Broken Pastors are Useful Pastors

What do you look for in a pastor? Do you look for well-polished speech? Do you look for a "professional" look? Do you look for an administrator? Do you look for someone who is nice?

Jesus wants his pastors to be many things, but above all of these things, he wants his pastors to be broken. Does that sound strange to you? Jesus wants pastors that have been broken, confronted with their sin, and brought to the foot of the cross of Christ. When a pastor (or one who desires to be a pastor) is humbled before Christ and knows that his entire ministry relies on the strength of the Lord Jesus Christ, he is in a position to lead. Shepherds are sheep who have been broken, restored, and equipped as Gospel ministers.

"The first and essential quality of herald of the Gospel is ever a thoroughly broken and contrite heart. For it is only after having obtained mercy as guilty criminals, that we are in a position to strengthen the brethren. After having ourselves vitally experienced that without Christ we can do nothing, but everything with Him, we then become real evangelists, able also to bind up the broken-hearted, and to strengthen the feeble knees." FW Krummacher

Why Do YOU Serve?

This week I received a little booklet in the mail. There is no publication date, but my guess is early 1920s. The tile of the booklet is "Why I Am Glad To Be A Covenanter Minister" by "Fourteen Successful Ministers". It was sent to me by a dear friend in the Sunflower State.

As I read through the accounts of the ministers, I reflected on my own purposes for being a "Covenanter Minister". I believe that Dr. Coleman has summed up my own thoughts:

I am glad to be a Covenanter Minister because I believe with all my heart in the principles of the Covenanter Church. I am glad to serve the Covenanter Church because I love it, and despite its faults and failings, believe it to be nearer to what the Lord wants than any other. I am glad to preach a Calvinistic creed which is thoroughly evangelistic, which believes in the Bible, in the atonement that satisfies divine justice and salvation by grace to everyone that believes. I am glad that Covenanter preaching insists on repentance, regeneration, and an exemplary life through the power of the indwelling Spirit. And I rejoice in preaching the universal kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring justice, love and peace in all the earth, a message that gives me a forward look on every problem that rises in human life.

So that's Rev. Dr. WJ Coleman's story as to why he was a Covenanter minister. What's your story? Why do you believe God has you where you are? As I reflect on my call to pastor in the RPCNA I am glad to say that I have a goodly heritage. Thanks be to God.

Is Your Pastor In a Pressure Cooker?

The pastoral life is one where you are never off duty. Often families feel the pressure of the 24/7/365 life, as well as the weightiness of the vocation of their father and husband. It is essential that pastors learn to rest. One of our great duties as preachers of the Word is proclaiming the spiritual rest from our works that we may have in Jesus Christ through faith in his atoning sacrifice. Do we work as one's who are in that rest?

Here are statistics that may help you to better pray for your pastor. They come from a 2009 Fuller Report on Pastoral Ministry:

• 90% of the pastors report working between 55 to 75 hours per week.
• 80% believe pastoral ministry has negatively affected their families.
• 33% state that being in the ministry is an outright hazard to their family.
• 75% report significant stress-related crisis at least once in their ministry.
• 90% feel they are inadequately trained to cope with the ministry demands.
• 70% do not have someone they consider a close friend.
• 50% have considered leaving the ministry in the last months.
• 50% of the ministers starting out will not last 5 years.
• 1 out of every 10 ministers will actually retire as a minister in some form.
• 94% of clergy families feel the pressures of the pastor’s ministry.
• Over 1,700 pastors left the ministry every month last year.

For the record, I serve a very wonderful congregation, but we must be on guard against these pressures and pitfalls. Pray for your pastor.

Here I Am Lord, Send Me! Please! Pick Me! Lord... Right Here!

Often when young men are converted they see the ministry as a viable option for their lives. This is good, of course, but it does not mean that each should pursue the ministry. God calls men to work in all fields of life. And he calls men who are theological, dedicated, and committed to him to serve in all areas of life. God does not call all men to serve in pastoral ministry, but he does call some.

At the root of why many new converts see the ministry as their only option for life can be many things:

• It could be that out of love for Christ the young man wants to serve him full time.
• It could be that he sees no earthly skill or trade as being something that would bring lasting happiness.
• Maybe it is because they have a "Romish" view of vocation and believe that ministry will bring them closer to God.
• It could also be that people keep telling him, "You should be a pastor".

There are many reasons why one would want to enter into pastoral ministry. No matter what your reason is, I would suggest that you spend time reading through this post before you spend your money (or your parents money) on seminary education:

Am I Called To the Ministry?

We Are Not Professionals, But Care Takers of Souls

Professionalism is dangerous in the ministry. Those of us who have been entrusted with the care of souls need to think of ourselves, not as professionals with degrees on the wall, but as shepherds and care-takers. We have been entrusted with God's people, yet some shepherds destroy God's vineyard- the Church.

The Prophet Jeremiah spoke to this in chapter 12 of his book, "Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard; they have trampled down my portion; they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness. They have made it a desolation; desolate, it mourns to me... They have sown wheat and have reaped thorns; they have tired themselves out but profit nothing. They shall be ashamed of their harvests because of the fierce anger of the Lord.”

I was reminded of this twice this week.

The first instance was that I heard about a wedding this past weekend where the pianist told the pastor that she really enjoyed the sermon. During the discussion it came out that the pianist was estranged from the church and said that during her catechism class as a teen she had a lot of questions. Eventually her pastor told her that she was not allowed to ask questions anymore. When the pastor at the wedding heard this, he said, "You can ask me any questions that you want, whenever you have them." The young lady began to weep.

The harm done to her soul at the hands of a merely professional minister was great.

The other instance was while re-reading a short story by John Updike called "Pigeon Feathers". In this short story the main character, David, was questioning how he can know that he will continue to exist after he is dead. The pastor in this story gave a typical liberal "soul sleep" answer which was not satisfactory to David. The conversation went back and forth with David not being satisfied with the pastor's unbiblical answers. The pastor got angry with David and did not want to further engage with this conversation.

David felt shame and the lines of communication between the pastor and David were now closed. Mere professionalism harmed his soul.

Updike responds to this event marvelously. He writes, "In the minister's silence the shame that should have been his crept over David: the burden and fever of being a fraud was placed upon him, who was innocent, and it seemed, he knew, a confession of this guilt that on the way out he was unable to face [his pastor's] stirring gaze, though he felt it probing the side of his head." John Updike, Pigeon Feathers and Other Stories, 134.

Brothers, those of us who labor in the ministry of the Word need to keep our own hearts in check. We are not professionals who have the privilege of clocking out at the end of our shift. We have been called to labor and care for the people of God. And sometimes that takes some extra time. Sometimes that takes some extra patience. Sometimes that takes some extra grace.

Plead with the Lord Jesus Christ that he would renew your commitment to ministering to his Church. Ask for the grace to be a shepherd to the flock for which Christ spilled his blood. Christ was not a professional. Neither are we. The ministry is about souls.

That's Some Bad Preachin' Pastor

Last night I woke up with that awful feeling that follows a bad dream. As I lay in bed I tried to remember the content of the dream that bothered me so much. Here's what I remember:

I was asked to preach at Synod for the 2010 meeting of Synod (this has not happened by the way, but I would gladly accept an invitation in case there is anyone on the business of synod committee reading). As I approached the front of the room a desk was pushed to where the pulpit should be and a chair was placed on top of it so that I could stand on the chair. A very tall music stand would serve as the lectern.

I stood on the chair, and since I am a rather large man, the chair was a bit wobbly, and it took a lot of energy to properly stand in the make-shift pulpit. As I opened my notes to begin preaching, I noticed that they were not my sermon notes, but a compilation of magazine articles pasted onto printer paper and poorly copied textual notes in diverse colors, sizes, and fonts. It was so poorly printed that I could not make out what they even said.

Between the wobbly make-shift pulpit, the poor notes, and the overwhelming nervousness that abounded, I could not preach. I just stood there wobbling and flipping through these poorly prepared sermon notes. I was able to sputter out some word salad, but nothing of any value.

One by one the presbyters started to leave the Synod floor. Nothing that I said made any sense and the men obviously had better things to do. The numbers slowly dwindled and the last face that I saw was Pastor Ian Wise smile a heart-felt smile, and then he too walked away. (Ian is one of the kindest godly men that I know.)

I was asked to step out of the pulpit and then a nice young lady stood in my place and began preaching very powerfully to those on the Synod floor. Applause irrupted as her powerful sermon touched the hearts of the hearers. I was humbled and shocked for a number of reasons, as you can imagine.

Why such a bad dream you might ask? Well, it may have something to do with the fact that I read this article right before bed:

Joy From Above

Brothers, those of us who preach, must be moved by the sermon before we even enter into a pulpit. Our lives must be living testimonies of the grace of God working in our hearts. If our sermons are merely pious thoughts on things and stuff we will never have the blessing of the Spirit to move our people to greater holiness. We will never preach as one who has been transformed by grace. We must preach with passion and heart. We must preach with conviction and with power from on high!

The state of the Christian pulpit is in need of reform from the Word of God. And it is not just the words coming from the pulpit that are in need of reformation, brothers, our hearts are in need of reformation.

Our Presbyterian forefathers were asked the question, "How is the Word of God to be preached by those that are called to preach?" They answered in a way that needs to be seared into every heart that preaches the Word of God, and carved into the desk of every pulpit in this land:

Those who are called to labor in the Ministry of the Word are to preach sound doctrine:

-diligently, in season and out of season

-plainly, not in the enticing words of man's wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power

-faithfully, making known the whole counsel of God

-wisely, applying themselves to the necessities and capacities of the hearers

-zealously, with fervent love to God and the souls of his people

-sincerely, aiming at his glory, and their conversion, edification, and salvation.

Brothers. Preach the Word. Preach as a dying man to dying men. Preach as you have but one sermon left to preach. Preach as though you have first preached to your own soul.

Link to article here: http://www.worldmag.com/articles/16511

Is Pastoring That Important for Christians?

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?"So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Romans 10:9-17

Recently Mark Driscoll interviewed RC Sproul and asked him if he has any regrets in his 45 years of ministry. RC has a very humble and important answer here. As Christians we need to think about what it means to be pastored- and what a gift from Christ it is. As pastors and teachers we need to consider the way in which we pastor a flock and lead them biblically.

Prayer For First Reformed Presbyterian Church

Yesterday I preached my last two sermons as the pastoral intern of First Reformed Presbyterian Church in Grand Rapids. Today my family and I begin our journey west as we seek to be obedient to the Lord's call for our lives.

Please pray for us as we begin this new phase of life and ministry.

Here is the doxology from last night's evening service. It is a selection from Psalm 122 from the 1912 United Presbyterian Psalter.

348.5-6

I pray the Lord that peace may still
Within thy walls abound,
And ever in thy palaces
Prosperity be found.

Yea, for the sake of friends and kin,
My heart desires thy peace,
And for the house of God the Lord
My care shall never cease.

Thank you people of First Reformed Presbyterian Church for 10 years and 2 months of love and pastoral care. Our friendship will have eternal rewards.

A Letter to My Readers

Friends and Family,

I wanted to let everyone know that I have accepted a call to pastor the Los Angeles, CA Reformed Presbyterian Church. I look forward to beginning the hard work of ministering in Southern California.

I have presbytery examinations on December 13th in Los Angeles and will be ordained and installed in the early part of February. The official move will be some time between those dates.

After being in Grand Rapids almost 11 years, I really have grown to consider Grand Rapids my home (and I know that Lydia feels the same way). The friendships and the relationships that have developed over these years are strong and will be missed greatly. Our college friends, seminary friends, congregation, and co-workers at Pine Rest will be missed greatly as we begin this new phase of life.

Lydia and I also want to acknowledge that it will be difficult to be so far away from family. Chicago and NW Pennsylvania are distant lands from the sunny hills of Los Angeles. We appreciate their understanding and support as we make this move. With the modern advances in communication and relatively inexpensive travel, we hope that it will not seem so distant.

Please be in prayer for us as we move our belongings, family, and most importantly- our ministry across the country. We will update you all as things progress.

With grateful hearts,

Nathan and Lydia Eshelman

Sabbath a'Brakel: The Commission of the Minsiter of the Word

He who is convinced of his divine commission must then also view himself as an ambassador of the Lord Jesus. As such, and with that authority, he must perform all his work, such as preaching, catechizing, the administration of the sacraments, visitation, and the use of the keys of God's kingdom. This will make him bold and faithful, and he and his work will receive more approbation. In this manner all ministers must conduct themselves concerning their commission (II: 127).

Sabbath a'Brakel: A Self-Examined Ministry

Let every minister consider and reflect before the Lord, examining himself and answering upon the following questions: Have I been sent of God, or did I run myself? Do I know what pertains to this office? Was I convinced that I had some aptitude for this as far as external knowledge is concerned, and am I likewise spiritually acquainted with the experience of regeneration, faith, hope, love, holiness, God's dealings with the soul, spiritual warfare, and the various conditions of the soul, in order to bring forth old and new things out of the treasure of my heart, to address everyone according to his condition, and particularly to give everyone publicly and privately his portion by way of personal experience, and to speak from heart to heart? Did I have a special love to preach Christ, to be instrumental to the conversion of souls, and to promote the welfare of the church? Was I continually stirred up in my soul to accept this work? Has it been my concern whether or not the Lord has sent me, and have I prayed much in order to know this? Have I at times been desirous not to be engaged in this work, considering the magnitude of this task and my inability? Were those desires to draw back repeatedly conquered by love for this work, or was I frequently put at ease and confirmed in my intention? Have I been troubled by ulterior motives which time and again disappeared by perceiving my sincere motive in the presence of the Lord? Did I perceive a frame of heart by which I was willing to deny myself by parting with material goods, honor, and my life for the Lord Jesus and His church? Or did I only pursue honor and prestige, the acquisition of material goods by which to improve my temporal circumstances, and which, outside of this office, would have been poor and insignificant? Or had I advanced in my studies to such a degree that I of necessity had to proceed? Did I ever really examine myself concerning these matters, or did I merely run without such self-examination?

Sabbath a'Brakel: Discerning the Inward Call to the Ministry

First of all, a knowledge of the office. One must know what it means to be a servant of Christ, to be the mouth of the Lord, to proclaim that great gospel, to teach ignorant men the way of salvation, to be instrumental in delivering men from the devil, and to lead them to Christ. One must know that it consists in comforting those who mourn, stirring up the indolent, bringing back those who have strayed, exposing hypocrites and temporal believers to themselves, defending the truth against error, rebuking the ungodly, helping to keep out or expelling from the church those who lead offensive lives, and adorning the church, so that by the holiness of those who profess the truth she would bring glory to Christ. One must know that it consists in being an example and in being able to give an account of the souls entrusted to him. How can he who is neither thoroughly acquainted with these matters, nor perceives the weightiness of it all, nor takes this to heart, have intentions to be faithful? All of this must be known, considered, and experienced in order to be conscious of one's calling.

Secondly, there must be some knowledge of one's aptitude for this work. A fundamental knowledge of divine truths and thus being satisfied with a speculative knowledge of these is not sufficient. Rather, one must experience the power of these truths in his own heart, having been converted thereby. He will thus be able to speak from his own experience. He must also have the aptitude to clearly express his thoughts, and must have a voice which is capable of being heard by others. Even though the most qualified person must say, "Who is sufficient for these things?" (2 Cor. 2:16), one must nevertheless be conscious of some aptitude. Shortly we shall consider this aptitude more comprehensively.

Thirdly, there must be an extraordinary love a) for Christ and a desire to make Him known; b) for the church to present her as a chaste virgin to Christ (2 Cor. 11:2), and to cause her to shine forth with light and holiness to the honor of God; c) for the souls of the unconverted to snatch them from the fire, as well as of the converted to strengthen, comfort, and continually provide them with spiritual food.

Fourthly, one must be willing to deny all that is of the world, such as honor, material goods, yes and even life itself. If someone is of low social status and wishes to become someone of renown or to acquire material goods by way of the ministry, his objective is entirely wrong. He would be much happier as a shoemaker, for in my opinion there is no man more abominable than an unregenerate minister who uses the holy things of God to his own advantage.

Fifthly, there must be a great desire for this work (1 Tim. 3:1). There must be continual stirrings to give oneself to the Lord by way of this work, and there must be a concern about whether or not one is called. There must be anxiety when ulterior motives are perceived in the heart which in turn causes one to entertain the thought to refrain from this work; or when the heaviness of the task, and a sense of inability causes one to look up against this work, engendering a desire to be relieved from this work, as with Moses and Jeremiah. The stirrings will nevertheless persist and overcome the objections. This in turn will give him more liberty before the Lord and he will find himself more willing than beforehand because by the objections he will have a clearer view of the motives of his heart. Then his heart does not condemn him, but rather convinces him of his sincerity in this matter.

Courage In Christian Ministry

The English word ‘courage’ and the derivative ‘courageous’ are used 25 times in the Bible. There are four different Hebrew words and one Greek word that translated as such in the English Bible. Each give insight into what God requires of those who have positions of leadership in the Church. The words are:

• Chazaq: This word means to strengthen, prevail, harden, be strong, be firm, or be resolute. This is the most common in our courageous lexicon. It is mostly used to describe Joshua and his boldness in conquering God’s enemies.
• Lebab: This is inner-mind or will. It shows us that courage is something that that is internal and something that is to be ‘willed’. Courage does not come naturally, but is a discipline that the minister must practice in the midst of conflict.
• Ruwach: Interestingly, this word is most often translated as spirit, will, or wind. It is a widely used Hebrew word in the Old Testament. This derivative teaches us that courage is not just a ‘willful’ attitude, but one that is spiritual. True courage will never be without the held and aide of the Ruwach of God.
• Amats: This word is closely related with chazaq. It means be strong, alert, courageous, brave, bold, solid, or hard. It teaches those who lead that there is a discipline which is not only reactive, but proactive. The minister is to be alert for practicing this discipline, not only performing courageously after conflict has arisen.
• Tharasos is the only Greek word that we have translated as courage. It means courageous or confidence. It is important to note, that this confidence is not within ourselves, but confident that God is using conflict to further his glory and conform us to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ.

The Pastor As Shepherd

One of the reasons that congregations fail is lack of biblical leadership. Seminary will often produce good preachers, good teachers, good theologians, but few seminaries focus on the aspect of leadership that the Bible calls 'shepherding'. Biblical leadership, or shepherding includes:

• The shepherd as a congregational participant, and not just the teacher or preacher.
  
• The shepherd as the chief organizer of the people that God has entrusted to him.
  
• The shepherd as a planner of the changes and reformations that he desires in his congregation. Disorganization can be the death of a ministry.
  
• The shepherd as the proistemi, (I Tim. 3.4-5) which can be translated as 'the one who presides over, the ruler, or the manager'. In the business world, this would be the CEO, the one who has the grand vision, the one who directs and manages.
  

Leadership, in a biblically faithful church, will then include, planning, organization, and authoritative instruction.

Jay Adams comments on the failure to be a biblical leader:

Without leadership, the sheep become confused, each turns to his own way and wanders off. That is why Zechariah was able to portray the disorder among the disciples that accompanied the death of Christ so vividly by use of this shepherdly figure when he prophesied: ‘Smite the shepherd and the sheep will scatter (13:7)’. Indeed, the biblical phrase, ‘like sheep without a shepherd’ has become proverbial. Yet like most familiar sayings, we take it for granted and we seldom think of what it means. Consider for a moment, something of its import. Sheep are helpless and are prone to scatter; ie., to break up into separate single units, to become disorganized and to disintegrate as a flock. Unlike ‘birds of a feather’ that ‘flock together’, sheep do not of themselves tend to do so. It is a principal activity of a shepherd. By faithful, personal leadership that involves responsible participation on his part such congregational organization is accomplished. Shepherdly leadership, then, has as one of its chief ends to bring about cohesion and order.

Adapted from Adam's book, Shepherding God's Flock, pp.324-329