Theology Of Ministry

"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” - Apostle Paul, 2 Timothy 2:15

“Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.” - Apostle Paul, 2 Timothy 4:2

“Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.” - St Peter, 1 Peter 5:2-3

As I consider a personal Theology of Ministry a high level awareness of calling must be understood and embraced. As the Prophet Jeremiah said of the Word of the LORD, “his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.” (Jeremiah 20:9). The Prophet had an awareness of his calling. He couldn’t imagine or even bear to not speak the Word of the LORD given to him. From that awareness of calling came his mission and vocation. He not only understood his calling, he embraced his calling. That does not mean that he always enjoyed the mission of his calling but he could not bear to not live out his calling. It was a fire shut up in his bones. It burned him from the inside out. It consumed him. It was a passion. It was an energy. It was a clearing out and burning up. It was an anointing. 

Anointing. Isn’t that what defines a vocation of calling within a  theology of ministry? There is no fire within without anointing. There is no blazing heart for ministry without anointing. There is only weariness from doing ministry when doing ministry without anointing. But there is weariness from not doing ministry for those who have been called and anointed to the task of ministry. Our anointed calling becomes a fire that we have to let out. 

My calling is that of pastoral ministry. It’s a fire-in-my-bones calling that compels me and consumes me. As I think about what the Theology of Pastoral Ministry means I am reminded of three scriptures that lay out three foundational pillars from pastoral ministry. From the passages from Scripture at the beginning of this essay I identify them as one, study the word; two, preach the word; and three, shepherd the flock.

Study the Word. The Apostle instructs Timothy to correctly “handle the word of truth”. It is impossible to correctly handle what you haven’t correctly studied. As Paul makes clear, study is work. It requires effort. It requires time. It requires prayer. It requires humility. It requires asking questions of the text. It requires wrestling over the text. It requires learning from others. It requires reading and reading and reading again. 

To be a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed in the calling of Pastor requires a worker who is diligent in the study of God. God who reveals self in both nature and scripture. A worker who handles the word of truth correctly will not be one who is easily given over to lies and falsehood or conspiracies and idle talk. A worker who correctly handles the word of truth will be a worker who pays careful attention to what is revealed about God in nature. It will be one who gives thought to the cultural moment, the philosophies of the age, and the ethos of the now. It will be a worker whose study of Scripture comes from a place of burning-heart and not cold-heartedness. A worker who desires to handle the word of truth in a way that is both imminent and transcendent. In a way that is both eternal and personal. In a way that is both feet-in-the-ground and head-in-the-clouds. It is a worker who knows the Word of God and the God of the Word and seeks to impart that dual knowledge into the head and heart of the hearer. That kind of work will be honored by God. 

Preach the Word. Of course, in the calling of a pastor isn’t merely a calling to study for personal edification or individual enlightenment it is a calling to share what you have learned. Preach, pastor! Preach, preacher!  In preaching the pastor conveys the message of the text to the people of God. But not just the message of the text, the pastor-preacher conveys the God of the text. Preaching the Word is a calling to the people to know God, to worship God, to serve God, to fear God, and to love God. Preaching the Word is a formative work for the worker. Just as a carpenter use a hammer and a chisel to form the wood, or as an artist uses a knife and kiln to shape a vase, the worker-pastor uses the the hammer and chisel of the word to build up and uses the knife and kiln of the word to shape and sanctify the body of Christ placed in his or her care. The is the role of preaching in discipleship. It speaks the word of God boldly, compassionately, gently, loudly, full of fire, sweeter than honey - it’s a word fitly spoken, like apples of gold in setting of silver (Proverbs 25:11). Preaching the word correctly requires being ready in season and out of season. Correcting. Rebuking. Encouraging. A pastor-preacher isn’t only a revivalist. He isn’t simply concerned with how high one may jump or how loud one may shout if the jumping and the shouting doesn’t change the heart and mind of the people. He isn’t concerned with what manner the Spirit moved but why the Spirit is moving.The pastor-preacher does the work of evangelist with the heart of a shepherd. He is interested in the Good News. He is compelled by the Good news. He is anointed to preach the Good News. As a Theology of Pastoral Ministry the calling of God to proclaim the Good News of Jesus and to disciple others into the Good News of Jesus are two sides of the same coin. A pastor-preacher preaches the Word not only because the Word is fire in his bones but because the Word is hope for the hearer. The pastor-preacher isn’t only concerned with delivering the message but is equally concerned with those hearing the message. The pastor-preacher does evangelistic work while considering the needs of the people within his or her care. The pastor-preacher is shepherd-evangelist.

Shepherd the flock. In this calling or vocation of pastoral ministry there is not only a fire-in-my-bones urgency to preach the word, there is also a fire-in-my-bones urgency to shepherd those God has placed under my care. Even in the ministry of the word Paul instructs Timothy to “correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.” Great patience and careful instruction. That’s shepherding language. There is a recognition that for the shepherd-evangelist, for the pastor-preacher, that preaching is a means by which the flock are cared for and that preaching should be corrective, rebuking, and encouraging. Preaching should inform and inspire. It should cause to know God in both your mind and in your heart. For the pastor-preacher preaching is a means of shepherding. 

But preaching isn’t the only means of shepherding the flock God has placed within a pastor’s care. Watch over them. Serve them. Be an example to them. Encourage them. Correct them. Rebuke them. Pastoral Ministry is a calling, a vocation, an anointing to shepherd the people God has entrusted to the care of the pastor. It’s a anointing to pray for the sick. It’s an anointing to baptize believers. Its an anointing to lead in the body and blood of Christ. It’s an anointing comfort the grieving. It’s an anointing to equip the saints. It’s an anointing to shield from danger. It’s anointing to guard against false teachers and false teachings. It’s an anointing to be patient with the hurting. It’s an anointing to visit hospitals and sick beds. It’s an anointing to celebrate milestones. It’s an anointing to rebuild the broken places. It’s an anointing to cast vision  and remind them of the mission of the Church. It’s an anointing to lead. It’s an anointing for servanthood. A proper Theology of Pastor Ministry has to see the pastor as a servant and not a lord. We are anointed to set an example. We are called to have the same mindset as Christ Jesus, 

“Who, being in very nature[a] God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
        even death on a cross! (Apostle Paul, Philippians 2:7-8)

This Theology of Pastoral Ministry is what guides and sustains me in my calling. I must study. I must preach. I must shepherd. This is the anointing of the pastor.