By Francis Akin John
Priority – Pastors after God’s heart have clear priority in ministry. They know they cannot do everything and therefore concentrate on what they can do well. Thy choose their calendars and programmes and major in major and leave the minor to others.
- Production – Jeremiah 1:10. They seek for and produce results that gladden the heart of God. They produce fruits to eternal life and seek to bring change to everywhere they do ministry.
- Patience – Hebrew 6:12; 10:36. Pastors after God’s heart know that it takes time to build a durable work for God. They therefore patiently labour, pray, intecede, teach, train and equip the church for long time fruitfulness.
- Persistence – Revelations 3:11; 2:25. Bull-dog tenacity, never-say-die spirit and ability to stick to it when you are hardest hit are the hallmark of pastors after God’s heart. They hold tenaciously to the promises of God and wait in faith until God comes and prove Himself strong on their behalf.
God is looking that every pastor will rise up today to become men and women after His heart. Then, He can show Himself strong on their behalf. I Chronicles 16:9. Then He can rebuke kings for their sakes and prosper the work in their hands. I Chronicles 16:20-22. God will have to do an operation in our hearts, changing our hard heartedness to tender hearts for Him, (Ezekiel 36:25-27). If we are going to be men and women after His heart.
TRUE PASTORAL CALLING AND MINISTRY. Jeremiah 3:15; 23:4.
The pastoral gift and calling is one of the most important gift to the health of the Church. Pastoral calling is crucial to the perpe-tuation of the gospel in the world. However, the pastoral ministry has become a laughing stock in the society today due to compro-mise on the part of Church lead-ers. Too many things are happen-ing that had and are still under-mining the pastoral ministry. Today, every Dick and Harry, Tom and Jerry answers the name ‘Pastor’ and majority are ignorant of the functions of pastoral ministry.
- Unwholesome Ways of Becoming Pastors Today. John 10:11-15
When Church leaders and people are using the following ways to choose, become, ordain and install pastors over churches, many of our churches are suffering the ripple effect of increased divorce, scandals, moral failures, stagnation, spiritual bankruptcy and public ridicle of the pastoral ministry today:
Having served in church commi-ttee and deciding to become a pastor.
Head ushers who see offerings regularly and decide to become a pastor.
Choosing people based on wealth, position and status in secular work.
Having money to build a church-building and pastoring it for fun.
Promotion from elders, deacons to becoming honorary pastors.
Going to a bible school and being ordained to become a pastor.
Using ethnic bias, favouritism, oratory powers and connection to powers that be to choose pastors.
These are characteristics of hirelings in the ministry today. The hireling is a thief and robber, who is only interested in fleecing the sheep and not feeding them. He doesn’t really have the time to care, show love, compassion and tenderness to the sheep. The hireling is one who is paid to do a job, he has no real heart and call for the sheep. He flees when the wolf comes. He deserts the sheep and the wolf will catch, scatter and devour them. He is a gold-digger and have no care for the sheep. He loves the crowd but hates the people.
- True Shepherd’s Calling: Psalm 23; I Peter 5:2-3.
No one can function effectively in the pastoral ministry without a distinct calling from the Lord. The pastoral ministry carry so much burden that it is only those who are called that can receive the grace to be effective.
The call come through vision, dreams, inward voice, revelation and inner conviction. It is the calling that brings the anointing, grace and charisma to be effective.
Clear Definition: The word “Pastor” is borrowed from animal husbandry, particularly, sheep raising. Several biblical words are used as synonyms for pastor. “Elder”, “Presbyter”, “Bishop” and “Shepherd”. A truly called pastor is God’s man in God’s church in God’s time.
The pastor of a group of Christ-ians is the person responsible under Jesus, who is the Chief Shepherd, for teaching, feeding, healing wounds, developing unity, helping people find their gifts, and doing whatever else is necessary to see that they continue in the faith and grow in their spiritual lives.
- True Shepherd: Psalm 23.1
- “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want”
The role of the true shepherd is to care for the sheep and meet their needs. They need water, pasture, rest, protection, rescue, healing balm, or assistance in giving birth. The needs of sheeps change with seasons…
True shepherds travel long dis-tance to find food for their sheep.
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