God's role for Pastoral Leaders

Be responsive to your pastoral leaders. Listen to their counsel. They are alert to the condition of your lives and work under the strict supervision of God. Contribute to the joy of their leadership, not its drudgery. Why would you want to make things harder for them?

Heb 13:17 (MSG)

One of the challenges of ministry is that we often can have too many who think they should set the agenda for what we do.  I am not an employee of my church I am their Shepherd.  My boss, the person who sets my agenda and give my job description is God.
While that may seem arrogant it is not intended to be so.  God has great expectations for His under shepherds.  The Message paraphrase of Hebrews 13.17 I think is a great place to begin to be reminded of what God's role is for us.  Here is our job description from God (based on Hebrews 13.17).

1. Be a leader.
2. Counsel others in life, ministry, family, and Spiritual growth.
3. Pay attention to and understand the conditions in the lives of God's people
4. Obey God.
5. Serve with joy in everything.
6. Don't get bogged down in stuff that will make ministry a drudgery.

Enjoy Serving Him!

Pastoral Expectations

In the last week or so I had the privilege to take part in an ordination process of a fellow pastor in our area.  During His ordination service I was asked to give the charge to the church.  In doing so I charged the church with a few things from Scripture that I thought may be equally useful for those of us who serve as pastors or in leadership.  The following is the passage of Scripture and a 6 point challenge (in a bullet format).

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.
18  Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a good conscience, desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all things. 19 And I urge you all the more to do this, so that I may be restored to you the sooner.

Heb 13:17-19 (NASB95)

1. Obey/follow your pastor's leadership.
2. Submit to his authority.
3. Treat him as a shepherd not an employee -He gives an account to God
4. Help him serve with joy.
5. Pray for him.
6. Seek to develop a relationship/friendship with him.