Skip to main content

Now I Know How To Pastor

Trying to determine what a pastor should do and deciding if I have been a good pastor has been difficult.

I often tell people this: "Ask around. They will tell you I am not a great pastor but a wonderful Bible teacher." Excusing myself from pastoral work and identifying myself as a Bible teacher has been a common declaration for me. But the fact still remains. I am called a pastor. I am expected to pastor a church. I still wonder what am I required and have I done it (well).

With this as a background, you can imagine how happy I was to come across two articles by Pastor Stephen Blandino, the Lead Pastor of 7 City Church near the downtown/cultural arts district of Fort Worth, Texas, on pastoring. He holds a Master's in Organizational Leadership and is the author of "GO! Starting a Personal Growth Revolution." He blogs regularly at www.stephenblandino.com on leadership, personal growth, church, and culture.

His two articles beautifully blends all the roles and responsibilities of a pastor into several questions and by asking them, I realized what was pastoring, what I was supposed to do as well as how far I failed . . .

Here are the questions:

Pastors NOTICE
1. Who’s New…that I should meet?
2. Who’s Missing…that I should call?
3. Who’s Hurting…that I should encourage?
4. Who’s Serving…that I should thank?

Pastors DEVELOP
5. Who’s Emerging…that I should believe in?
6. Who’s Rising…that I should equip?
7. Who’s Faithful…that I should promote?

 Got to keep asking these questions, answering them and being the answer to the answers. Ok, gotta go. Got some pastoring to do.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

QUESTIONS OLDER CHRISTIANS HAVE BUT ARE AFRAID TO ASK ALOUD

QUESTIONS OLDER CHRISTIANS HAVE BUT ARE AFRAID TO ASK ALOUD Old age presents a unique set of challenges, and for Christians, these can intersect with their faith in profound ways. Here are five common questions or struggles Christians may face in their later years: Why does God allow suffering and decline? As bodies weaken, illnesses become more frequent, and loved ones pass away, Christians may grapple with the problem of evil and suffering. They might question why a loving and all-powerful God permits such physical and emotional pain, leading to doubts about His goodness, presence, or even existence. This can be especially difficult for those who have lived a life of faith and expected a more peaceful or less challenging end. What is my purpose now? Retirement, loss of independence, and the inability to participate in activities they once enjoyed can lead to a profound sense of loss of purpose. Christians who have been activ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Am I A Beggar, Begging?

I believe there are people out there who want to help and are able to help, so I share needs, both personal and church/ministry related. I also believe what James said in his letter, "You do not have because you do not ASK." So it was a surprise to me to be (recently) labelled a beggar and to have my sharing of needs and requesting for assistance and donations described as begging. My initial response was, "What? Me a beggar, begging? I began to wonder when did asking become begging and is there a difference between asking and begging. So I turned to Google and typed in 'difference between asking and begging', and lo, to my surprise, it was an often asked question! The articles, forums and comments listed were helpful and most importantly, eye opening, especially the dictionary definitions. It says that if I ask someone or ask for something earnestly and/or humbly, thats begging. Then I have been begging (oh no!). It also says that if I ask especially f...
Post a Comment
Read more

Understanding Church Trauma

Christian  communities are expected to be our safest emotional and physical spaces. Even so, there are times this sacred space become toxic, abusive, and traumatizing to a church member when leaders and members of a congregation exhibit actions that fail to reflect the love of God. In the infographic below, four common ways church trauma is caused is identified and explained. I hope the information will help you understand what has happened to you or someone you know in church (or now no longer in the Christian community). The purpose of this post is to promote healing among those traumatized and to highlight practices that need to stop so that a Christian community is restored once again as the safest  emotional and physical space for any child of God. As you continue educating yourself on church trauma and abuse, it’s important to remember that you are not alone. If you need to, seek a mental health professional to help you better understand your condition its impact on your...
Post a Comment
Read more