Tag: Pastor

What about the Pastor?

1 Timothy 5:17-25

Timothy’s primary mission in Ephesus was to establish leadership in the churches. He was also to teach how to deal with problems in the church. How to treat the pastor would be an important part of these lessons. His teaching would be very important in this, but his example would set the precedent for how pastors would be treated for years to come.

The Reward of the Elder (Pastor)

17 Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. 
18 For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward. 
1 Timothy 5:17–18

For “elders” in this section think “pastors.” The phrase, “especially they who labour in the word and doctrine” indicates that these are the pastors of the church. Paul wanted these churches to take care of their pastors. 

Pastors are to be considered worthy of a “double honor” if they “rule well”. Ruling well means they maintain the order and focus of the church. The double honor could be looked at in a couple of different ways. Some say it means that they should be given monetary compensation for their labor with the respect due to their office. Others believe it to mean that pastors should be paid double the average income of the church. Either way, the pastor is to be rewarded for his efforts.

I can imagine the scenario, a man is ordained as a pastor from within the church. He is laboring, teaching God’s word, and guiding the church. But the church is slow to reward his effort by meeting his physical needs. They may have had a great deal of respect for him, but the meeting of those physical needs was still wanting. Paul is trying to make sure that this teaching was given.

The temptation in some churches, it seems, is to reward the pastor with respect but not care for his physical needs. This must have been the case in Paul’s day as well, verse 18 is all about rewards that meet physical needs in return for labor.

Application

The point here isn’t to make up some pastoral pay scale, it’s to remind that the pastor who is doing the work God called him to should be respected and be rewarded for his efforts in a way that will meet his needs.

Accusations Against a Pastor

19 Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses.  
20 Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.  
21 I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality. 
1 Timothy 5:19–21

Pastors are humans and aren’t perfect. There may come a time when a pastor will be in sin and need to be held accountable for it. This is a very serious situation, so specific instructions are given.

Require at least two witnesses of an accusation against a pastor. The respect referred to in verse 17 applies here. Require witnesses. This would also help to protect against people with an agenda against the pastor.

Then those who are in the wrong rebuke before all. When a pastor is caught in sin, he must be rebuked. He is to be an example of walking with God, when he is caught in sin he needs to be an example of godly repentance. 

Accusations and rebukes shouldn’t be done with any respect of persons. No matter how much you like your pastor, if he is in sin he must be called on it.

Choose Wisely

22 Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep thyself pure. 
23 Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities.  
1 Timothy 5:22–23

The idea of laying on hands would indicate that the authority of a local church has signed off on a person as being qualified to be a minister of God’s word.

No pastor should be ordained to service in a hasty way. Give the man being considered time to prove himself before ordaining him. 

Lots of prayer should go into it. Men who are unqualified have been the ruin of many churches. This was probably a contributing factor to Timothy’s stomach problems. 

In our day pastors still need to be chosen wisely. Allow men who are gifted the opportunity to serve in the church. This will help to train them and give the church a chance to see their character. Don’t be so quick to bring in an outsider. When someone from another church is called to pastor you haven’t had the chance to observe his character. Try to train up from within. There is a lot to be gained from bringing people from within a church into leadership.

God will Reveal Sin and Good Works

24 Some men’s sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after. 
25 Likewise also the good works of some are manifest beforehand; and they that are otherwise cannot be hid. 
1 Timothy 5:24-25

God will be just in every situation. You can count on Him to reveal sin and to reward good works.

Your Turn

Church member:

Value your pastor. Try to get to know him and his family in a personal way. Seek his counsel, and value his teaching. Be sure to provide for his needs and if problems come up handle them in a biblical way.

The key in this is to not allow anything to turn into a conspiracy and to not feed a problem until it becomes a scandal.

Pastor:

Care for your church. Be a faithful steward of God’s word and work. Follow the example of Christ so that you can be the example that your church needs.

If there is a failing, confess it. 

Seek out someone to be accountable to for your spiritual growth.

The Qualifications of a Pastor’s Wife

This is a guest post written by Beth Spilger, my Mother and 45 year veteran of being a Pastor's wife.

I never questioned my calling as a Pastor’s Wife. I never questioned the fact that I was to help my husband fulfill the qualifications God placed on him … or at least those I could. Some are undeniably his responsibility.

So many of these qualifications are implicitly our’s together even though the qualifications are given to my husband. I, too, should keep these qualifications because they will reflect on his reputation even though I am not the pastor but his wife. Well, except the one about being the “husband of one wife”. That’s a difficult one for me as a woman. I can be the wife of one husband and that I have done and will until death. I do hope God gives us both a long life together. There is no one in this world I would rather serve the Lord with than my husband. 

How can my husband fulfill hospitality, raising our children for the glory of God and in subjection to their father, keeping our house in order, not greedy for money, not covetous, and having a good report of all men if I’m not in his corner helping him? I often think of the fact that Eve was taken from the side of Adam. A wife is a help-meet. She has a responsibility to help her husband be the man of God he needs to be whether he is a pastor or not. Even more when he is. 

I feel my job is to encourage him in his spiritual walk, as every wife should do, to be in the Word, to pray, to serve, to be faithful in all he does, etc. Not driving him but walking along-side encouraging him. I have to remember that encouraging is not encouraging wrong but the right behavior. I’m his cheerleader! 

God gave us seven children to raise for His glory. I look at each one of them as adults and observe that they honor and respect their father (he’s earned both!), they serve our Lord with joy and excitement, they live godly in Christ Jesus, they are in His Word, they are striving to raise families for His glory, etc. They are not perfect. We have never told our children they were to do anything because they were preacher’s kids. Others have told them that but not us. They were to do them because they are in our family. We do these based on the Word of God. We considered our family a team and we worked together (still do) to accomplish God’s purpose for our family and ministry. At times that meant that some of us stayed home to do the grunt work so others could serve elsewhere. At times it meant we all went to the church to clean as a team. Whatever it was we all worked to serve at the church in various areas to see the ministry move forward. There is so much to being a team and we were privileged to be one!

My husband and I have learned a lot together these 45 years and counting. We have stuck with each other through thick and thin. Sometimes more thin than thick in which we have had the privilege of seeing God meet each and every need as well as some of our wants. God has been faithful to every promise — all the time. God wants us to exercise faith. If I’m always wanting more or better and not content with what we have to the point that I will do whatever I can to get it, I will never learn faith. Faith is trusting the Lord to meet all my needs. I have so many stories of how God met needs and gave us gifts as a family as we cared for the things he had already provided. 

Pastoring is not easy. My biggest job as my husband’s wife is to pray for him. Pray that he will fulfill the qualifications listed in 1 Timothy. I pray for his walk with the Lord, his relationship with our children and the people at church, for wisdom, encouragement from other places besides me, his health spiritually, physically, and emotionally, decisions he has to make, his leadership in our home and church, etc. 

I think the hardest thing I have had to deal with is the expectations coming from those who do not understand the ministry, my husband’s position as a pastor, and that pastor’s kids are not different than their own. I encourage you to get to know your Pastor’s family and look at ways you can encourage your pastor, his wife, and their children. Study the Word to understand the great responsibility that God puts on the shoulders of your pastor. Above all, PRAY for their family and their protection.

I am blessed to be called my husband’s wife! I do not view it lightly. I am grateful that God put us in the church He did, gave us the children He did, and the experiences He has. It is a privilege to serve along-side my man-of-God.

Written by Beth Spilger for the readers of "Word Fitly Spoken."

Who’s the Pastor? (Part 2)

1 Timothy 3:1-7

Last week we looked at the desire for ministry and the needed character of a pastor. Today we’re going to carry that on into how that desire and character are applied and evidenced in their family, maturity, and testimony.

Family Life

A pastors family life shows just how well his character is lining up with the characteristics Paul gave in verses 2 and 3. Here’s what he says about the Pastor and his family:

4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;  5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) 
1 Timothy 3:4–5

I am blest to be a PK. As a kid, I knew my dad wasn’t caught up in seeking his own glory. He always worked to lead us, my family and my church, to a real walk with God. This meant that we talked about the Bible like it was real and practical at home, and we heard the same thing from the pulpit every time the church doors were open.

How a pastor leads his family will show how he is leading the church. A man who doesn’t have his own house in order probably isn’t the best choice to lead a church.

Pastor, don’t lose track of how you are leading your family. This is one of the greatest ministries you have. 

Maturity

A pastor cannot properly lead a church if he is a novice.

Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. 
1 Timothy 3:6

A novice is a new christian. There is NOTHING wrong with being a new christian! In fact I think some of us who have been saved a while could learn from the zeal of the newly saved. But that zeal isn’t always accompanied by the maturity needed to lead a church.

In this Paul is calling on the spiritually mature to pastor. The new Christian should learn and grow and be encouraged in his desire to be a pastor, but appointing him to that role before he is ready would lead to his own destruction and the harm of that local church.

Testimony

A pastors character, family life and maturity must be seen by the world outside the church.

Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. 
1 Timothy 3:7

This refers to the reputation that a pastor has in a community, among unsaved people. How does he conduct business? Is he kind? Fair? What skeletons do they see in his closet that are hidden from those in his church?

Why does this matter?

Why would the opinions and perspectives of the unsaved world matter in a case like this?

Let me answer that with some questions. Would you go to a church pastored by a man who was given to road rage? who frequently broke “minor” laws to get what he wanted? Or, who had addictions he was unwilling to deal with?

My unsaved friends see all of these kinds of things in pastors as reasons to not trust churches and christians.

In short: Testimony matters.

Your Turn

Are you a pastor? 

Pay attention to the needs of your family. They are a precious responsibility from God.

Let your family and the world around you see you walk with God for real. Be the example of character and maturity that our world needs.

Are you called to be a pastor? 

Grow in your spiritual maturity. Read God’s word daily, memorize, meditate on it and apply it to the world around you. Make yourself accountable to a trusted friend, your pastor or others to growth and maturity. 

Maybe you are neither of the people mentioned so far.

Pray for your pastor. Your pastor needs your prayer and support.

Be your pastor’s encourager. Too often we criticize without any attempt to encourage. Don’t fall into this trap. As we go along there will be instruction for how to approach your pastor with concerns, and there may be a place for these, but in it all be an encourager.

Who’s the Pastor? (Part 1)

1 Timothy 3:1-7

When you think of a Pastor, what are some of the first thoughts that come to mind? (Take a minute and put these in the comment section below.)

Following some general instruction for Timothy about church meetings, Paul goes on to explain the offices of Church Leadership. These offices are Pastor (Bishop) and Deacon.

Bishop is one of the office names for a Pastor used in scripture. We most commonly use the more personal term “Pastor” these days, so that’s how we’ll be referring to this office in the paragraphs that follow.

What are the qualifications of a pastor?

The Desire to Be a Pastor

“This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.” 
1 Timothy 3:1

The words “desire” and “desireth” carry the idea of something that you long for and are reaching after. God places that desire to be a pastor in the hearts of some. This should be encouraged.

Let me repeat this: The desire to be a pastor is a good thing! Looking after God’s people is a “good work.” This is an effort that is pleasing to God.

I was challenged about my call to pastor just after I turned 19. I was eating a meal with an older pastor and was asking questions trying to learn from his experience and wisdom. He must have caught on, he stopped the conversation and very curtly asked me, “How do you know that you’re called to be a pastor? Lots of people start on this without actually being called. Are you REALLY called to it? Don’t tell people you are then quit later.”

I was blown away. 

I can understand this man’s reason for concern, I’m sure many men have been pastors who weren’t called.

The Ministry leader I was with took me aside later and showed me 1 Timothy 3:1, he told me that if God had given me this desire I was after a good work. I walked away from this experience more sure of my calling than I ever before.

Wanting something isn’t enough, without the Personal Character, Family life, Maturity, and Testimony to carry it out.

Personal Character

2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;  3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
1 Timothy 3:2–3

Following desire a pastor must have a high degree of personal character.

For brevities sake, I’ll summarize these. I highly recommend that you take the time to do a personal study on these characteristics.

A pastor must be: 

  • Blameless: above reproach
  • The husband of one wife: a one-woman man
  • Vigilant: Will keep his head when things are out of wack, alert to the dangers surrounding the flock
  • Sober: He isn’t controlled by his own emotions
  • Of good behavior: has established order in his own life.
  • Given to hospitality: willing to open his home to strangers.
  • Apt to teach: simply able to teach, this includes knowledge and wisdom to apply truth to the needs of the church.
  • Not given to wine: he doesn’t allow for misuse of alcohol. The simplest way to accomplish this is to not consume alcohol at all. 
  • No Striker: He isn’t ready to attack others.
  • Not greedy of filthy lucre: His goal isn’t money.
  • Patient: He is gracious and patient in interactions. 
  • Not a brawler: A peacemaker not a fight-starter. Not quick to anger, or violent in self-defense.
  • Not Covetous: He isn’t primarily after personal gain in any form. This selflessness of character allows him to put God and others first.

So much application could be made on each of these points. In fact, I’m sure as you read them you thought of pastors that were examples of these things in either a positive or negative way.

Your Character

God hasn’t called everyone in every church to be a pastor, but imagine how it would benefit a church if every member strove for this character.

Reread that list, how does your character line up? Maybe you struggle in a couple of these areas. I know some of these points are not natural for me. Seek God’s help to have this quality of character.

Your Turn

Are you a pastor? 

Reconnect with the desire that God put in you heart to minister to His church.

Meditate through this list again, and seek to grow even more in your personal character, family life, maturity and testimony.

Are you called to be a pastor? 

Has God given you the desire to pastor?

Talk to your pastor about it. Then study through this set of qualifications and seek God’s help in being a person of character.

Maybe you are neither of the people mentioned so far.

This a challenge to grow in this personal character.

Be a support to your pastor in prayer and encouragement. He is a human being. He’s going to struggle and it’s probably harder for him to have real friends than you know.

We’ll look at the rest of the passage next week.

How to “Do Church”

An overview of 1 Timothy.

In ministry we often look to other examples as a starting place for the practical points of things. This has a good side and a bad side. 

  • Good: We don’t have to reinvent the wheel. There is no shame and LOTS of wisdom in learning from others.
  • Bad: We sometimes use what others are doing as a starting point when we should be going back to the Word of God to see how things are supposed to look.

Where should a Pastor Start?

What would it look like to start from scratch? A brand new church, with just the biblical approach of church and ministry. How would a pastor start?

Meet Timothy

Timothy and Titus are the guys who know what this is like. Before churches all used hymnals or had a similar order of service as everyone else, these men of God were pastoring churches that sprang up as a result of Paul’s missionary work. Paul wrote them three letters going over some of the most important points for New Testament Churches. 

Over the next few weeks we’re going to be looking at the first of these epistles, 1 Timothy. But before we get into the details let’s zoom out and get an overview of this letter to Timothy.

Overview of 1 Timothy

Author

Paul the Apostle states that he is the author in 1 Timothy 1:1. Paul was converted to being a follower of Christ after persecuting the Church (Acts 9). He was called at his conversion to be a minister for Christ to the Gentiles (anyone who is not a Jew) though it took a few years for him to really begin this ministry (Acts 13). Paul was probably the first to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the city of Ephesus (Acts 18:19-21) this visit was very brief, but Paul returned later and spent over 2 years with these new believers (Acts 19).

Recipient

Timothy (also called Timotheus) was the main recipient of the this letter (1 Timothy 1:2)

Timothy had been received into Paul’s church planting team for Paul’s second missionary journey (Acts 16:1-3). He was the son of a Greek man (probably an unbeliever, though we don’t know for sure) and a believing mother. He had been given a heritage of faith in Christ by his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice. 

Timothy was probably not a super confident person. Paul encourages him a couple of times to not let anyone despise him (1 Tim 4:12) and not be driven by fear (2 Tim 1:6-7). Yet Timothy was someone Paul could rely on (Philippians 2:19-23). Paul viewed him as a son.

Key Thoughts and Structure

(Paul’s purposes in writing essentially create the outline of the Epistle)

I have had to summarize the themes in these points, but hope to unpack a lot of this in the coming weeks and months.

Right Teaching – 1 Timothy 1

Right Worship and Church Organization – 1 Timothy 2-3

Personal Instruction for Timothy – 1 Timothy 4

Right Relationships in Church – 1 Timothy 5-6:2

Right Priorities – 1 Timothy 6:3-21

Challenge:

Read this letter in one sitting. This will help you see it’s structure and overall message.

Share:

What are some of your favorite verses from the Firat Letter to Timothy?

What jumped out to you from what Paul was writing that we could apply as we “Do Church”?