But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work
of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
2 Timothy 4:5
In the English language, the phrase “You can’t see the forest because of the trees” means that, sometimes, when people are in the middle of a thing, they forget the larger, more important perspective. This is often true in vocational ministry. Soon after a minister begins serving in his position, he finds that the responsibilities of pastoral ministry are numerous. In our churches, people must be counseled, leaders must be trained, money must be collected and counted, choirs must be rehearsed, programs must be developed, buildings must be repaired, sermons must be written, widows must be served and meetings must be attended. It doesn’t take long for the pastor to find himself in the “trees” and unable to see the larger “forest” of ministry.
In chapter 2, we briefly considered the role of the pastor as disciple-maker, shepherd, equipper and servant. This is who the pastor is. In this chapter, we turn to what the pastor does. What essential tasks must every pastor prioritize?
This chapter is important because many pastors end up in one of two extremes: doing everything or doing very little. Some pastors feel responsible for every task in the church. Rather than delegate responsibility, they teach, preach, evangelize, train, baptize, counsel, determine membership, perform weddings, conduct funerals, and administer church finances, just to name a few. This unfortunate and overwhelming trap is the result of several problems in the pastor:
- Pride. The pastor seeks to maintain control of every part of the church and is afraid that the superiority of his leadership will be compromised if he allows other leaders to share responsibilities.
- Fear. The pastor believes he is the only one qualified to lead, teach, train, etc. and is afraid of what may happen if he delegates ministry to others.
- Ignorance. The pastor doesn’t understand Jesus’ model of ministry multiplication.
The pastor who “does everything” may appear to be an exemplary leader to his congregation, but eventually both he and his church will suffer. The pastor will become cynical, tired and ineffective, and the church will cease to grow and mature because they have a spiritual father who will do everything for them.
Equally dangerous is the pastor who does very little. Some young Christians begin ministry with much energy and enthusiasm. But in time, they become pastors in title only. They don’t train, they don’t visit the sick, they don’t counsel, they don’t teach. A friend from Burundi once commented that many pastors in his country “wear their fancy suits, are followed by security representatives and eat their meals separate from their people because they are too important.” This unbiblical elitism views oneself as a “king,” rather than a “prince” (see The Pastor's Calling (2 of 3)) and is the result of the same problems faced by the pastor who attempts to do everything:
- Pride. The pastor believes he is too superior for most common tasks.
- Fear. The pastor realizes that he is a leader in title only and is afraid that his people—if allowed to serve with him—will discover how unqualified for ministry he really is.
- Ignorance. The pastor doesn’t understand Jesus’ model of ministry
multiplication.
The pastor who “does very little” may also appear to be a good leader because of the high respect he demands from his people. But, eventually, both he and his church will suffer. The pastor will become bored with his present status and will move on to seek greater or higher positions. And the church will cease to grow and mature because they have had a spiritual father who did not live a biblical model of servant leadership.
So, what is the pastor to do?
While every pastor does have many responsibilities and, in churches with more than one pastor, each pastor has more specific duties, there are four charges or commissions given to every pastor.
Preach the Word
In his second letter to Timothy, Paul is preparing his young apprentice to assume the responsibilities of pastoral ministry. With great urgency and accountability before God, Paul commands:
In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. (2 Timothy 4:1-5)
Among the “duties” of ministry Timothy was given was the charge to “preach the Word” (v. 2). Such preaching happens primarily on Sunday morning. However, pastors also communicate God’s Word in classes, in evangelistic crusades, in leadership training meetings or in special services like weddings or funerals. Every time God’s Word is preached, the pastor must prove himself faithful. God’s Word has the ability to “correct, rebuke and encourage” others (v. 2; also see 2 Timothy 3:16-17) with sound doctrine. In a pluralistic and relativistic world, people fall victim to many false philosophies and ideologies. In Acts 20:29, Paul warned that “savage wolves” would enter the church and distort the message of the Gospel, leading unsuspecting Christians astray. The pastor who preaches God’s Word leads his people away from myths and back to the pasture of nourishing truth.
In these verses, Paul explains that Timothy’s preaching must be prepared, patient and precise. First, the pastor must be “prepared in season and out of season.” He must be ready to teach, train, counsel, encourage, rebuke and correct from God’s Word. This requires the pastor to be a diligent student of the Bible so that he always has Scripture ready. Second, the pastor must exercise great patience with God’s Word. The Greek word means “long-suffering” or “endurance.” No one should ever impulsively use Bible verses to direct others. Scripture is as sharp as a “double-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12), but no leader should use the Bible to hurt others.
Third, the pastor must handle God’s Word precisely—with “careful instruction.” I have frequently urged ministry leaders, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). In other words, study, prepare and preach God’s Word with such precision that your message accurately reflects God’s original intention and the messenger stands unashamed and unapologetic before the Great Author! There is no place for a pastor to use God’s Word and preach his own truth. The terrible danger of misusing God’s Word is highlighted in Jeremiah 23:
“I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies in my name. They say, ‘I had a dream! I had a dream!’ How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions of their own minds? They think the dreams they tell one another will make my people forget my name, just as their fathers forgot my name through Baal worship. Let the prophet who has a dream tell his dream, but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?” declares the LORD. “Is not my word like fire,” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces? “Therefore,” declares the LORD, “I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly from me. Yes,” declares the LORD, “I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and yet declare, ‘The LORD declares.’ Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,” declares the LORD. “They tell them and lead my people astray with their reckless lies, yet I did not send or appoint them. They do not benefit these people in the least,” declares the LORD. (Jeremiah 23:25-32)
This passage condemns false prophets—those who claim to speak for God, but neglect God’s truth. The prophets were dreaming up their own delusional truth (vv. 25-26). Some of them were “stealing words” from one another and claiming that God had spoken to them (v. 30), a practice common among pastors today who copy sermons from others without exercising the discipline of personal study.
Such irresponsible and lazy scripture-less preaching has a disastrous impact on the church. Rather than leading people closer to the Lord, this preaching makes people “forget His name” (v. 27). It makes people feel full (straw), but lacks any nutritional value for spiritual feeding (grain). Finally, it leads people deeper into lies rather than truth.
The Lord asks in verse 29, “Is not my word like fire…and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?” When God’s Word is rightly preached, it purifies, refines, ignites, crushes and constructs.
It is the primary tool of life-transformation. And so, the pastor must faithfully, regularly and responsibly preach God’s Word.
Multiply Leadership
While Jesus had the power and capacity to accomplish all of His ministry alone, He multiplied His influence. Matthew records, “He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness” (Matthew 10:1). We must remember that Jesus’ disciples were fishermen and tax collectors— uneducated and unsophisticated citizens (Acts 4:13)—entrusted with the serious task of communicating the Kingdom of God. Jesus multiplied leaders because He understood several realities.
First, Jesus understood that more ministry happens through multiplication. It’s simple mathematics. A great investment in a few people results in a greater impact among many. Most pastors spend a little time (1-2 hours on Sunday) with many people and think they have great influence. But, the pastor’s ministry is exponentially multiplied through the deliberate training and deploying of leaders who will act in his place.
Second, Jesus understood that leadership development is spiritual development. Through the teaching, training and sending of the twelve, Jesus was not only accomplishing a work through them, but also accomplishing a work in them. Their leadership development cultivated faith, courage, discipline, patience, vision and love, among many other disciplines and virtues. When the pastor develops spiritual leaders, he develops spiritual disciples.
Third, Jesus understood that His time was limited. He knew His time “was coming” (John 13:1) and that He would leave the world and leave the development of His church in the hands of His followers. So, multiplying leaders was His exit strategy. No pastor stays at a church forever and so every pastor must plan for an inevitable transition.
Like Jesus, the Apostle Paul also saw the value of multiplying leaders. He urged Timothy, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Timothy 2:2). Notice the four “generations” mentioned in this verse:
> “you” = Timothy
> “me” = Paul
> “reliable men”
> “others”
We might paraphrase Paul’s command like this: “Timothy, you were in the crowd when I first preached the message of the Gospel which you soon believed. Now I want you to find some reliable people whom you can develop. Train them in such a way that they, too, will pass on what they have learned to others.” The multiplication impact looks like this:
The pastor can easily see the benefit of multiplication. Imagine that a pastor trains three leaders in one year. The expectation is that those three leaders will each train three others in the following year.
At the same time, the pastor begins training three more leaders in the second year, and so on. By the end of the third year, 63 leaders will have been developed in the local church! Now imagine that the pastor develops five leaders, instead of three…or three pastors develop leaders simultaneously. The exponential growth would have a sure impact on the church and its ministry. This is why the pastor must be committed to multiplying leaders.