Clergy/Leaders’ Mail-list No. 2-150 (Leadership Issues)

THE NATURE OF CHRISTIAN PASTORAL MINISTRY

An exposition of 1 Corinthians 4 by Dr. John Stott on 10 July 2002, in Melbourne, Australia, reported by Elizabeth Kendal. (A briefer outline of this address appeared in CLM-2-138.)

“There is much contemporary confusion,” said Dr. Stott, “about the nature of Christian pastoral ministry. Are they primarily priests, presbyters, pastors, prophets, preachers or psychotherapists? Are they administrators, facilitators, managers, entertainers, social workers, evangelists or liturgists? Throughout Church history the Church has postulated between clericalism and anti-clericalism. Clericalism puts clergy on a pedestal and anti-clericalism knocks them off again. We do need to think clearly about the essentials of the Christian pastoral ministry.”

In 1 Corinthians 3 Paul questions the Corinthian church about the personality cults that had sprung up around various Christian teachers. Paul cries out in frustration, “What do you think we are?” (1 Cor 3:4,5). Dr. Stott gave an exposition of 1 Corinthians 4, Paul’s description of an apostle of Christ, to define how we should view modern pastoral ministry. In his address he identified four marks of pastoral ministry:

1) A pastor should be a servant of Christ (v1-5). The pastor is Christ’s “underling”. “So,” said Dr. Stott, “fundamental to all Christian ministry and leadership is a humble, personal relationship with Christ, with devotion to him expressed in daily prayer, and love for him expressed in daily obedience.

“And being Christ’s underlings, we are also accountable to him for the ministry to which we have been called. This brings both comfort and challenge.” Dr. Stott said it is comforting to be able to say that we are answerable to no man (although we must have the humility to listen and be teachable), but challenging when we realize that Christ’s standards are high and holy and that he is always with us.

2) A pastor is a steward of revelation (v6,7). Dr. Stott demonstrated from the scriptures (including 1 Timothy 3) that pastors are essentially teachers, stewards of God’s word, entrusted to expand the scriptures, and required to be faithful to it.

“It is very easy to be an unfaithful steward,” noted Dr. Stott, “and there are many of them in the Church today, rejecting the word of God, neglecting to study it conscientiously, not relating it the real world outside, manipulating it into meaning whatever they want it to mean, selecting from it what they like and discarding from it what they don’t like, contradicting its plain teaching and substituting for it their own thread-bare speculation, and now even flagrantly disobeying its ethical teachings. No wonder the Church languishes. No wonder the Church is sick in so many parts, because it is so cavalier in its attitude to the word of God.”

3) A pastor must be prepared to be the scum of the earth (v8-13) because his message is foolishness to some and a stumbling block to others. “I doubt,” said Dr. Stott, “if it is possible to be popular and faithful at the same time. Either we go for popularity at the expense of our faithfulness, or we are determined to be faithful at the expense of our popularity.” Dr. Stott quoted William Temple: “The only thing of my very own which I contribute to my redemption, is the sin from which I need to be redeemed”, and spoke of how undeserved grace is such an offense to human pride and arrogance.

4) A pastor is to be a father to the church family (v14-21) not in the sense of an authority figure, but with the affection of a loving father – in love, self-sacrifice and gentleness.

“What is the authentic characteristic of Christian leaders?” asked Dr. Stott. “I would venture to say that it is not severity, but gentleness. We have to be loving fathers and mothers rather than stern disciplinarians in the Christian community.”

Dr. Stott mentioned that he travels a lot and sees a lot of churches. “It is my very firm conviction,” he said, “that there is too much autocracy amongst Christian leaders. There are many whom I fear believe, not in the priesthood of all believers, but in the papacy of all pastors. I am persuaded that there is room for less autocracy and more affection and gentleness.”

To conclude his message, Dr. Stott noted that there is a common denominator in all four marks of a pastor – the common denominator is humility – humility before Christ (whose subordinates we are), humility before the word (of which we are stewards), humility before the world (whose opposition we are bound to encounter) and humility before the Church (whose members we are to love and serve).

“It is my prayer,” said Dr. Stott, “that your ministry will be characterised by, above all else, by what the apostle Paul calls in 2 Corinthians 10:1, the humility and the gentleness of Christ.”

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Elizabeth Kendal wrote this as part of an article that appeared in New Life Christian Newspaper, Melbourne Australia.