The Pastor's Commission (2 of 2)

To read the beginning of this chapter, go to The Pastor's Commission (1 of 2).

Maintain the Mission
Every church must have a mission. The mission is simply “what God has called us to do.” It is a church’s goal, destination or “finish line.” A church is considered successful whenever it accomplishes its mission.

The mission of a church isn’t determined by its pastor’s ambition or a denominational agenda. The church’s mission should be God’s mission, found in God’s Word. Therefore, our mission is timeless, unchanging, glorious and global. It should correspond to what God has been doing throughout all time:

• Glorifying Himself (Isaiah 48:9-11; 1 Corinthians 10:31)
• Redeeming His people (Ephesians 2:1-7 Titus 2:14)
• Establishing His Kingdom (Matthew 6:10, 33; Hebrews 12:28)

So, when a pastor wonders what he should be doing, the answer is clear: glorify God through worship, redeem the lost through evangelism and compassion, and establish God’s Kingdom by building a godly citizenship. The pastor has the responsibility to declare this mission and keep the church on target toward this mission. There are several helpful ways to maintain the mission so that the church doesn’t get off-track.

Create a Mission Statement. No person can evaluate what they cannot articulate. In other words, if a mission cannot be clearly and succinctly communicated, there is little chance that the church leaders or people will be able to do it. Intentional pastors will work with other leaders to craft a statement that clarifies the mission of their church.

The mission should be simple (easy to understand and memorize), biblical (corresponding to God’s mission), inspirational (written in such a way as to excite the hearts of people to a great dream) and global (having impact locally and around the world). Write, edit and rewrite your mission statement until it reflects a compelling charge for your church.

At Central Bible Church, our mission states: Making God known by making disciples who are changed by God to change their world. Another church emphasizes: Helping people know God, grow in godliness and go with God into their world. Another states: Reaching our community with the love of Jesus to help broken people become children of God. Another reads: Glorifying God through a global impact of the Good News.

Communicate the Mission. The scientific law of entropy explains that everything in the universe moves from order to disorder unless an outside force intervenes. In an organization like the church, ministry programs will move from order to chaos unless a constant “force” of the church’s mission is applied. This means that the pastor and other leaders must frequently communicate, display, explain and celebrate the mission. Post your mission on banners, recite it in your worship services, print it on your literature, declare it in your benediction, preach sermons about it and explain it in your membership class. Each Sunday, our mission statement is read, recited or noted 2-3 times in each worship service. It is not enough for a church to have a mission if no one in the church knows it.

Live the Mission. Someone once said, “If teaching were telling, people would be brilliant ten times over!” Teaching people requires more than just education; they need an example. Jesus didn’t come to simply tell people God’s mission, but to become a living example of God’s mission through the way He glorified the Father (John 17:4), redeemed sinners (John 3:16) and inaugurated the Kingdom (John 18:36). Likewise, godly leaders don’t just teach, but live the mission of God. Pastors prove how important the church’s mission is by glorifying God with their lives and resources, sharing their faith, training disciples, and keeping a global, Kingdom perspective. The pastor is called to be the living example of the Gospel mission to his people. The congregation will believe only a portion of what they hear and almost everything they see.

Celebrate the Mission. As people notice their pastor living the mission, they may conclude, “He’s obligated to do it because it’s his job!” So, it’s important that a church celebrates others in their Body who are “living on mission.” Christians need to see, not just clergy, but people “just like them” who are honoring the Lord, fulfilling the Great Commission and growing in godliness. The pastor must frequently affirm examples of mission accomplishment. Interview people in a Sunday service so they may share their testimony. With permission, use stories of local “heroes” in a sermon. Personally appreciate volunteers who serve faithfully. Congratulate leaders who complete classes or levels of ministry development. An affirming word from a pastor can elevate the importance of the church’s mission.

Model the Way

There is a big difference between a travel agent and a tour guide. A travel agent is an expert about a variety of destinations. They sell vacation packages and book transportation, lodging and excursions. But a travel agent may have never visited any of the places they promote. On the other hand, a tour guide lives in a place, knows the culture and customs, eats the food, and knows all the local attractions. Unlike a travel agent, a tour guide will personally take you to places they’ve been.

Too many pastors are travel agents, not tour guides. They promote the mission, Bible stories, theological concepts, methodologies and strategies, but they can only point people to what they know, not where they’ve been. They know the truth people should live by, but they have not applied that truth to their lives. So, they end up selling an experience that they don’t know firsthand.

To some extent, this will always be true of every pastor’s ministry. A leader doesn’t have to have experienced divorce to preach about the destruction divorce brings to the family. Neither does the pastor need to have gotten drunk to caution his people about drunkenness. But, most often, the effectiveness of a pastor’s ministry will be determined by the degree to which he practices what he preaches. A pastor cannot market unapplied truth. He cannot lead people to places he has never been.

When Peter addresses pastors, he writes, “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock” (1 Peter 5:2-3). In verse 3, the apostle makes a distinction between two kinds of leaders: Someone who stands over his people, “lording it over” others, and the one who comes down from the pedestal and serves “as an example.”

Some readers might protest, saying, “Doesn’t Jesus forbid doing works to be seen by others?” (Matthew 6:1-6). But, Jesus was speaking against the self-exaltation of the religious leaders in His day. No Christian should draw attention to their actions so that others will applaud them. But, it’s an honorable goal to live in such a way that others applaud God! This is why Jesus said, “Let your light shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16) and why Paul commanded, “Follow my example as I follow the example of Jesus” (1 Corinthians 11:1). We unashamedly model the way of Jesus so that people are led to love Jesus more.

What does this modeling look like for a pastor? The answer is simple: Do not require of your congregation what is not true of you first. For example:

• If you want people to forgive one another, you must model forgiveness.
• If you want people to serve, you must be a servant of all.
• If you want people to sacrifice, you must give up your rights.
• If you want people to love their spouse, you must be loving to yours.
• If you want people to be generous with money, you must be generous.
• If you want people to pray, you must make prayer a priority.
• If you want people to share their faith, you must evangelize.
• If you want people to invite their neighbors, you must invite your neighbors.
• If you want people to be submissive to leadership, you must submit to others.
• If you want people to be on time, you must be on time.
• If you want people to give up their seat, you must be willing to
  give up yours.

In many European countries, old towns were built around a square with a clock tower at one end. This tower, with a large clock on four sides, was the centerpiece of the community and was the tallest, most prominent architectural fixture. A person could see the clock tower from any side. And, the clock on the tower set the “official time” by which the people scheduled their lives.

The pastor is the “clock tower” in his community by which people “set their watches.” People take their cues from him about how life is supposed to work. So, pastor, don’t be a travel agent. Be a tour guide showing your people places where you’ve been living. Model the way.

SO WHAT?

The demands of ministry will overwhelm the pastor and cause many to neglect the most important tasks. In the last 25 years, I have negotiated real estate, managed construction projects, helped build displays for conferences, designed flyers, counselled members, preached sermons, organized retreats, managed budgets, supervised church discipline, sat on theological councils, taught classes, developed curriculum, hired and fired staff, visited the sick, booked travel itineraries, trained leaders, led Bible studies, painted walls, helped landscape our church property and written books. Every “yes” meant that I was saying “no” to something else.

The effective pastor chooses the best “yes.”

This chapter identifies the most important priorities for the pastor: preaching the Word, multiplying leadership, maintaining the mission and modeling the way.

Now is a good time for the reader to honestly evaluate their present activity. Make a list of every reoccurring task on your ministry schedule (not the infrequent tasks). Review the pastor’s commission in this chapter and determine whether each task listed fulfills one of the four key responsibilities of the pastor. As you reflect on each task, have the courage to delegate some activities to others in your church so that you can be better focused on your pastoral priorities.

Years ago, our church decided to organize a “day of kindness” for our local community. While I was involved in the decision to host the event, I soon learned that I didn’t need to be the person to work out all the details. By recruiting a lay leader to promote the event, work with local businesses and design flyers and T-shirts, I was able to redirect my time to tasks central to my calling.

In another example, soon after I arrived at Central Bible Church, I was invited to join a mission team traveling to China. While the timing wasn’t opportune, I concluded that my personal attendance on this trip would “model the way” for my congregation and highlight the centrality of our mission. Remembering my commission enabled me to say “yes.”

TAKE THE NEXT STEP

1. As a pastor, are you more likely to “do everything” or “do very little?” Are you driven by pride, fear or ignorance?
   
   
2. Would others say that your preaching of God’s Word is “prepared, patient and precise?” Why or why not? How can you become a better student and servant of God’s Word?
   
   
3. What person has made the greatest impact on your present ministry? Who have you invested in to continue the multiplication process? Think of five “reliable” people (2 Timothy 2:2) whom you might approach as a future investment.
   
   
4. If you were to write a mission statement for your personal life right now, what would it be? How does it line up with God’s mission of glorifying Himself, redeeming people and building His Kingdom?
   
   
5. Who has been the most inspirational model of spiritual living for you in your life? What did they model well for you? In your opinion, what aspect of the Christian life do you model well for others? What area(s) need development?
   
   
6. What is the most important thing you learned from this chapter?