Tips for Young Pastors
The Lord laid it on my heart to implement a web site where young pastors, both those in age and training, can benefit from the experiences of their peers as well as elders and be encouraged in their vocation and calling.
“Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” – 1 Tim. 4:12
Introduction
The call and gift to pastor is one of the most blessed and honorable vocations a person can be chosen for. Ephesians 4:11 teach that Jesus himself calls certain persons (“some”) to pastor His people so they may be shepherded and fed. A pastor is called to nurture the flock of God and also to protect them from spiritual harm or injury. A good shepherd will have skills that promote healing and foster restoration. The heart of a pastor will bleed when sheep wander away from the fold, and that same shepherd’s heart will contain joy when they are returned. When the gift of the pastor works in harmony and conjunction with other ministry giftings (apostle, prophet, evangelist, and teacher), saints (God’s people) might be equipped for the work of ministry (service), so that the body of Christ would be built up (expanded and strengthened).
Ministerial Helps
There is nothing more powerful than a prepared preacher with a prepared message. The Bible commands us to study to show ourselves approved unto God so that the message of God would be “cut straight” and “handled properly” (2 Tim. 2:15). It is a tragedy for any pastor, let alone a young one, to approach God’s people and His Word with a lackadaisical attitude and work ethic. One must be committed to the task of making himself available to the Spirit of Christ, which empowers us to do what He mandates for our lives. A young pastor must realize that without a working knowledge of God’s Word, what he/she says becomes suspect and is scrutinized. It is the Word of God that is spirit and life (John 6:63) thus the words that come from our own flesh amount to nothing. The more God’s Word is made alive in us, the more powerful lives will be changed, delivered, and set free in our midst. Interestingly enough, the qualifications for a pastor as listed in the Pastoral Epistles do not even mention the necessity of possessing a strong grasp of the Word. Instead, it focuses on the impeccable character that a pastor or overseer should exhibit in their lives. I personally believe this omission is intentional because of the clear evidence that if character is coupled with the anointing of God’s Word, then the pastor-teacher would be saved from hell’s destruction along with all those that hear him (1 Tim. 4:16).
Listing of Ministerial Helps
Blue Letter Bible | Access
commentaries and study tools
David
Guzik Commentaries | Commentaries and media resources
Bible Dictionaries | Dictionaries
of various types
First Ministry
What is your First Ministry?
Well, I can answer this question by telling you what it is not – it’s not the church! Why you say? The church belongs to Jesus Christ. It is His Bride! “…well, the Bible doesn’t say that!” you may argue. It is inferred. Re-read Ephesians 5:22-32. The church is subject to Christ and your spouse is subject to you, young pastor. Christ gave Himself for the church. He never has and He never will ask you to give yourself for “her”. But he does command you to give yourself for your wife (and family). So your first lesson in becoming a successful pastor is understanding that your wife and family is your 1st ministry – not the church! Begin to neglect your wife and family and you’ll quickly find out how unfruitful ministry will become. Ministry can become addictive and many times pastors are fooled into thinking they can solve every problem in the world. However this deception costs us precious time with our loved ones. Pastors should be committed and work hard, but in everything there is a healthy balance that must be achieved.
Accountability to Other Pastors
- to be edited -
Financial Stewardship of the Pastor
Let me begin this section by quoting a verse: “Abstain from all appearance of evil.” (1 Thess. 5:22). Nothing is more unappealing than a minister who is greedy, irresponsible or immature about money. The first thing a young pastor should do is to establish a checks-and-balance system. You (pastor) should not be handling money! Once you do, you put yourself in a compromised position. Depending on the size and type of the church/ministry, you need to prayerfully select persons who have the ministry at heart and are good stewards of God’s resources themselves to handle financial duties. Make sure you keep good records and give annual reports to the members of the congregation. As the pastor, please remember that you do not have complete autonomy over the Lord’s storehouse but you are responsible for it. When it comes to the financial affairs of the church you should be:
1. Informed
2. Protected
3. Trusted
Is it necessary for you to see the tithe list every single Sunday?! Probably not! Should you know the total deposits for the month of December? Probably yes. If the congregation senses that you’re overly concerned about money that will make them uneasy and apprehensive. Always know that God will make provision for the vision; it is His church and His work. One of the greatest joys of being a young pastor is seeing the supernatural hand of God perform in your church and ministry as well as your personal life. May you continue to trust Him.
Protect Your Time!?
What do you mean I have to protect my time!
Integrity and Character
Integrity is defined as “moral soundness; honesty; freedom from corrupting influence or motive.” Character is defined as “moral quality; the principles and motives that control the life of an individual.” I’ll cut straight to the chase: if these two qualities are absent from your life, you’re not going to have much of a ministry. In many cases, the lack/absence of integrity and character will destroy a church or ministry. We’ve seen evidence of this so many times yet the lesson seems to escape us. Integrity is doing what’s right when no one is watching. It helps to define who you are. Your character is what you are perceived to be. You may think that you are a wonderful person, but if people perceive that you don’t tell the truth on a consistent basis, your character becomes flawed and you are then described as a “liar”. A closer reading of 1 Thess. 4:3-6 reveals to us that character and integrity is important to God and to others. Cheating, lying, being unreliable, showing up late, not keeping your word, sexual indiscretions, and inconsistency are marks of a person who is void of these precious qualities. Strive to develop character and integrity in your life and you’ll be amazed at the response that people have towards you (Prov. 16:7).
The P-S-A Theorem
I wish I could claim this rule of habit as an original idea but I can’t. Credit goes to a pastor’s web site I was visiting one day. I decided to coin this admonishment the P-S-A Theorem. “P” stands for pray; “S” stands for study, while “A” stands for administrate. Pastors, unfortunately, do not have enough hours in the day to do everything well. There are just too many demands. So in order to maximize our time and efforts, we must prioritize. If we don’t do anything else, we must pray! (Luke 18:1). Prayer personally helps me to know the mind of God, His will and His preference. What good does it do me to have a wonderful sermon if I don’t pray about His direction? Next, we must prioritize our time to study. There will always be people to counsel, messages to return and calls to answer but if I do not prepare myself, I am no good to anyone (neither will you). God’s Word is your handbook, your manual, if you will, and you must familiarize yourself with it as often as you can. It is only then that our counsel will be grounded in the truth of God’s Word. Finally, if there is time available, I will administrate. I know what you’re thinking now… sounds like I’m shirking responsibility!. Actually, the opposite is true. As pastors, we must be able to trust those that God has assigned under our leadership and delegate responsibility to them in the area of their anointing and experience. We can’t do everything nor should we try. We are anointed, but we are limited by our humanity and we must be good stewards of the time that our Heavenly Father blesses us with. My prayers are with you.
