THE BIBLICAL ROLE OF THE PASTOR
The church seems to be in confusion about what the pastor should do. Some want him to visit every church member each month. Others think he should only preach on Sunday and earn a living during the week at secular employment. Quite a few think he should do everything at the church building from preaching and teaching to mowing the grass. A few think he should visit every lost person within a hundred-mile radius, visit every sick member and their sick family, contact every church member regularly, do all the work at the church building, and always be in the office when they call. As a pastor for fifteen years, this author has found there are many different expectations of a pastor. It is impossible to fulfill them all, making it impossible to please everyone.
What is a pastor to do since he cannot please an entire congregation? God did not call any pastor to please a church. Pastors' are called to fulfill a certain function for God and should seek to please Him first. A Bible based church will find joy, if their pastor is fulfilling the function God has given him rather that the unreasonable expectations of people.
Churches tend to call a pastor to do their work, not understanding the role and work of the pastor. Many pastors attempt to do the member's work. This results in short ministries, frustration, and burnout in the life of pastors. Pastors and churches would be well advised to discover and fulfill their own God given roles. These roles are defined in the Bible. Biblically, the role of the pastor can be divided into five areas; feed the sheep, protect the flock, oversee the work, evangelism, and equip the believer for the work of ministry.