tomwhetstone

tomwhetstone

2p

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10 years ago @ Ron Edmondson - 5 Reasons Your Pastor ... · 0 replies · +1 points

When I was in seminary, I asked Dr. Norman Harper, "What is the greatest temptation for a pastor?" He pondered and replied, "Lack of humility."

10 years ago @ Ron Edmondson - 5 Reasons Your Pastor ... · 1 reply · +1 points

You identify real problems, but I detect an incomplete view of leadership. Strong churches endure and grow from pastor to pastor. The pastor should not see himself as the sole or even the primary leader under Christ, although too often this is presumed by pastor and congregation. A major leadership responsibility of the church pastor (n.b. Ephesians 4) is to "equip the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:12). The church pastor cannot know everything or every problem, but he is wise to help educate and train leaders and future leaders to work with him. He might focus more on building a spiritually strong and gifted team (e.g., elders in Presbyterian congregations or board of deacons in congregational churches) that will join together to lead the church over time. My interpretation is that the pastor should focus more on teaching and mentoring a spiritual team, rather than on assuming too much of the burden of being the "leader." The well-led church will endure beyond the time for which any one pastor is called.