Get links to my best stuff in your inbox
 

Preachers Are Simply Servants Of God

By
Categories: Church of Christ Bulletin Articles

The denominational concept of a preacher and his responsibility as set forth in a popular denominational creed-book that reads:

“A pastor is a preacher who has charge of Circuits, Stations, or Missions” (i.e., a church or group of churches – example mine).

Such a concept is not found in Scripture, and indicates a misunderstanding of the work of pastor and preacher as defined in the New Testament.

The New Testament pictures the pastor as an elder, overseer, or bishop (Acts 20:17; Acts 20:28; 1 Timothy 3:1). This man has to be found meeting certain God-given qualifications (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:1-9), and, along with other such men, “Shepherd the flock of God” which is among them, “serving as overseers” (1 Peter 5:2), taking “care of the church of God” (1 Timothy 3:5). The pastor [elder] may also be a preacher, as was Peter (1 Peter 5:1), but the terms are not synonymous — and neither is their work.

The preacher is simply a “herald” who proclaims God’s word (1 Timothy 2:7; 2 Timothy 1:11) and is instructed to “do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Timothy 4:5). As such, the preacher has no spiritual oversight and is not a pastor [elder, overseer, etc.] by virtue of his preaching work.

While the idea of a preacher having authority and oversight would be opposed by most brethren, it is not always so in practice. Some elders are content to let the preacher handle whatever needs handling ( with the exception of his vacation time and raises). This problem is compounded when the preacher covets such a authoritative role — especially among elders who are unwilling to assume their God-authorized responsibility.

Good elders can be an effective deterrent to a “pastor system,” but elders who do little more than “rubber-stamp” the preacher’s decisions, only promote the “pastor” role and demonstrate themselves as unqualified to serve as the true pastors [elders] in the Lord’s church.

Even among brethren who know the local preacher is not “in charge” of anything and is not to be called “our pastor,” there are subtle indications that the clergy concept remains in their minds. One indication is in their language. For example, reference is often made to the preacher of a congregation, as “our Minister” — or “the Minister.”

We observe that equally faithful brethren who do not preach from the pulpit are not referred to with any such titles. Additionally, there are some brethren who feel they have not been adequately prayed over unless the preacher does the praying. Others feel unvisited until the preacher comes to visit them. And, there are some members who feel less obligated to attend Bible classes and worship services when “the preacher” is out of town.

Brethren, in pointing out the equality among members of the Lord’s church (Gal. 3:28), someone has correctly pointed out that “all men stand on level ground under the cross of Christ” — and that statement includes the preacher. There is no hierarchy in the Lord’s church. Preachers are simply servants of God — nothing more — nothing less (Romans 1:1; Philippians 1:1; 2 Peter 1:1; Jude 1:1).

Related Articles:

Related posts: