The office of Pastor
Pitfalls to avoid in Pastoral Ministry
It is sad but true that Pastors easily forget the potent instructions in the Word of God and some tend to slip into certain pitfalls. The additional pitfalls to avoid are these:
1. Misuse of confidential information.
When people open up to the Pastor, it is a transaction of confidence and trust. Such trusts should be respected and held in confidence. What a saint shared under conviction of the Holy Spirit in a private counselling session should not be the object of a Sunday sermon or alluded to in a way to discomfit and embarrass the confessor. This does not mean Pastors should not deal with matters that require discipline. Due process must be in place and followed with great compassion when issues of discipline arise
2. Bearing malice or exercising discipline with malice.
It is wrong for a Pastor to bear malice with a sheep entrusted to his or her care. If a brother or sister falls into sin or crosses the line of proper behaviour, the biblical principles adopted by the ministry should be followed.
3. Feeding fat off the sheep.
It is wrong to use Old Testament examples such as Elijah's encounter with the widow to fleece the saints, especially the poor off their resources. Pastors should not prey financially on the flock. True saints will not need coercion to bless and support their pastors. This is best when done willingly and not by manipulation of emotions.
Here is how Paul the Apostle described this tendency:
Philippians 3:17-19
King James Version (KJV)
17Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.
18(For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
19Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.
Jesus is washing His Church (us) with the water of the Word so that we can be presented faultless, without spot or wrinkle at His soon appearance. Some do not believe He is coming back again.
For us who believe, the question is: what shall it profit to seem 'successful' in the eyes of humans but to be contemptible in the sight of He who redeemed us with His own Blood and gave us the privilege of oversight of His flock? Deep repentance and turning a new leaf is called for because God will not compromise His standards! #.4. Taking undue advantage of vulnerable members of the congregation.
The Pastor is to bind up the broken hearted and nurture them back to wholeness. It is wrong to take advantage of the vulnerability of the flock. Unholy visitations with saints of the opposite gender should be avoided as well as life styles which promote immorality. Pastors who steal funds of older folks who rely on the them for financial transactions and other such practices are enemies of the Cross.
#.5. Not empowering the flock.
This is a function of insecurity. It is wrong to keep the saints in ignorance of whom they are in Christ and who He is in them. Insecure Pastors tend to find pleasure in the flock remaining babes ever needing to be fed with milk. Insecure Pastors do not train the flock and never allow the thought of releasing them one day to cross their minds.
The result is that the saints constantly recourse to the Pastor for all their needs. If they want to change career, they want the Pastor to pray and confirm before they proceed. The same is the case when they want to marry or travel. This tendency is tolerable when they are young in faith. As they grow, the saints should be taught how to pray and release their faith and how to hear the voice of God and discern His will.
Whenever saints grow in Christ and are trained to serve Him, the true Pastor must be willing to affirm them and surrender to the will of God concerning their call! If this implies creating space for their gifts and callings to flourish unhindered, this should be done as unto the Lord. Where it is the will of God to use such saints who have grown in other mission fields or to plant new congregations and ministries, the Pastor should act proactively to encourage them - as long as it is the will of God.
Reformation of the Church to make it Kingdom driven organism of the redeemed - the very Body of Jesus Christ on earth - will require the emergence of truly called Pastors.
The havoc of professionally trained staff that has turned the compassion-driven, empowering-oriented office of Pastor into a cold executive function in a hierarchical structure straight out of Babylon has led to an anomaly which heralded politics into the Church.
The time to root out this leprosy has come. The starting point, saints, is for Pastors to bring the work of Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists and Teachers together. Their job is to bring the synergy produced by the five fold into the lives of the individual saints.
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