Pastoring with success

The pastor must firmly decide to be vision-centric, purpose- focused and purpose-driven. His success will also require him to be dynamic, relevant, proactive and forward-thinking. The divine configuration of his call must forever remain intact. The pastoral office is a very vital one in human development. This is becoming increasingly obvious as we witness man’s overall decline in today’s world. Fundamentally, God’s plan is that every human being should be exposed to pastoral care and leadership in order to fulfil his/her purpose in life (Jer 3.15). Since the role of the pastor is so crucial, it is extremely important that anyone aspiring to fill this high calling gets a clear understanding of the pathway to success, as it pertains to the call. Some valuable pointers are:

Cause, call and cost: The pastor is called because the Lord identifies a cause - the salvation and holistic nurturing of man. The call is to minister to the whole man - spirit, soul and body. The all-round needs of humanity must be the prime focus. The pastor therefore has to be fully prepared to face the tremendous cost - extensive sacrifice and commitment in selfless service. “No cost is too great for the cause” should be his motto.

Training: Because pastoral responsibilities evidently cannot be taken lightly, proper training of those who are specifically called to this office, together with those who work along with them, must be mandatory. There must be adequate training in the ministry of the Word, pastoral counselling and care, leadership and management, effective prayer, the Holy Spirit and related areas.

Vision, purpose and focus: With a clear understanding of the cause, call and cost, the pastor would primarily have his vision before him. A vision however requires purposeful planning and strategising. It must be especially noted that each phase of the vision would be subject to intense challenges by attempts at distractions from detractors. Consistency and steadfast focus will be the key. The pastor must simply make his mind up to be vision-centric, purpose-focused and purpose-driven. The divine configuration of his call must forever remain intact.

Delegation: This is extremely important in terms of managing responsibility load and church growth. The pastor and his board of leadership/management must be able, along with training, to spot abilities and giftings in people around them and share the burden of responsibility. This will create a mode for greatly increased effectiveness, efficiency and productivity (Ex. 18.21-24; Acts 6.3). The spirit of teamwork is also vital. Teamwork makes the dream work!

Outreach and evangelism: A Church that does not have an effective strategy for outreach and evangelism is in fact a dying church. Evangelism is at the core of the call - the Great Commission (Mk 16.15). This is most effective when the entire congregation is mobilised with meaningful consistency. Each church should place particular emphasis on social and community programmes which minister to the needs of the poor, underprivileged and dispossessed.

The Holy Spirit and prayer: The pastor whose quest is success must, repeat must, develop a life that’s yielded to the Holy Spirit and extremely sensitive to the Spirit’s leading. The Holy Spirit is God’s chief agent in effecting His (the Lord’s) plan through the pastor. Quality time in earnest prayer and sincere brokenness (humility, self-evaluation) before the Lord, is the key means by which the pastor will ensure this quality of relationship with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of the Lord is also the chief source of the pastor’s wisdom, anointing and empowerment. Prayer, intercession and fasting must also be at the very heart of all church operations.

Faith: “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb 11:6). A faithless or faith-lacking pastor will therefore be a disaster in God’s work. The pastor must thoroughly study the subject of faith as outlined in the Word of God. He should also glean from other pastors and ministries that have demonstrated the successful faith walk. Faith (and faithfulness) should be a very integral part of the message to his flock. Faith sees the invisible, touches the intangible and believes the impossible! It is always success-friendly.

Morality, marriage and money: The biblical standards for managing these aspects of the pastor’s life and ministry should be carefully adhered to. A clearly established policy on value system, integrity and accountability is a sure way. The pastor should also surround himself with ministry colleagues of solid character, with whom he can interact and confide on issues of a personal nature. Character is the pastor’s greatest credential. God has far greater interest in character than charisma. The minister should also be thorough in teaching his people regarding their biblical responsibilities to God’s kingdom in terms of moral standards, family life and financial matters. It should also be noted, that while the pastor ought to set high standards for his office and his call, he must not be viewed as infallible. Every believer, whether in pastoral office or not, is to a degree, subject to mistakes and pitfalls. Only God is infallible. The process of progress is the process of error and correction,. “If one is taken in a fault, restore such a one...” (Gal 6.1).

Pride: Pride is the pastor’s number one enemy. It can be more subtle than a serpent. The pastor’s greatest challenge (especially for the successful pastor) will be to maintain a life of genuine humility before God and man. The Lord hates even a proud look (Pro 6.17). The minister has to constantly guard his thoughts, words and attitude against pride. This precaution has to be taken in his home, his relationship with other pastors and churches, in being judgemental or promoting himself as superior in one way or another (The middle letter in pride is “I”). Envy, jealousy, egoism, unforgiveness, bitterness, the spirit of competition, obsession with seeking praise or glory, undue resentment of criticism or correction and difficulty in saying sorry or apologising, are all sure indicators of the presence of the pride demon.