: NOT

The pastor cares for the people of their heart like a shepherd loves his sheep. The first thing I would like to point out about this kind of loving care–by way of affirming what a pastor is NOT–is that the shepherd is not in charge of the sheep’s DNA. A sheep is born a baby lamb and is destined to become a one-of-a-kind sheep and will need no further direction to do so. A shepherd’s job is not to rule over a sheep’s destiny or calling or character, or to convince them to become what God has already set in motion by teaching and commanding.

Funny isn’t it? So much attention is given by the leaders of institutionalized Christianity to explain and direct every member toward their destiny…all the while each spiritual person’s DNA is already resident in them by the Holy Spirit. Many spend tons of energy on telling their “flock” what they should be doing, how they should be voting, and what great mission they are on together…but that is not the pastor’s function. This is why it says in 1 John, “As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit — just as it has taught you, remain in him.“ John is not saying we don’t need any teachers, what he is saying is that we don’t need anyone to tell us who we are! We are in Christ, the life of Christ is remains in us, and so we must remain in Him! We don’t need anyone to tell us who we are, or what we must all be doing, because Dad has already put our new life inside of us and we can hear Him! Old things have passed and all things are new as our spiritual DNA code is changing us from the inside out as sons! This keeps us safe from thinking that pastor’s role is to rule over people with hard direction and motivational group-think. People don’t give over their identity or their destiny to their pastor any more than a lamb could give over to the shepherd its destiny to become what God had already made it to become.

The Pastor’s Function

So, then, a pastor is a “one another” lover. He or she does not rule over people. They do not think more highly of themselves than they should according to Romans 12. Let me quote just a few of the sweet “one another” passages throughout the New Testament that certainly apply to pastors of all shapes and sizes:

• Rom. 12:10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.

• 1 Th. 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

• 1 John 4:11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

This “one another” love creates a real sense of brotherhood, and not a vertical control or authority structure. That being said, let’s uncover the pastor’s unique leadership role that we so desperately need. Here are practical things the pastor does:

1. The pastor brings nourishment and spiritual energy food to the sheep. Even though the DNA code is there and ready to operate, the sheep need food and water and a healthy environment to grow. People need physical food and spiritual food to grow. People need sunlight and the light of the Holy Spirit to grow. People need a culture of touch and encouragement to thrive, and they need the same kind of family life in the spirit. The work of the pastor is to assist, to champion, and to deliver as much as he can in these arenas. This word should bring humility to the heart of the pastor who knows from the start that one person can’t do everything. As a matter of fact a good pastor will bring in other leaders, pastors, prophets, teachers, etc. to help deliver good spiritual food to the people. The pastor will promote the power and presence of the Holy Spirit and will be a constant source of encouragement for every believer to be filled and baptized with His Presence. There is nothing like the very energy of God in the life of the believer, and the pastor will be aware that His grace to love and watch over the people will never be a substitute. The pastor will always be obsessed with bringing a loving touch of encouragement and will be teaching everyone to do the same with one another.

2. The pastor protects the sheep from harm. The greatest harm to the people of God does not come from without, but it comes from close at hand. Just as with any natural family the ability to harm comes most from those standing closest and this is why our Good Shepherd spent so much time teaching the disciple how to forgive. Forgiveness is the key to the Kingdom and the door to reconciliation. Reconciliation is the coming together of family members and this is the dream of every father. It certainly is the dream of our Heavenly Father. I believe the first role of any pastor is to be an agent of reconciliation, after all, we are only guaranteed to have one ministry here on earth–any of us–and that is the ministry of reconciliation: “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” 2 Cor. 5:18 Pastors naturally lead in this area to prove that they are committed to the coming together of the family of God. This creates the healthy environment that all of us crave–an intimate loving family. It is the environment in which we thrive.

3. The pastor reminds the sheep of who they really are! Reminding is a wonderful art-form for the parent. It is not that our children ever cease to be our children, or that they will not grow as a result of their own biology…but have you noticed the looks on their faces when we remind them of who they really are? When I say, “Zane, you are Daddy’s boy, and I love you” or “There is no one else just like you Xander, you are special, and you are mine.” This ignites their inner life. The joyous work of the pastor is to remind the people of who they are in God, how special they are to Him, and what beautiful destiny he can see coming to life in them. Now, I will be more courageous and say that the pastor is not ashamed to even claim his people as his own and speak to them more personally this way, as well. This is not a replacement for the Father’s love, but rather a reflection of it, when we say to those we pastor: “Laurie, I am so proud of who you are becoming” or “David, I love you and I care for your soul.” or “Ben, your are in my heart and I pray for you often.” These are the words of family, and when we use them on one another we are reminded of who we really are!

When I read over these simple descriptions of the pastor’s heart and actions I am so encouraged. I am encouraged to believe that each of us can pastor someone. I know that many of your reading this are excellent pastors. Maybe some of us can pastor a few, and some quite a few more. I am equally convinced that none of us can truly pastor those we cannot name. I am speaking to those of us who write books, or create websites, or even stand in front of thousands to teach and preach….we can teach them, and we can encourage them in some great ways, but we can only pastor those we can touch. Pastoring begins when we see them, and care for them, and take up a helping, alongside, position in their journey.

The Myth of the Modern Pastor

This is an unfortunate section of this article, but we have to bring this discussion into the light. Prejudice, judgement, and great disappointments have resulted from people not learning how to identify the difference between bad systems and teaching, and really good people who are caught up in them. The myth of the modern pastor is built on a mistake we have all made, and I outlined the mistake at the top of this article. We let the word pastor become a position instead of a function.

Pause.

Think.

We let the noun “pastor” take over from the verb of “pastor” and we disconnected the two. We see positions before we see the gifts who are people. Our world is full of this disconnection that has harmed good people who wanted to be pastors, and good people who really wanted to be pastored–but they were confused by poor teaching and poor examples in our traditions. I am speaking for Protestants, Catholics, non-denoms, home churchers, and no-churchers…our traditions have often robbed us of enjoying the grace of pastoring and being pastored. If we take an honest look at our surrounding we would see that the disconnect between the organizational position and the loving function of pastoring is where so much complaint, hurt, burn-out, and bail-out have come from over the years. And it is not “their” fault. It is our fault, and so we can change it.

This position-action disconnect has built a systematic flaw into the modern Church. What I mean by “systematic flaw” is that the local church organization has a broken piece of machinery in its design. The broken piece is the common idea that “pastor” is a position, and not a grace that everyone can enjoy participating in. When the machine is flawed is doesn’t matter how great the people who participate in it are–someone will still get hurt in the process if they touch that part of the machine. You see, dear friends, we don’t always need to blame individuals when the system is sick. When the system is sick, then the good people find themselves doing broken things without having brokenness in their hearts. What I am trying to explain is that making the role of the pastor a slot in a leadership flow chart has brought a sickness to the family of God, BUT…WE…we can fix the problem without burning any buildings down! We can set things right in our world, by simply applying our skills to discern the flaw in the machine and reject it. Did you think you would have to reorganize the machine, or start a new “church,” or start a fight at a board meeting to accomplish this healing work? No, please don’t. I will give you the tools to heal your world by the end of this article.

Take a break, if you like, before you decide I am just trying to be annoying and cutely revolutionary, and go find one Scriptural example or Scriptural teaching that would support the idea that a single person in a fellowship called the Senior Pastor, Rector, Priest, or Father is to rule and reign at the top of everything directional and under everything in the life of the local and even not-so-local Church. (In real life I would go get a sandwich and give you plenty of time.) The institutional church has been built around a pyramid, top down leadership scheme and in our day we have put the pastor’s position at the apex and now we are reaping the fruit of the mistake.

Pause.

Breath.

I love pastoring. I love pastors. I am writing this article to promote the grace and call of being a pastor…at every level. I don’t burn buildings. I am not anti-organizational. I like air-conditioning. I like well structured orgs and fellowships with clear lines of leadership and oversight. I am simply dealing with our definition of one leadership grace: pastor. I am being hard on you because I can’t negotiate back to the idea that “pastor” is a position when it is not, and so we all have to suffer a bit as we look around our Church world and try to redefine that word and that word’s usage in a healthy, life giving way. Please, hang on, let’s keep going together…

The Pastor’s Position

Paul refers to the foundational gifts in Ephesians 2 which is a list of the leadership graces in the Church he says, “God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.” Foundational is a great way to describe these graces because it is what the Church is built on, and the Church is built on people not great ideas or movements. Did you notice that he does not add elder, pastor, deacon, teacher, or any others leadership or serving graces to this word picture of what is foundational? He didn’t even mention Senior Pastor. Does this sound offensive to you? Do think I am being harsh? I don’t mean to be. I am trying to point to a clear, basic truth that we must all deal with and so we will not let our traditions rule over us. Even though pastoring is an important leadership grace that is absolutely critical to the maturing of God’s family, it is not first in importance, nor is it underneath everything like the foundation grace of the apostle and prophet. The punch-line of that passage is that Christ, Himself, is the ultimate, first and foremost foundation stone. He is also the head of all things. He is truly the all-in-all. Christ’s preeminence does not mean, however, that he does not assign key foundational leadership graces to walk among us. Certainly, the prophets of the Old Testament and the prophets in the New Testament are in Paul’s mind, and certainly the Apostles of the Lamb (the Twelve) as well as the apostles to follow (like himself!) are in his mind when he pens these words. He was not just making a historical note, or he wouldn’t go on later to describe how these same graces function in the present. Jesus loves His Church. This is a present tense truth. He assigns (present tense) special graces (who are people) to make sure She is on strong footing.

If you still struggle with this discussion go read in Corinthians 12 when the leadership graces are listed again in order of prominence, “And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers…” Notice here that pastor is not mentioned at all, either. Do not feel demoted, dear pastors. I want to promote you! I just don’t want to promote to a place where you are not safe. Why am I taking this risky tack which could give rise to silly arguments and vain competition in the “whose the boss” department? Because thrusting the “pastor” into the role of the solo-super-leader has brought enough harm to the Family for me to be brave enough to challenge it…even knowing that some people will suffer a bit trying to understand what I am trying to encourage. I am trying to establish a more Biblical sense of priority. I am not trying to diminish the pastoral call, and I am trying to rightfully promote it. Our present systems have not released those with excellent pastoral grace to function. We have only released one in a small fellowship, or maybe a few in a big fellowship who can afford to pay multiple salaries. We have not promoted the grace of pastoring among the family, and we have avoided promoting the apostle and the prophet because that messes with our traditions and our power flow charts. We must deal with this issue head on, without shrinking back, if we love the Family. We have to retool some parts of our machines. Our organizations and traditions are not all bad (anyone who challenges systems will be caricatured in this way sometimes), but we have to courageously confront the parts that are sick. When we continue to prop up bad systems build on flawed ideas we should not be surprised when they don’t produce life. To be specific, when we are in a system that never, ever naturally produces new pastors from within its own garden, but always has to farm pastors from somewhere else, then our system is sick and is not producing life. Let’s ask God for the courage to call out for the real grace of pastoring to come alive in and around us, and we if that means we need to rethink our present organizational ideas and corporate systems then let’s get it on.

Pastors and Elders–A Grace By Degrees

Because this article if for those who really want to dig, I want to take a bit and talk about “elders” in the Church. We are taught in the New Testament on how to think about leadership in the local fellowship, and we must dig in. I propose that leadership in the local Church is always in the plural–there is more than one leader–and the key leadership are called elders.

Let’s take the time to discern the difference between an elder and a pastor. We can easily discover that pastors and elders are very close in heart, but not quite synonymous terms. I am now going to overview some Greek words, but understand that I have never been a believer in the “complex and nuanced” way that some scholars try to treat this kind of stuff. If the Kingdom of God was full of complex and nuanced truth that only scholars could understand then Jesus wouldn’t have said that it belonged to little children. Yes! We’re all in luck!

Jesus called Himself a Shepherd–a Pastor. A shepherd is a caregiver, a protector, and a nurturer. That is easy and obvious from our basic understanding of the shepherd’s vision and function which we have already outlined in this article. When we decide to follow Jesus and receive His life in us, we can all prepare to receive some of the Shepherd’s heart. We can aspire to being shepherds because it is in our very nature. Just by changing the terms, then, we can all aspire to being pastors. Great. Easy. This is what it is time to focus on: we all have different levels of capacity to function in any of the graces that Jesus puts in us. In Matthew 25 the Lord gives us responsibilities “each according to his ability.” Some of us can nurture and shepherd a few, others a few more, and some of us can watch over lots of folks. This varying degree of capacity is the key to understanding the word pastor in the basic sense (for a few), and pastor in the broader sense (for the many) as an elder or overseer. Aha! I made that jump fast, I know, but now I am going to support it.

The New Testament uses the word episkopos “to see over” and is translated bishop or elder most commonly and it denotes the overarching ability to watch over others in a care-taking way. Also the word presbuteros is translated “elder” as well and is used to describe leadership and wisdom that comes from age. In Titus, Paul uses these two words synonymously in verses 5 and 7 to identify who Titus was to appoint to leadership and what qualifications they must have.

Titus 1:5   “The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders [presbuteros] in every town, as I directed you. 6 An elder [implied] must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. 7 Since an overseer [episkopos] is entrusted with God’s work, he must be blameless — not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain.”

In 2nd and 3rd John, John self identifies with the simple word meizon which means an older person of some stature and deserved respect. When we merge the main point of these words together we see the idea of the mature, overseeing leader emerges–this emphasizes leadership and the watchcare over a broader collection of people. On the other hand, shepherd, or pastor, is from the Greek word poimane which comes from a more literal sheep and shepherd picture–i.e. pastor/pastoral/pasture. Only in 1 Peter 2:25 referring to Jesus as the “[Chief] Shepherd and Overseer of your souls” are the two word poimane (Shepherd) and episkipos (Overseer) used together and that is because they really do belong together. Pastor and overseer are used as “combo” words in 1 Peter because they help emphasize each other’s meaning. Just like we commonly read that Christ is our Lord and Saviour, or Strength and Shield, etc. They both have to do with caring for people, watching over a group of people, and being responsible as a nurturer.

What I am trying to bring to light here, however, is that if the words were absolutely synonymous we would see their exchange-able use in the New Testament but we do not. As a matter of fact in that verse in 1 Peter the word is archepoimane which means the powerfully first or Chief Pastor. This prefix arche is attached to make the word super! When the word episkipos is used, however, it needs no such super-prefix because it always means broad overseer. Now we can understand that the word pastor can have degrees of intensity. It can have degrees of responsibility. I think we can see it by degrees from large to small: Jesus can be the arche–the Chief Pastor over all, elders can be seen as those who can pastor over many (the local fellowship), and pastors can be identified as anyone who has the capacity to watch over and nurture…even just one.

This may deserve a pause in our conversation.

I just covered a bunch of Greek words and New Testament uses, and I do think it is a great idea for you to find a concordance or other language study aid and dig into this yourself. Take your time. I am going to summarize my thoughts one more time:

1. Jesus is the Ultimate Pastor and Overseer.

2. Pastoring is a caring action for people. It does imply some overseeing.

3. Overseeing is a leadership grace that requires the heart of pastoring, but emphasizes the broad visioned leadership role.

4. Those whose grace is to pastor and oversee a larger group of people are called elders, or overseers.

5. Elders might also be teachers or prophets, but they are first and foremost have pastoral hearts.

So, all elders must have a pastor’s heart–the heart to care for and watch over the people of God, but elder emphasizes the governmental aspects of pastor who watches over a bigger group. Elder denotes the broader reach of the older and more mature men who pastor (Titus 1:6 “An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife,”), while pastor emphasizes the heart and function of simply taking care of others which is–and I emphasize–not in any way a gender restricted work. Women can and do and should pastor. Eldership is reserved for men. I define the difference in simple terms like this: the pastoring grace walks into the room of 100 people and immediately sees the 8 that he or she is caring for, but the elder walks into the same room and sees all 100 as those he is to watch over–this his is nature.

There is nothing at all wrong with calling an elder “pastor,” but we must be careful not call all pastors “elders.”

(In case you are already asking the question, “Why did Paul list the grace of “pastor” in Ephesians 4 while using it almost nowhere else? Why didn’t he use the word “elder?” This is an excellent question. I submit that the word pastor is used in the leadership grace list in Ephesians instead of the word elder (some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers) to emphasize the function of the leader who is a pastor in heart and action, not to emphasize the call to oversee. If he had used “elder” we might not focus enough on the function, but we might have been led to think about the position. Also, in giving an answer to this question I would note that elders might be prophets and teachers as well, but they will have some pastoral grace. (This underlines the truth that elders may contain different graces mixes, but have the overseeing heart of a pastor for sure!) Therefore, this list in Ephesians is a list of five primary hearts and actions, embodied by real people, first embodied best by Christ, that we need in the Church, and one of these leaders we need is the shepherd/pastor! Sometimes all of these graces are referred to as the Five-Fold ministry.)

Overcoming Superstition

Now, we are heading toward the close of this article and some practical challenges. How do we overcome the myths and false systems without bringing harm to the Family? How do we encourage the grace of pastoring without speaking any diminishing words to pastors in various offices and roles in a traditional environment? How do we set in motion a return to the Biblical model for leadership in the local Church and pace ourselves so we don’t pull a muscle? Here are some practical steps:

First: Desire Every Leadership Grace’s Function

Just as Paul said, “desire spiritual gifts,” where these gifts can operate from within you, I also say, “desire the leadership gifts” so they can come and build you up! We have to want leadership. We have to desire to be pastored, and to be taught. We have to want to receive the grace of the apostle, and the prophet, and we have to want the evangelist to come and equip us. I say: Discern the grace, and then receive the grace. Discover apostles and prophets. Identify the pastors. Promote the teachers. Release the evangelists.

Obviously, if you have any judgements or unforgiveness in your heart against any leader you are going to hit a wall here. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you identify and release those hurts. Forgive bad leaders, don’t throw out all leadership! God gives beautiful people to us to love us and equip us as saints according to Ephesians. We were made to be ministers, to be saints, and leadership graces come to help us become. Leadership graces don’t come to do the ministry for us.

Second: Give Honor to Every Leadership Grace

Show honor and respect for each one. Don’t try and shove them all into an organizational flow chart. Not every leader needs to be given an office and a salary in an organization, but they do deserve our honor. Here are some practical ways to honor:

1. Ask them for help. This shows you can listen and receive. It shows you recognize their grace and you want it.

2. Say, “thank you.” This says you like them and their wonderful grace, and you want them to keep pouring it out on you. Pastors love to know that you appreciate their genuine care for you.

3. Offer your time to serve them. Serving a leader is a great way to bring honor to them, and a great way to create proximity to their grace. You can get closer to them when you serve, than if you were just waiting in a line with your hand out. The pastor is someone whose kids need watching, yard needs mowing, car needs washing, wife needs pampering, skis need waxing, fly fishing gear needs upgrading…I could go on and on.

4. Finally, and very importantly, give them money. Giving to leadership out of thanks and honor is called the tithe. No kidding. Share the tithe with them directly if you can, and don’t wait on an organization or a non-profit to rule your giving heart. Give honor to those who pastor your soul. Honor in the New Testament is almost always synonymous with giving money in order to assign value to a person. Elders are often worthy of “double the money” because “the elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.” 1Tim. 5:17

Third: Begin the Verb of Pastoring Right Now

If pastoring is a verb, then why can’t we all give it a go? It is time to see the pastoral grace first as a verb and release everyone to do some. Just as we hope all will prophecy some, and teach some, and encourage some, let’s begin to expect everyone to pastor some. As the elders look around they will see some who pastor more than others. Let’s celebrate them and call them up to the responsibility they were created for. We need to celebrate the pastors among us, both women and men, both young and old, and release them to be themselves. We don’t need a new authority flow chart, what we need is the shepherds of the fellowship to be received and enjoyed! Here are some practical moves inside of this encouragement:

1. Pastors, teach everyone you can the wonderful art of pastoring.

2. I strongly promote gathering the leading pastors together to encourage one another in the beautiful art of pastoring. In other words, pastors learn from one another when they talk about the art of their function, not their place and position.

3. Let the person who is watching over your soul that you love being pastored. Use the word pastor to compliment someone who is like a caring shepherd for you.

4. Those of you leading a fellowship from the “pastor’s position,” do not freak out. Don’t write a new white paper for your fellowship, or follow the urge to suddenly change the way your system has worked for generations. Simply start using the word pastor to always identify the functioning grace, and never to identify a position with an office. Try it. We lead best by functioning in the truth, not in describing the correct form.

I want to close by praying over all of you. You are precious to God, and you deserve to be pastored by real people in this life. Our Chief Shepherd is sending his shepherds to you. Don’t despair you are not alone. I pray for your eyes to see. You are a pastors, friends. I release you to be yourselves, to claim others, and to take care of them. Dream, suffer, pray, and advocate for those you love. Write their names down in your own Book of Love. We will be known as a family of tender watch-care for one another. Finally, don’t lose your heart to honor those who deserve. Don’t let yesterday’s pain keep you from the joy of blessing those who live to help you in the now. Amen.

Download the PDF version with a handy table of contents, extras, and a huge bibliography: pastor_the_verb

Tags: church, elder, five-fold, ministry, pastor, teacher

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