Poll: Pastoring

Someone who is living their life in Christ in a way that their life is characterized by selfless service to others, their character is being transformed, and their words and actions have spiritual potency.

These persons also care nothing about position, power, or pecking order, and are content serving and ministering in obscurity instead of looking for a larger church to "minister".

Only a few pastors I know meet that criteria.

 

The main criteria, I feel, is to be called to pastor. Not every preacher has the qualifications of a (bishop, elder, pastor) as prescribed in 1 Timothy 3:1 - 7.

Once they are called by God, God will equip them through the study and diligence given to His Word.

 

First and foremost, a man needs to be "called" by God to be a good pastor.

Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. (Acts 20:28)

This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. (1 Timothy 3:1)

Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; (1 Peter 5:2)

Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. (Titus 1:9)

 

why just once choice?

 

I would have voted "All of the Above" if given the choice.

 

Right on the money! God doesn't call the qualified...He qualifies the called!

 

I wrote none of the above. The reason is because I feel the MOST important qualification is to know God's Word. Really know it. I've been in too many churches where I end up rather goggle-eyed over some of what I have heard which the Bible plainly either doesn't say or says the opposite of. I've been in other churches where there is always the basic gospel presented and always an alter call and never a chance to actually learn or think about anything. We have attended churches where we hear about 'my dream for this church' week after week after week.

Give me someone who knows the Word of God and knows it well. I can suffer through bad oratory. I don't care if the guy has gone to seminary. I will assume he has been called by God if he is up there and preaching the Word.

But I sure do want him to know what he is talking about!

 

I agree. I have visited other churches in my travels, and many of them fall into this category.

I visited one church that taught the message of salvation really well, down to explaining exactly why your salvation is secure. The next week, they taught the exact same message. I found out that's all they did, and as a church they are pretty dead.

I have been to others that do nothing but teach the milk. They "don't want to leave anyone behind by teaching over their heads". Instead, they keep everyone a baby.

 

Without the call - he will fall.

 

Sorry, double post.

 

First he must be saved, second he must be called.

 

Well, yes, that goes without saying.

God wouldn't call a man to preach who wasn't saved.

 

That is true, God wouldn't. Do you believe that everyone in the pastorate is saved?

 

No, but then they don't have a true 'calling' do they?

OTOH; do you believe that every pastor who is saved is 'called'?

 

He must have the call.

Without that, nothing else matters.

 

Anyone else seen the banner ad up there at the top of the page?

"Become a legally ordained minister - FREE!!!"

It's pathetic.

 

Rev LE

(reveille??? Do you hear something?) I made a funny...imagine that.

Seriously, where they get you is in the subscription to the 52 sermons they make you buy for at least a year when signing up. Actually, that wasn't very serious, was it?

 

Where is this business about having "the call" instructed in scripture the way it is described here? The passages in I Timothy list certain specific things for elders (and then deacons), and the call is not among them. But back at the beginning we see that the whole things is predicated upon "If a man aspires to the office of an overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do." "Aspires to" in the NASB is slightly stronger than "desire" in the KJV, but neither translation bypasses marital status, conduct, et al, and just goes by "the call..." "nothing else matter," as someone said.