The first series from Sound Teaching, Sound Living ministries will paint a picture of pastoral ministry that is both biblical and practical. It is my hope and prayer to accomplish three goals through this series. One, I hope that many pastors who read this series will be encouraged in their ministry. There may be many pastors out there that have been faithful to the biblical portrait of pastoral ministry for decades, yet have started to wonder if they have labored in vain. If that is you, I want you to be encouraged by the reminder that you have been faithful to the Lord’s calling on your life as outlined in the Scriptures. If any pastors have been straying from the Biblical portrayal of the pastoral ministry, I pray this series will be like a shepherd’s gentle tug or sharp goad on the sheep that steers them back on the path of faithfulness and fruitfulness.
My second goal is for any Christian who has unbiblical views of the pastoral ministry to be both persuaded by the view presented here, resulting in greater joy in their call to follow the leaders who speak the word to them (Hebrews 13:7, 17). Isn’t it the case that lack of joy in relationships can stem from faulty expectations? It’s certainly true for the relationships between parent and child, husband and wife, employer and employee, business partners, and friends. If you are lacking joy in relationship with your pastor(s), it very well could be the case that your expectations of your pastor are not biblical, and a return to biblical expectations can restore that joy. I also hope that the Christians who read this series and say, “that describes my pastor,” would rejoice and give God thanks again for appointing faithful shepherds over them.
My third goal in these posts, which was accomplished before their writing, was to clarify and summarize the role of pastors for my own benefit. These posts will be an expansion of the following clarifying summary of pastoral ministry:
The Priority of the Pastor is to Prayerfully Protect and Promote Sound Doctrine in both Proclamation and Practice in the Church and before the World.
Sound Teaching, Sound Living 