17 And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church.
18 And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons,
19 Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews:
20 And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house,
21 Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
22 And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there:
23 Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me.
24 But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.
25 And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more.
26 Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men.
27 For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.
28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
Introduction
I was returning from a convention recently and sat next to the late Ramsey Pollard, pastor of the Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. He said to me, “Paul, after 47 years in the ministry, it is harder to be the pastor of a Baptist church now than any time in my ministry.”
Evidence everywhere confirms this. We recently read that in the last 18 months that 2,100 Southern Baptist pastors had been fired. When you consider that there are only 35,000, that means that one out of 17 has been fired. Add to that those the church would like to fire but haven’t figured out how to yet, and you would have to classify the ministry as hazardous duty.
I read in the US News & World Report an article entitled “Why Churches Are Worried.” They listed three reasons: Waning attendance, dwindling offerings, and sagging morale. Church attendance peaked in the mid-Fifties and since that time it has been declining. With a decline in attendance there has been a dwindling of offerings. With people and money in short supply there has been a sagging morale in the ministry.
The number of men who exit the ministry each year is alarming. In fact, a report some time ago indicated that there are more ordained men who don’t pastor than there are who do. Why are people leaving the ministry? There are four reasons:
Lack of financial remuneration. Someone has said that when churches look for a pastor they look for a man who has the strength of an eagle, the grace of a swan, the gentleness of a dove, the friendliness of a sparrow, the night hours of an owl, and when they find that bird they expect him to live on the food of a canary.
Lack of privacy. Preachers do live in glass houses and their lives and families are under constant scrutiny.
The general apathy of the congregation. Most churches are at ease in Zion. If the pastor is too passive they will sit and do nothing and do it well until Jesus comes. If he is too aggressive they will say of him as they said of Moses, “You take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy” (Numbers 16:3).
Unreasonable expectations to make the church grow. The church is much misunderstood today. I think we come to understand the role of the minister in the words that are used to describe his office. There are three of them in the New Testament: the word bishop, the word elder, and the word pastor.
Some people think these words refer to three different officers in the church. However, there are passages of scripture where all three words are used to refer to the same individual. This indicates that there is but one office and different words used to describe that office. One of the passages where all three words for all three ideas are used to refer to the same group of people is Acts 20:17, 28. Paul is on his way back home to Jerusalem from his third missionary journey. He sends for the elders at Ephesus to meet him on the seashore for a visit. After talking about his own ministry among them he said, “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he had purchased with his own blood.”
You will notice that he sends for the “elders.” He then reminds them to take care of their “flock” over which the Holy Ghost hath made them “overseers.” In this one passage he refers to the same people as elders, pastors, and bishops.
1. We are to be bishops.
This suggests the function of the minister. The word bishop means “an overseer or a superintendent.”
We have built several buildings at our church. On every construction project there is a superintendent or an overseer. He doesn’t do the work; he sees that it is done. He doesn’t lay bricks. He sees that bricklayers are present when they are needed and they do the work according to specifications. He does the same with electrical wiring, painting, etc. He doesn’t do the work; he sees that it is done.
That’s the role of the minister. A minister shouldn’t try to do everything that needs to be done, but to see that it is done. It is his job to enlist, train, and inspire people to do the work of God in the local church. As old Vance Havner said, “It is not your job to fill the pew. It is your job to fill the pulpit.” If we do our job, the people will more likely do theirs.
A word of caution is in order: the pastor is not to be a petty tyrant or a tinhorn dictator. He is to be a player’s coach.
2. We are to be an elder.
This suggests the dignity of the office. In the New Testament these men were usually older and respected men. The pastor is to be a man the congregation can respect, honor, and be proud of. Televangelists and some leading pastors have tarnished the image of the pastor today. James wrote, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27). That’s good advice for today’s pastor.
3. We are to be a shepherd.
This suggests the relationship of office. He is to love, mix with, and care for the people. He is to lead them and to feed them. To do this you must be among them. You can’t sit in an executive office or an ivory tower.
In Philippians 2:20 Paul said of Timothy, “I have no man likeminded [equal souled], who will naturally care [give thought to, seek to promote the best interest of] for your state.” Timothy thus becomes a model for all of us.
There is no greater honor, no graver responsibility than to be a pastor.