Although many today have taken this pastoral ministry very lightly, there are certain requirements that God has placed on this ministry, and today we will see what a pastor should be according to the Bible.
You can also find out what the disciples did after they were baptised by clicking on this link.
Let’s take a closer look at what the Bible says a pastor should be.
Pastoral ministry is not achieved or acquired just because you want it, it goes far beyond a simple whim.
Although we see pastors multiplying like grains of rice every day, we need to be careful.
And dig a little deeper into the Scriptures to see who is a shepherd and who is just a puppet.
Although the word may sound a little harsh, if you are not chosen by God for this spiritual office, then you are just that, just that.
The responsibility that God places on a man’s shoulders to lead his people is no easy task.
And that is why most people disagree about what it takes to be one.
And we don’t have to go to big universities or academies, just open our Bibles and we can find the answers.
Jesus was a good shepherd and we should follow his example.
If you want to delve a little deeper into who the first Christians were, click on this link to find out who they were.
Requirements written in the Word
In 1 Timothy 3:1 we are reminded that it is a good thing to desire a bishopric or pastorate, but we must be careful to fulfil the duties and requirements:
“If anyone desires a bishopric, he desires a good work”.
If we pay attention to this scripture, we are not warned that it is wrong to desire this.
Rather, we are encouraged that it is a good work, but the verse does not end there.
Notice what follows in the following verses of the same chapter, 1 Timothy 3:2-7
“But the bishop must be blameless, the husband of one wife, sober, discreet, inconspicuous, hospitable, capable of teaching;
Not given to wine, not quarrelsome, not lovers of filthy lucre, but gentle, peaceable, not covetous;
Let him manage his own house well, and bring his children up in all honesty.
(For if a man does not know how to manage his own house, how can he manage the church of God?)
Not a neophyte, lest, being puffed up, he fall into the condemnation of the devil.
He must also have a good testimony from outsiders, lest he fall into disrepute and the snare of the devil”.
Although there are several more verses, we will start here because there is a lot of material to cut through.
This will answer our question about what the Bible says a pastor should be like.
Do you know where the early Christians went to hear the Word preached? Go to this link and find out.
Can anyone be a pastor?
The answer is undoubtedly no.
A person who wants to be a pastor or deacon has to go through this filter.
And every point has to be checked to see if he passes, and that does not mean that he has to be perfect.
But a person who accepts correction with humility, that is, a proud and haughty man, is far from being able to be a pastor or deacon.
For such a man will never accept correction because his pride will not allow it.
And as the verses say, he must be blameless, that is, not deserving of reproach.
A sober person is one who is moderate and discreet in all his ways, from his food to his behaviour.
Prudence should also be his banner, that he should think very carefully about all things.
One cannot be a foolish person in his walk.
So how should a pastor be according to the Bible, which is something extremely difficult?
It is not difficult for those who have the calling and God has prepared them for it.
Often men choose this ministry for the wrong reasons and that determines who you will be.
I think the call to be a pastor is one of the hardest to accept, God definitely has to train you.
It brings with it a task that carries a lot of responsibility before God.
And that is to lead the Lord’s sheep on the right path, yes, THE LORD’S sheep, even if they sometimes think they are their own.
This task involves caring for them, restoring them, feeding them, guiding them, protecting them from the wolf, and much more.
Therefore, the ministry of the pastor requires a person who possesses all the virtues mentioned in the above verses.
But what does the Bible say a pastor should be like in order to fulfil all these tasks?
The same verses above emphasise this.
The qualities should be sobriety, prudence, decency, to be a person who likes to entertain, who likes to teach, who is not quarrelsome or contentious, who does not drink, who has no greed, who is not greedy,
that he likes to teach, that he is not quarrelsome or contentious, that he does not drink, that he is not greedy,
He must be gentle, he must be gentle, he must know how to manage his house and his children, this will show that he can lead the church well.
A pastor must not be a person who is haughty, shouting, bitter or judgmental.
Remember that this person will have to face a myriad of problems from the sheep in his flock.
Many of these problems will be scandalous and sinful, and he must lead them to the truth with sobriety and wisdom.
He must not reveal to others the problems they share with him in the confidence of pastoral care.
Other people assume that pastoring is a job from which they can make a profit and live without “too much trouble”.
It is as if they think that pastoring is easy and that they do it only for the money they will receive from pastoring a church.
This is a grave mistake and can have serious consequences for God’s people, and God Himself will not hold the guilty innocent.
A person who desires in his heart to be a pastor should first ask the Lord for confirmation.
And ask Him to make him the person he needs to be, as the above verses say.
It is not easy to lead a people who do not belong to the Lord, remember Moses.
He was commissioned by God to lead his people out of Egypt, and those people were often disobedient and rebellious.
Leading a church carries the same risks as Moses. Are you ready for that responsibility?
I believe that God prepares those whom He calls, as the Word says in 2 Corinthians 1:21.
But I also know that God will repay all those who are not called by Him and who go about in the world causing trouble to His people.
If you also want to know how the first Christians lived, go to this link.
For them, I leave this reflection on the book of the prophet Ezekiel 34:1-10
Prophecy against the shepherds of Israel
“The word of the Lord came to me, saying:
Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to the shepherds:
“Thus says the Lord God, the Lord: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves!
Do not the shepherds feed their flocks? You feed on the milk of the sheep, you clothe yourselves with their wool.
and you slaughter the fat, but you do not feed it.
You do not strengthen the weak, nor heal the sick; you do not bind up the brokenhearted, nor bring back into the fold the straying and the lost.
You do not seek out the stray and the lost, but you rule them with severity and violence.
They wander for want of a shepherd and are prey to all the wild beasts of the field. They are scattered!
My sheep have gone astray on every mountain and on every high hill.
My sheep are scattered over the face of the whole earth, and no one has sought them or asked for them.
“Therefore, shepherds, hear the word of the Lord:
As I live, says the Lord Jehovah, because my flock was exposed to robbery,
and my sheep were a prey to all the wild beasts of the field, without a shepherd;
and my shepherds did not seek my sheep, but the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed my sheep.
Therefore, shepherds, hear the word of the Lord.
Thus says the Lord GOD:
I am against the shepherds, and I will take my sheep out of their hands.
I will cause them to cease to feed my sheep, and the shepherds will no longer feed themselves; for I will deliver my sheep out of their mouths, and they will no longer be food for them.
Now that you know what the Bible says a pastor should be, what do you think?
