Church office in Protestantism. The difference between an Orthodox priest and a Protestant pastor

The character of the pastor, as he was intended by God, cannot be understood outside the context in which and for which he exists. The divine plan for the salvation of souls includes not only the redemption accomplished by Christ on the cross of Calvary, but also the building up of the Church. The great work of redemption, presented in the pages of the Bible as the main work of God, includes several clearly distinguishable stages. The first stage can be called the planning stage. We know very little about this stage. Many of its elements are even difficult for us to understand in the light of further developments. However, the Bible quite definitely says that even before the creation of the world, even before man was created, there was a decision within the Divine Trinity to work out the great plan for the redemption of people. The apostle Peter says this:

... knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible silver or gold from the vain life given to you from the fathers, but with the precious Blood of Christ, as a blameless and pure Lamb, destined even before the foundation of the world, but appeared in the last times for you ... ( 1 Peter 1:18-20).

The second stage of the plan of redemption was the long preparation for the incarnation. In one of his epistles, the apostle Paul specifically notes that the coming of Jesus Christ took place at a specially appointed time by God. By this time, the preparation of all the necessary conditions for the mission of redemption had been completed.

... But when the fullness of time came, God sent His Son, Who was born of a woman, obeyed the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption (Gal. 4:4-5).

The stage of preparation for the coming of the Redeemer included a lot: the calling of Abraham, the emergence of the people of Israel, his Egyptian captivity and miraculous deliverance from it, the sending down of the Law and the conclusion of the Covenant with Israel, the retreat and the Babylonian captivity. All this was necessary to create the conditions under which the Messiah was to make atonement.

The life of Jesus Christ on earth, His substitutionary death on the cross, and His resurrection from the dead represent the most active and by far the most important phase of the divine plan of redemption. The famous "It is finished" uttered by Christ on the cross at the moment of dying indicated the completion of the main stage of this plan. At the same time, the victory of the Messiah at Calvary was not an end in itself. Having become the completion of one stage, the stage of preparing and making atonement, she laid the foundation for the next period - the building of the Church.

The Church was conceived and created by God and personally by Jesus Christ. During His earthly life, Jesus pointed out many times that the building of the Church was the main purpose of His mission. Great as the atonement was, it was only a tool or a means to achieve the main goal - the building of the Church, consisting of redeemed people.

The first time Jesus said this openly and specifically in His conversation with His disciples, after the famous confession of Peter. By saying, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God," Peter recognized His divinity. Immediately after these words, Jesus directs the attention of Peter and other disciples to the main goal of His mission: "... I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it..." (Matt. 16:18). This was said long before Calvary. Going on the feat of redemption, Jesus saw as His goal not only the very fact of fulfilling the will of the Father, but also what would be as a result of it. These words of Jesus Christ outlined the horizon of eternity as it was in His mind. The main object on this horizon was the Church. Charles Bridges rightly writes about this: “The church is a mirror reflecting the radiance of the divine essence. It is the great stage on which the perfections of Jehovah are revealed to the universe.”

Having laid the foundation for the building of the Church, Jesus Christ thought out in detail the principles by which it should develop. The Church is not a human invention, therefore the principles of its life are determined not by people, but by the One who has divine, perfect wisdom, and Who gave His life to create it. One of the most detailed explanations of the principles of the organization of the Church is the fourth chapter of the Epistle to the Ephesians. The Apostle Paul presents in it the essence of the Church, the basis of her life, the mechanism and methods of her growth, the principles of the interaction of members with each other, etc. This presentation begins with a very important circumstance. The apostle clearly and unambiguously states that the full development of the Church to a large extent depends on its ministers, pastors.

And He appointed some as Apostles, others as prophets, others as Evangelists, others as shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the Body of Christ... (Eph. 4:11-12).

The institution of pastor-teachers was established by Jesus Christ Himself. In God's original plan, these people play a huge role. Having appropriate gifts and certain experience in personal spiritual life, pastors are responsible for providing other Christians with everything necessary for their full development, in order to make them capable of serving the building of the Church. This is a very important element in the overall development of the Body of Christ. Having redeemed his Church through the sacrifice on the cross of Calvary, the Son of God entrusts it to the care of the shepherds. Paul emphasized this during his famous meeting with the Ephesian elders in Miletus:

Therefore, pay attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the Church of the Lord and God, which He purchased with His own blood (Acts 20:28).

The nature of the pastoral role in the Church is unique. Pastors are not just specialists in working with people, they are not just managers or organizers who ensure the implementation of certain projects. Pastors are to be guides to the creative soul of God's grace. Only then will they be able to fulfill the task set before them by Christ. Therefore, pastors, more than others, must be molded into the character of Christ. This is their privilege and their first duty. Charles Bridges quotes Mather on this point:

The highest dignity, if not the greatest happiness, that human nature can perceive in this world below, is to have such an enlightened soul, which has become a mirror and a conductor of divine truth for other people.

Questions of salvation and transfiguration of souls are beyond the control of people, no matter how outstanding their abilities may be. They are beyond human capabilities. The building up of souls, as well as the building up of the Church that directly depends on it, can be carried out only as a result of the direct action of the Holy Spirit. This is His prerogative. God uses pastors in this matter only as special instruments or active conductors of the divine transformation of souls.

That is why the qualification of a pastor is determined, first of all, by the quality of his character. A pastor's giftedness, his training in the study and exposition of Scripture, individual work with souls, and church leadership are also very important, as are his skills in practical ministry, but the quality of his character comes first on this list. In order for the Spirit of God to act through a pastor, He must first transform him, only after that the process of spiritual influence becomes possible, leading to the transformation of the souls around him.

The character of a pastor is a multifaceted concept that includes various aspects of his personality. The Holy Scriptures, describing the requirements for pastors, specifically focuses on the qualities of his character. This is discussed in particular detail in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9. These texts are often explained in various pastoral training books. This article focuses on the study of the character of the pastor in terms of his role in relation to God, to the people he leads, as well as to fellow shepherds, brothers, with whom he ministers. This approach makes it possible to emphasize the practical significance of each of the necessary qualities of the pastor's character to a greater extent.

I. Pastor as God's Servant

First of all, the pastor is God's servant. This is dictated by the very nature of pastoring. In modern Christianity, unfortunately, far from the most accurate image of the pastor has been established. The image of a successful pastor in the modern world is most often associated with the image of a speaker, administrator, organizer, politician, fundraiser, etc., but not with the image of a servant. But this is precisely what Holy Scripture speaks of when it introduces shepherds.

Jesus Christ says about Himself that becoming a servant was one of the main purposes of His coming to earth.

...Because the Son of Man did not come [to] be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many (Matt. 20:28).

The apostle Paul constantly called himself a servant of Jesus Christ, emphasizing that service, accompanied by hard work, was a constant part of his life. In one of the messages, he specifically notes that people should perceive him and his employees in this way.

So, everyone should understand us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God (1 Cor. 4:1).

The Greek word here translated "attendants" literally means the oarsmen who did their hard work on the lower deck of the Roman war galleys. Subsequently, it began to apply to everyone who played the role of a subordinate to someone. Paul emphasizes that he is a subordinate of Jesus Christ, His servant, His servant. The position of a servant includes several qualities.

A. Humility

The perception of oneself as a servant is primarily associated with deep humility. The effectiveness of a pastor is directly proportional to the level of real humility of his soul. This is quite natural for several reasons.

First of all, pride, or a claim to one's own importance, is the main internal vice inherited by people as a result of original sin. Humility becomes the starting point of any spiritual progress. In the book of the prophet Isaiah, God says about this: "But this is whom I will look at: the humble and contrite in spirit, and who trembles at my word" (Is. 66:2). A pastor, by definition, is a person who knows God better than anyone else and has experienced a deep relationship with Him. This requires him to make significant progress in personal humility. The well-known 17th-century minister of the church, Richard Baxter, in his practical advice for pastors, emphasizes: "How can we expect humility from our parishioners if we ourselves have not humbled ourselves."

In addition, the pastoral ministry is connected with the fulfillment of the will of Jesus Christ, who is the Lord of the Church and the Chief Shepherd (Eph. 4:11-12; 1 Pet. 5:4). This requires pastors to be consciously committed to learning and consistently putting into practice what Christ wants. This requires a constant refusal to assert oneself and one's preferences in order to consciously submit oneself to the will of Jesus Christ. Elsewhere, Baxter notes this detail:

The work of a minister should be devoted solely to God and the salvation of His people, and not to any of our personal gain. This is our sincerity. A false goal makes the whole work absolutely unworthy, no matter how good it may be in itself. Self-denial is absolutely necessary for every Christian. But it is doubly bypassed by the minister, since he is doubly consecrated and consecrated to God. Without self-denial, he cannot faithfully serve God.

Another important reason why a pastor should have humility is its realism. A person who thinks highly of himself does not understand reality and therefore cannot be a spiritual leader for others. Contrary to popular belief, humility is not some special virtue and a simple recognition of the fact that the person himself really does not mean anything. All its significance is in God, who created him and determines the purpose of his life and its meaning.

Here's how one of the modern authors says about it: "Humility is not self-abasement, it is the recognition of who you are. I know who I am, and that I am nothing without God's grace."

The Apostle Paul speaks of this. Realistically evaluating himself, he shows a wonderful example of humility. Throughout his life, already being an accomplished apostle, widely known for his successful ministry, he continued to see himself as the greatest sinner, saved by Christ only by His grace (1 Tim. 1:15). In relation to the other apostles, he saw himself as unworthy even to bear this title (1 Cor. 15:9). At the same time, he deeply realized that his life had great meaning and grandiose significance, invested in him by Christ and His grace (1 Cor. 15:10).

Real humility makes a pastor soft and confident at the same time, allowing him to be truly effective in his soul-building ministry.

B. Loyalty

The second characteristic associated with a pastor's position as God's servant is his faithfulness to God. The shepherds are not doing their job. In giving the last instruction to the elders in Ephesus, the apostle Paul emphasized that the Holy Spirit had appointed ministers to shepherd the Church of God.

Therefore, pay attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the Church of the Lord and God, which He purchased with His own blood (Acts 20:28).

The church does not belong to us. We do not determine what it should be and how it should develop. Therefore, our main task is to be faithful to our Lord, the One who called and appointed us to shepherd His Church.

In determining what the ministry and development of the church should be, pastors do not need to reinvent the wheel. Their task is not to come up with something new and sophisticated. God-given shepherds have as their goal to understand the reality of God's structure for the building of the church and to take their proper place in it in order to faithfully follow what their Master wants. Mark Dever writes about this in his book The Deliberate Building of the Church: "Neglecting God's plan for the church and replacing it with your own will make your work meaningless from an eternity standpoint."

Even in the Old Testament, speaking of real shepherds for his people, God emphasized: "And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will shepherd you with knowledge and understanding" (Jer. 3:15). The phrase "after God's own heart" is often translated as "those who think like God." One of the commentators on the Book of Jeremiah notes: "'Heart' is sometimes the equivalent of 'understanding'." A God-appointed shepherd is constantly learning what the heart of God is filled with and bringing himself into harmony with Him.

Shepherds are people who understand the heart of God, who have the same understanding of life, understanding of people, understanding of circumstances that God has. Real shepherds are people who are saturated with the mind of God, His feelings, His attitude to what surrounds them. In this sense, they are His representatives.

By entrusting their church and their sheep to the shepherds, God charged them to see the people through His eyes, to feel their condition with His heart, and to respond to the perceived reality with His truth and love. The phrase "a man after God's own heart" was originally applied to King David. Recalling the story of King David in one of his sermons, the apostle Paul explained the meaning of this term as follows:

Rejecting him, he made David king for them, of whom he said, testifying: "I have found a man after my own heart, David the son of Jesse, who will fulfill all my desires" (Acts 13:22).

To be a man after God's own heart means to be a guide and executor of His desires, to be faithful to Him, to do what God wants.

Among other things, the need for absolute fidelity to God in service is also evidenced by the fact that pastors will be directly responsible to God. The ministry of a shepherd is very serious. People are accustomed to seeing the ministry as a position of privilege and authority. In reality, this is far from the case. In trusting the shepherds of His sheep, God clearly says that He will strictly inquire for each of them.

Obey your leaders and be submissive, for they watch over your souls, as obliged to give an account; so that they do it with joy, and not sighing, for it is not useful for you (Heb. 13:17, emphasis is ours. - A.K.).

The Old Testament contains many examples of God's most serious attitude towards shepherds. In the time of the prophet Jeremiah, when the people of Israel were very deeply mired in their sinfulness, God made claims primarily to the shepherds:

Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, to the shepherds who shepherd my people: "You scattered my sheep, and scattered them, and did not look after them; behold, I will punish you for your evil deeds, says the Lord" (Jer. 23:2) ).

Being a shepherd is scary. John Chrysostom spoke of his experiences in connection with pastoral responsibility before God: "The fear caused by this threat shakes my soul." We are dealing with souls for whom Christ died. He called us not just to sincerely try to do His work, but to do it in the pattern He has established, in the structure He has established.

II. Pastor as shepherd

The second area of ​​ministry that defines a pastor's character is his duty to shepherd the sheep of Jesus Christ. By entrusting his flock to the care of the pastors, Jesus sets before them certain tasks, the solution of which to a large extent determines the process of growth and creation of the Church. One of the main such tasks is shepherding.

Shepherding is a very serious matter that is often underestimated both by the sheep and by the shepherds themselves. Sheep under the influence of their flesh do not always want to be pastured, but shepherds are not very willing to engage in shepherding, and often do not even know what it is.

John MacArthur, in his book Pastoral Revisited, specifically notes:

Shepherding the spiritual flock is not so easy. To be a spiritual shepherd, it is not enough just to accompany the flock everywhere. The requirements for shepherds are very high, it is difficult to meet such standards (1 Tim. 3:1-7). Not everyone has the necessary qualities, and even among those who do, not everyone succeeds. Spiritual pastoring requires a person to be pious, gifted, and have many skills. At the same time, he must remain humble and meek, like a shepherd boy.

Due to the particular complexity of pastoral work, as well as under the influence of modern theories of church growth, pastors are transformed into priests officiating liturgical ceremonies, into managers, or into mass entertainers. True shepherding requires a pastor to have several key qualities.

A. Caring

First of all, a shepherd is a person who sincerely cares about the welfare of the sheep entrusted to his care. Its main goal is not the development of the organization, not holding events, not achieving fame and influence among those in power in society, but the full spiritual development of its people.

It was this task that the Lord Jesus Christ set before his best apostle. Before going to the Father, He addressed him with a triple command: "Feed my sheep" (John 21:15-17). He did not tell Peter to create a Christian denomination, union, mission, or seminary. The purpose of the ministry of pastors, entrusted to them by the Son of God, who accomplished the great feat of redemption and founded the Church, is to provide pastoral care for His sheep.

The Apostle Paul explains in more detail that the pastoral care of the ministers of the church, for which they are appointed by Christ, is aimed at achieving growth in maturity, in the spiritual integrity of the personality of each member of the church.

And He appointed some as Apostles, others as prophets, others as Evangelists, others as shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the Body of Christ, until we all come into the unity of faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, into a perfect man, in full measure the age of Christ; so that we no longer be babies, tossed and carried away by every wind of doctrine, through the cunning of men, through the cunning art of deceit, but with true love we raise everything into Him Who is the head Christ, from whom the whole body is composed and copulated through all mutually binding ties, in the action of each member in its measure, it receives an increment for building up itself in love (Eph. 4:11-16).

Spiritual growth is expressed in the consistent overcoming of the consequences of original sin, which caused damage to every person. The word καταρτισμὸν (katartismon), translated in the Synodal translation as "to perfect", literally means "to repair, correct damage". John MacArthur writes about it like this: "It indicates the restoration of something to its original state, improvement or bringing to a state of readiness for some purpose."

This is the highest good of every Christian. Shepherding should help him grow out of infancy. By caring for him, the pastors help him mature by repairing the damage done by sin. As a result, the Christian acquires inner stability, conviction of the truth and confidence in Jesus Christ, whom he comes to know in practice, soaking in His character.

Pastors have always faced such challenges. Speaking prophetically about the restoration of the people of Israel, God emphasized: “And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will shepherd you with knowledge and understanding (Jer. 3:15).

Pastoral care requires sincere love for the flock from the shepherd. This is a special state of the heart, which the pastor penetrates as he personally gets to know Jesus Christ. Spurgeon, instructing his students, future shepherds, unequivocally stated:

The eloquence of the heart cannot be learned in any school; it is given only at the foot of the Cross. It is better for you never to learn the art of human eloquence, but to have the power of heavenly love.

The Apostle Paul describes in detail the pastoral approach to people, speaking of his ministry in Thessalonica.

... We could appear with dignity, like the Apostles of Christ, but we were quiet among you, just like a nurse treats her children tenderly. So we, out of zeal for you, desired to convey to you not only the gospel of God, but also our souls, because you have become acceptable to us (1 Thess. 2:7-8).

Pastoral love for people must have a real expression. Paul's love for the believers in this city was practically expressed in the fact that he and his associates approached them tenderly and carefully, sincerely concerned for their welfare. Tad Christman, in Dear Timothy, explains the importance of a pastor's love and care not only being seen but recognized by the flock:

Your sheep should know and feel without a shadow of a doubt that you are gentle, gentle, kind, friendly, interested in their welfare and focused on it. If they doubt the reality of these qualities, they will inevitably doubt your love. If they doubt your love, the effectiveness of your ministry will practically be paralyzed.

In turn, sincere love for the flock, real concern for the spiritual growth and well-being of the sheep requires shepherds to have a good knowledge of the truth of Holy Scripture and a correct attitude towards it. Spiritual growth is ensured through timely and accurate spiritual nourishment. Much has been said about this by the apostles. Peter, instructing his flock, says: "... love the pure spiritual milk, so that from it you will grow in salvation" (1 Pet. 2:2). Paul, entrusting Timothy with the ministry in Ephesus, says: "Until I come, be occupied with reading, exhortation, teaching ... Take care of these things, abide in these things, that your success may be evident to all" (1 Tim. 4:13-15) .

Spiritual nourishment is not just filling people's minds with the knowledge of the Bible. In order for knowledge of the truth to be transformed into real spiritual growth, a person must bow before God, recognize the absolute authority of His Word, believe that the truth is practically defined in the text of Scripture, understand the truth in relation to a specific situation in one's life, and consistently obey it. This requires the pastor to have several important ingredients.

First of all, the shepherd himself must have a deep conviction in the authority, accessibility and sufficiency of the Holy Scripture, which would be transmitted to his sheep. In addition, he himself must bow before the truth of God's Word, live, practically recognizing its authority, obeying the truth in the real circumstances of life. It should be obvious to the people around him. Without accepting the Word of God as absolute authority in the practical situations of life, people will not live by it, and, accordingly, they will not grow spiritually.

In addition, the shepherd must know the Scriptures deeply enough to accurately see in the light of its truth every practical situation of life. It is not enough just to know the correct doctrines, it is not enough to know the Scriptures in general, although all this is very important. We need to see in Scripture the principles that practically govern our lives today. These principles must be known precisely, with a justified conviction that they are indeed the Word of God, determining this or that situation of life. The Apostle Paul spoke of this to Timothy: "Strive to present yourself worthy, a workman without reproach, faithfully teaching the Word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:15).

It is equally important to understand well the life, circumstances and the state of the inner world of the people we feed in order to provide them with the food that they really need at this moment. The Letter to the Thessalonians says: "We also implore you, brethren, admonish the disorderly, comfort the faint-hearted, support the weak, be patient with everyone (1 Thessalonians 5:14). The shepherd must know exactly who is faint-hearted, who is weak, and who is disorderly, to apply the right truth to every person.True shepherds are distinguished by the fact that they understand the individual characteristics and circumstances of their sheep and know how to provide them with everything necessary for growth and full formation.

And finally, the shepherd must be able to clearly and convincingly convey the truth both in general from the pulpit and in individual shepherding, in personal conversations with people.

B. Protection

In addition to caring for the welfare and spiritual growth of the flock, shepherding includes protecting people from dangers. The shepherd must have a good knowledge of what can threaten his sheep and how to protect the sheep from danger. In addition, it is necessary that he actually observes them, and also has the courage to practically protect them when the need arises. The apostle Paul insisted on this to the elders in Ephesus:

So, pay attention to yourself and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the Church of the Lord and God, which He purchased with His own blood. For I know that after my departure, fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and out of yourselves men will arise, speaking perverse things, in order to draw the disciples after them. Therefore, stay awake, remembering that for three years, day and night, I taught each of you unceasingly with tears. And now I commend you, brethren, to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to edify [you] more and give you an inheritance with all who are sanctified (Acts 20:28-32).

"Pay attention to yourselves and to all the flock" - watch carefully what is happening both in your heart and in the hearts of your people.

Shepherds are spiritual fathers, whose responsibility includes an attentive attitude towards each soul entrusted under their care. Shepherds should know well how their wards live, what their hearts are filled with, where they experience difficulties, where dangers lie in wait for them, etc. The Apostle Paul also spoke about this, calling on shepherds to oversee their sheep:

I beseech your shepherds... shepherd God's flock, which is among you, overseeing it not under compulsion, but willingly and pleasing to God, not for vile self-interest, but out of zeal... (1 Pet. 5:1-2).

The word to oversee (Greek ἐπισκοποῦντες, episkopountes) in this place means "attention", "observe", "care" and carries the idea of ​​protection from a possible threat. From this word came the word "bishop". Unfortunately, over time, this word has acquired an inaccurate meaning. Bishops began to be understood as church leaders who hold office and rise above others.

In fact, the apostle Peter says that shepherds are those who carefully observe each person entrusted under his care, with the aim of sincere care for him.

Spiritual care includes a good knowledge of both the spiritual processes in the human heart and what influences them. This is very clearly seen in the ministry of Jesus Christ and later in the ministry of the apostles.

Jesus watched his disciples carefully. He knew well what was happening to them, where they were going, why they acted this way or that way. This knowledge was not just a database, but the basis for pastoral care. By watching the disciples, Jesus did everything he could to help them grow into strong and mature children of God. Here is how He speaks about it in His prayer:

When I was with them in peace, I kept them in Your name; those whom you gave me I have kept, and none of them perished except the son of perdition, may the Scripture be fulfilled (John 17:12).

Christ "kept" his disciples and "kept" them. Understanding well their peculiarities, Jesus directed them in time, protecting them from lies and wrong development.

First of all, shepherds must protect their flock from all kinds of false ideas and teachings that are spreading around and attacking them. This is what most of the messages of the New Testament are devoted to. In them, the apostles draw the attention of their people to certain dangers that threaten them. The central element of these teachings is that they are not focused on Christ or worshiping His Word, but on drawing Christians to follow. This is exactly what Paul was talking about:

For I know that after my departure, fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and out of yourselves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them (Acts 20:29-30).

Shepherds must be able to see these threats and protect their sheep from them in time.
In addition, shepherds must take care to protect their sheep from sin. This includes not only admonishing against living in sin, but also reproving those who have already sinned. Baxter writes about this:

Weak believers, like babies, do not know how to discern sin and easily deviate from the truth ... their condition is really dangerous, so we will have to make a lot of efforts to strengthen their faith ... Our duty is to help them overcome pride, desire for worldly things, irascibility and other sins. We must reveal to them the evil nature of these sins and give them advice on how to overcome them. We should not be tolerant of the sins of believers, nor of the sins of new converts.

In helping people see their sin and get rid of it, shepherds must do so with a clear understanding of the importance of this part of their ministry. Every reproof must be an act of protecting the soul from the sin that threatens it.

III. Pastor as Spiritual Leader

Another area of ​​life and ministry that requires special qualities of character from a pastor is spiritual leadership. The word leader comes from English to lead, which means "to lead" (for example, forward, behind you, etc.). A pastor is a person who leads others to God, to a full and fruitful life in Jesus Christ.

Shepherding deals with God's process of growing souls. In this process, God has established a special place for the more gifted, more experienced of His children. They lead the way, coming to know Jesus Christ personally and becoming more like Him, helping others to practically see where to go and how. The Scottish preacher Alexander White once told students of theology, "The community is waiting for you to become like you after you have become like God."

God did this for a reason. For the most part, everything that we know and can do, we learned by imitating someone. This also applies to the spiritual life. Hearing the truth of God's Word preached, it is important for people to see how it is practically realized in life. That is why the apostle Paul several times in his epistles says: "Imitate me, as I imitate Christ."

Therefore, I beseech you: imitate me, as I imitate Christ. For this reason I sent to you Timothy, my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church (1 Cor. 4:16-17).

In sending Timothy to Corinth, the apostle says that he would remind the believers who lived there not only of the truth, but "of my ways in Christ," i.e., of how Paul lived this truth in practice. In another place, the apostle calls to imitate not only him, but also those who succeed in personal transformation into the image of Jesus Christ, confirming that this is the universal principle of the development of the church: "Imitate, brethren, me and look at those who walk in the image, which have in us" (Phil. 3:17).

The Apostle Peter speaks of the same. Addressing pastors, he makes it clear that setting an example is one of the main tasks of their ministry.

I beseech your shepherds... shepherd God's flock, which is among you, overseeing it not under compulsion, but willingly and pleasing to God, not for vile gain, but out of diligence, and not ruling over [God's] inheritance, but setting an example for the flock (1 Pet 5:1-3).

Setting an example (Greek τύποι γινόμενοι, tupoi ginomenoi) - literally "becoming a model." To a great extent, pastors should be a model or example of God's real action in life, a model of godliness in practice.

However, by requiring pastors to be a model of spiritual life for the flock, God does not mean that they will be sinless. He well understands that pastors are not perfect. They, too, are people who continue the process of sanctification and struggle with their flesh. But this was precisely one of the reasons why God entrusted shepherding to people, and not to angels.

God did this because pastors, being human beings, can naturally and firsthand know all the hardships of life in a corruption-prone world. Pastors are part of the flock they shepherd, for which they are responsible. Living in the same reality in which their people live, they can empathize with them, can intercede for them, stand before God in prayers, can provide them with practical help in the process of fighting sin and being transformed into the image of Jesus Christ.

A. Leadership in godliness

As conductors of God's leading to the flock, pastors should be people who are more practically Christlike than others. This is how the apostles and ministers of the first church lived. Before telling others to “Imitate me,” the apostle Paul himself devoted his entire life to the practical knowledge of Jesus Christ and the real life of Him. For this, he gave up everything that gave him significance before his meeting with Christ.

Yes, and I count everything as loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for him I have renounced everything, and count everything as rubbish, in order to gain Christ... Be like me, brethren, and look at those who walk in the image that you have in us (Phil. 3:8, 17).

A shepherd is one who, by knowing Jesus Christ, is transformed into His image to such an extent that he can practically show others how to grow in Him, becoming like Him. This is the ultimate goal of shepherding. Rick Holland put it well: "Pastors are the agents that make people like Jesus Christ."

This speaks to the need for constant, progressive godliness in the life of a pastor. He must go ahead and lead his flock in a personal knowledge of God, in a right attitude towards the truth, and in a real transformation of character into the image of Jesus Christ.

John MacArthur, while acknowledging the imperfection of pastors, emphasizes the importance of their personal piety several times in his book A Return to Pastoral Ministry:

"Integrity" cannot signify sinlessness, because then no mortal would qualify for that office; we are talking about high and moral standards, which, through mature reflection, a person who is able to serve as an example for others has come to. God wants His servants to live in such holiness that their preaching never contradicts their way of life, that the hypocrisy of the shepherd does not undermine the faith of the flock in the service of God ... All battles for keeping the Scriptures will turn out to be battles for nothing if the preachers in the church are corrupted they will not be able to set an example of holiness to their flock. Church leaders must be blameless. Everything else is filth in the eyes of God and a danger to the life of the church.

Personal growth in godliness should be the concern of every pastor. Paul wrote about this to Timothy when he took over the pastoral ministry in Ephesus: "... exercise yourself in godliness ... be an example to the faithful in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity" ( 1 Tim 4:7-12). Exercise, or personal training in godliness, is essential for a pastor to be a model to his flock.

Progressive piety testifies to the presence of the fear of God, that a person seeks God and God, that he is dedicated to knowing and doing His will. He knows how to overcome sin, he is obedient to God under the pressure of various temptations. These qualities are essential for those who have pastoral responsibilities to truly care for the Church of Jesus Christ and ensure its creative development.

During his famous meeting with the elders at Miletus, the apostle Paul stressed:

Therefore, take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the Church of the Lord and God, which He purchased with His own blood (Acts 20:28-30).

Pay attention to yourself means "be attentive to yourself", carefully observe, first of all, yourself, your life, your piety. The pastor should be constantly engaged in a deep and critical examination of his heart, a serious assessment of his life and the effectiveness of his ministry. In this case, it is impossible to rely on past victories. The devil attacks the ministers every day, so they need to keep awake, seriously watching themselves. In another epistle, the apostle instructs Timothy:

Delve into yourself and into the teaching; do this constantly: for by doing this you will save yourself and those who hear you (1 Tim. 4:16).

A serious examination of oneself and one's life helps ministers overcome the problem of ostentatious godliness that is devoid of the true power of God. Richard Baxter gives seven reasons why a pastor should constantly look into himself, carefully watching the development of his life.

• 1. Shepherds must watch themselves, because, despite their religious activities, the lack of progressing godliness may be a sign that they are not saved.
• 2. Pastors, like all other people, have a sinful nature and therefore tend to sin. "Even the most righteous Christians have the remnants of pride, unbelief, self-love and any other sin ... If you do not carefully monitor the state of your unreliable heart, then it will very quickly find an opportunity to deceive you."
• 3. Pastors are a special target for Satan. Having crushed you, he will bring down with you many other people whom you feed.
• 4. Pastors are closely watched by people - both those who want to imitate you and your detractors.
• 5. Pastors are more responsible for their sins because they know more than others and must be stronger than others.
• 6. To carry out the ministry, special spiritual forces are needed, which are weakened by sin.
• 7. The sins of pastors dishonor the name of the Lord more than the sins of other people.
• 8. The success of his ministry depends on the condition of the pastor's heart.

So, in order to be a conductor of God's life, a real shepherd must be its bearer. This is the meaning of shepherding.

B. Service

In addition to being a leader in personal godliness, a pastor must be a leader in the ministry of Jesus Christ. Church members should see in their pastor an example of true devotion and fidelity to the Lord and His work of building up the Church. Leadership in this area is very important because conscious participation in the ministry of building the church is an important part of the fulfilling life of every Christian. Pastors are to set an example for others in building up the body of Christ in the reality of the time, place, and circumstances in which they live.

This is how Jesus Christ lived. This is how the apostles lived. Emphasizing his total commitment to Christ and His work, Paul often referred to himself as His servant: "Paul the servant of God, but an apostle of Jesus Christ" (Titus 1:1). The recognition of oneself as a slave emphasizes a clear understanding of one's complete belonging to God. This is the core of the ministry. Paul wants his disciples to see his complete commitment to Christ.

Complete devotion to God is not just high-flown words. It must have a practical expression. First of all, consecration to God begins with self-denial. And although self-denial should be an essential quality in the life of every Christian, the minister should have it in a special degree. This is the essence of his spiritual leadership. Before saying, "Imitate me" (Phil. 3:17), the apostle Paul noted, "For him I have renounced everything" (Phil. 3:7-8).

In addition, devotion to God necessarily includes a readiness for serious work, work to the point of exhaustion. This work begins with thoughtful and painstaking work on one's own soul, on one's character, on one's thoughts. In addition, it is a readiness for the exhausting work of preaching, shepherding, leading and building souls. In the life of the apostle Paul, it looked like this:

Whom we preach, admonishing every man and teaching every kind of wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus; wherefore I both labor and contend with His power, which works mightily in me (Col. 1:28-29).

Elsewhere, the apostle Paul describes in detail the many difficulties that accompanied his ministry. Proving the legitimacy of his apostleship, he refers not to the size of his fortune, as some modern "apostles" would do, but to the number of experiences and sufferings that he endured for the sake of serving Christ in preaching the Gospel and building His Church.

I [was] much more in labors, immeasurably in wounds, more in dungeons, and many times at death. From the Jews five times it was given me forty [strike] without one; three times I was beaten with sticks, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, night and day I stayed in the depths [of the sea]; many times [was] in travels, in dangers on the rivers, in dangers from robbers, in dangers from fellow tribesmen, in dangers from pagans, in dangers in the city, in dangers in the desert, in dangers at sea, in dangers between false brothers, in labor and in exhaustion, often in vigil, in hunger and thirst, often in fasting, in cold and nakedness. In addition to strangers [adventures], I have a daily gathering [of people], taking care of all the churches. Who is exhausted, with whom would I not be exhausted? Who is tempted, for whom would I not ignite? (2 Cor. 11:23-29).

Pastors must show the flock the importance of service, its nobility and its transcendent value, so that, by looking at their example, those who follow them can really learn the real life of consecration to Jesus Christ.

IV. Pastor as Leader

Scripture presents the pastor not only as a servant of God, not only as a shepherd and spiritual leader, but also as a leader. A pastor is a person who is responsible for the proper organization of the development of the church. He must know well its doctrine, its purpose, its mission, its philosophy of ministry, etc. He must know what should be happening in the church at any particular moment in its development, and how to make it a reality. This is due to the presence of several important qualities.

A. Maturity

First of all, the pastor must be a fairly mature person. When talking about pastors, Scripture often uses the word "elder" to emphasize the maturity of these people. The need for this quality is already reflected in the very word "presbyter" (Greek πρεσβύτερος, presbuteros), which literally translates as "a mature person", "elder", "a person with experience".

Speaking about who can carry out the pastoral ministry, the apostle Paul warned Timothy that such a person “[should] not be of the new converts, lest he become proud and fall into condemnation with the devil” (1 Tim. 3:6). Immature people are more likely to think highly of themselves when given serious responsibility. Indeed, pride, or the opportunity to use the ministry for self-affirmation, haunts ministers of all ages, not just the young. But spiritually more mature people are more able to see their worth in Jesus Christ and His grace, and therefore they are less tempted to assert themselves in the ministry.

Another problem of immaturity, the apostle Paul calls youthful lusts. In 2 Timothy, Paul insists, "Flee from youthful lusts, but hold fast to righteousness, faith, love, peace with all who call on the Lord out of a pure heart" (2 Tim. 2:22). Youthful lusts are ambitions, emotional intemperance inherent in young people, an inability to think balanced and objectively.

Bearing responsibility for the life and development of the church, ministers have to make decisions on various very serious issues. Therefore, it is extremely important that they can be objective, free from the pressure of self-interest, fear, resentment, irritation, claims to their own importance, desire to achieve their own, etc. The presence of any of these problems deprives the minister of the ability to fulfill the responsibility assigned to him by God .

In addition, the minister must be mature enough not to allow partiality or bias in assessments. When making a decision, it is easy to be influenced by certain people, circumstances, or your own feelings. The pastor must be able to stand above any pressure that is put on him, to think clearly and draw conclusions without prejudice. The Old Testament speaks specifically about the problems of partiality among ministers:

For the mouth of the priest must keep knowledge, and they seek the law from his mouth, because he is the messenger of the Lord of Hosts. But you deviated from this path, for many you served as a stumbling block in the law, you destroyed the covenant of Levi, says the Lord of hosts. Therefore I will also make you despised and humiliated before all the people, because you do not keep My ways, you show favoritism in the works of the law (Mal. 2:7-9).

The pastor must be able to think in all circumstances on the basis of the truth of God's Word in order to thus lead the building of the church. For this reason, it was the elders who dealt with the strategic issues of the development of the church in the New Testament. When the problem of disagreement arose between Jewish Christians and Gentile converts, elders, that is, mature ministers capable of making informed decisions, gathered to solve this problem. "The apostles and presbyters were assembled to consider this matter" (Acts 15:6). In the same way, we see that elders, i.e., spiritually mature brothers, are responsible for the life and development of the church in Ephesus. Paul, worrying about the further development of this church, calls precisely the elders (Acts 20:17), realizing that its success depends on them. So, spiritual maturity is an indispensable element of the pastor as a leader.

B. Ability to think strategically

Another important characteristic of a true servant of God is his ability to think correctly and accurately. This is the difference between any leader. He must be able to see an objective picture, building all the facts known to him in the correct sequence and in the correct dependence on each other. The ability to think correctly, accurately assess reality, structurally understanding the relationship of its individual parts, to a large extent determines the quality of leadership in general.

Spiritual leadership involves the ability to think strategically based on the truth of Scripture. A pastor should not only be able to draw correct logical conclusions, he should be able to draw them on the basis of truth, general and particular values ​​of the Holy Scripture.

A good illustration of the role of strategic thinking in spiritual leadership is provided in the description of the first apostolic council in the fifteenth chapter of the book of Acts of the Apostles, when the apostles and elders gathered in Jerusalem to answer the question about the attitude towards the Gentile believers.

The apostles and presbyters gathered to consider this matter. After a long discussion, Peter stood up and said to them: "Men, brethren! You know that God chose [me] from among us from the first days, so that from my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the Gospel and believe..." (Acts 15:6- 7).

The two Greek words used in this text help us to see the importance of strategic thinking in church management. The apostles and presbyters gathered to "consider" this matter. Not to contemplate it, feel it or dream about it. Consider (Greek ὁράω, horaō) means "to look", "to understand", "to study". It is about the ability to think sensibly and logically. That's what the apostles and elders came together for, and that's what they did. In addition, it is written that Peter summed up the whole meeting "after a long discussion." Reasoning (Greek ζήτησις, zētēsis) is another interesting word used here, meaning "research", "search", "questions". In order to draw a conclusion, the apostles and presbyters carefully examined the issue, questioning the witnesses and looking for an exact solution.

Further, Presbyter James, speaking of the decision they came to, explains that it was made on the basis of the truth of Holy Scripture. In order to come to this decision, it was necessary for the apostles and elders to have a correct understanding of the facts and evaluate them in the light of the truth of Holy Scripture.

A correct view of Scripture as the only authoritative source of objective truth, coupled with a clear logical approach to understanding it, allows ministers to have a solid foundation for their lives and ministry. The apostle Paul speaks to Titus about this, presenting to him the characteristics of the elder of the church.

... He who holds fast to the true word, according to the doctrine, that he may be strong and instruct in sound doctrine and reprove those who resist. For there are many who are disobedient, idle talkers and deceivers, especially among those who are circumcised, with whom one must stop the mouth... (Titus 1:9-11).

The minister must not only know the Word, not only practically live by it, but must also be strong in instructing the Scriptures and rebuking those who oppose. Here Paul specifically notes that those who oppose the Word often present it in a very camouflaged way. Some disobedient people try to hide it under their empty talk. Others hide their rebelliousness through deceit. The pastors of the church should be wise enough to understand such people, to pinpoint the nature of their error, and to stop their mouths, that is, to expose their lies, helping others not to fall under their deceit. This is largely their pastoral role.

C. Commitment to fellow ministers

Another indispensable quality of a pastor as a leader is his commitment to fellow ministers who serve with him. True servants of God must be faithful and consecrated to one another. This dedication, on the one hand, is quite natural. After all, if pastors are sincerely dedicated to God, His truth and His work, then they must be dedicated to each other. They will love and support each other, sincerely wishing each other maximum efficiency in development.

Unfortunately, such a picture is a rarity among modern churches. Due to personal spiritual immaturity, lack of progressive humility, and insufficient consecration to God, tension, opposition and conflicts very often arise between ministers. These circumstances often make the already difficult life of ministers simply unbearable, while causing great damage to churches and their members.

The true biblical commitment of ministers to one another cannot be replaced by human means. This initiation cannot be based on family ties, on self-interest or fear. It must come from a correct understanding of the essence of spiritual life and ministry, as well as from a correct attitude towards these phenomena.

Scripture has a lot to say about this. The apostle Peter called the ministers with whom he had to serve as his fellow shepherds: "I implore your shepherds, being a fellow shepherd and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partner in the glory that is to be revealed" (1 Pet. 5:1). By this he emphasized his belonging to them, commonality in vocation and responsibility before the Shepherd, Jesus Christ. He spoke to them not as a boss, but as an equal.

When founding the Church, Jesus Christ assumed that there would be many ministers, and that they should be able to live and work together, building up the local church and supporting each other. For this reason, wherever Scripture speaks of pastors or elders, it speaks of these people in the plural. Although in the Jerusalem church the first among equal ministers was James, and in Ephesus Timothy was such a person, but in all these cases there were other ministers next to them, other elders, who bore the general responsibility for the development of the churches.

Consecration, or fidelity of elders to each other, is an essential element in the life of ministers and the church. It is known that ministers are more susceptible to the attacks of the devil than other people. They carry enormous burdens, preparing sermons, shepherding, making decisions. At the same time, they remain people who have their weaknesses and struggle with their imperfections. This is why it is essential for every church to have a close-knit, dedicated group of ministers. Pastors must be willing to learn from each other, favor each other, support each other, and be mutually accountable.

Mark Dever, in his book "Thoughtfully Building a Church," lists several reasons why the cooperation of several pastors or elders in church management is necessary. We will note some of them.

Consecrated to God and to each other, a group of ministers primarily balances the weaknesses of the pastor. As an imperfect man in the process of continuing growth, the senior pastor, like the rest of the minister, has his weaknesses, those points of character or ability, in which it is more difficult for him to act effectively and accurately. The dedication of ministers to each other helps to compensate for these shortcomings. The pastors who stand by, aware of these weaknesses, do not cling to them, but, on the contrary, lend a shoulder to ensure the best development of the cause, while continuing to help each other grow and overcome these weaknesses.

In addition, a good team of ministers devoted to God and each other will enrich the quality of decisions made. The atmosphere of cooperation and mutual complementation of each other allows in each situation to consider the many different views and assessments generated by each minister, and find those that will bring the greatest blessing to the church. This is exactly what we see in the fifteenth chapter of the Book of Acts, where the question of attitude towards pagan Christians is decided. It was a complex issue that seriously divided many believers at the time. But it was resolved in an atmosphere of peace and cooperation. The reason for this was that Paul and Barnabas found in the Jerusalem church ministers who were devoted to God and His Word, and who at the same time sincerely loved people and each other. The lack of confidence in mutual devotion between ministers sharply limits the level of effectiveness of their participation in decision-making, inevitably lowering their quality.

Such cooperation between ministers not only improves the quality of decisions, but also enhances the effectiveness of church leadership in general. Unity among ministers, achieved by the right methods of God, is a great inspiration to people in the church, increasing their willingness to participate in its development.

In addition, constructive relationships among ministers enable them to provide mutual support to each other. Pastors are often very lonely people due to the fact that they have no one to go to for advice, no one to pour out their souls, no one to pray with for personal needs. Even though ministers are often seen as super-Christians who should have the power to endure anything, they are people who have real limits to their abilities. When they come close to these limits, it is very important that there are those who can support, comfort, encourage and lovingly offer help. Spurgeon, who had to endure many similar situations, writes about it this way:

When the Lord sent His disciples in pairs, He knew what was happening in the souls of people... This loneliness, which, if I am not mistaken, many of our brothers feel, is an abundant source of despondency; our fraternal meetings of preachers... allow us, with God's help, to escape this painful condition of the soul.

And lastly, a good atmosphere between pastors allows them to mutually enrich each other, helping in personal development. Our growth occurs unevenly over time and from person to person. With well-established constructive relationships, pastors can constantly learn from each other. One read a good book and shared it with the others. Another had good pastoral experience that could be applied to other situations. The third, on the contrary, experienced some kind of failure, which becomes a warning to others, and so on.

Conclusion

Shepherding, in the sense in which it is presented in Holy Scripture, certainly requires a special character. People who do not have the qualities of shepherds are not shepherds. They may hold positions, they may engage in religious activities, but they are not capable of being shepherds who build souls and strengthen the Church of Jesus Christ. Bless, O Lord, Thy Church with servants who have the heart of a shepherd!

Bridges C. Christian ministry. SOAN, 2007, p. 7.
Bridges C. Christian ministry. S. 12.
For example, both of these passages are studied in detail by John MacArthur in the chapter "Peculiarities of the Pastor's Character" in his book "Return to Pastoral Ministry" (St. Petersburg: Bible for All, 2003, pp. 82-95).
Bauer W. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature / Ed. Arndt W., Gingrich F., Danker F. W. 3rd ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000. p. 1035; Robertson A. & Plummer, A. A critical and exegetical commentary on the First epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians. New York: C. Scribner's Sons, 1911, p. 74.
Spurgeon C. G. Lectures to my students. St. Petersburg: Bible for everyone, 2002, p. 50.
Christman T. Love your Flock // Dear Timothy / ed. Thomas K. Ascol. S. 75.
The meaning of the word ὀρθοτομοῦντα primarily concerns the accuracy of interpreting the truth, which is an important part of its correct teaching. See Arndt W., Danker F. W. & Bauer W. A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (3rd ed.) for a detailed explanation. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000. p. 722.
Arndt W., Danker F. W. & Bauer W. A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature. S. 379.
R. Baxter, The Ministry We Need. S. 28.
Cit. according to the book: Wiersbe W. W. Living with the Giants. Grand Rapids, Mich: BakerBooks, 2000, p. 127.
Letters. in English: "Pastors are intermediary agents in the business creating replicas of Jesus". Holland R. The Pastor's Sanctifying Role in the Church. The Master's Seminary Journal, Vol. 21, No. 2, 2010. P. 218.
MacArthur J. Return to pastoral ministry. S. 84.
R. Baxter, The Ministry We Need. pp. 20-24.
Dever M., Alexander P. Thoughtful church building. pp. 129-131.
Spurgeon C. G. Lectures to my students. S. 179.

One day Jesus Christ said to His disciples: "I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it". The beautiful creation of the Lord, His bride, as it is written, the Church of Christ has been kept by Him on earth for 2000 years (Ephesians 5). In His holy Word, the Creator is revealed to us as the God of arrangement and order. That is why He miraculously builds His temple on earth, that is, the Church, so that there would be a Divine order and a perfect order in it. To do this, in His Church, each one takes his own special place, fulfilling the work entrusted to him by the Lord for the benefit of the whole family of God's precious children.

Satan's attacks on the family of God's children

For the enemy of human souls, the devil, the Church of Christ is the most hated enemy, since it is called to be a lamp of Jesus Christ and proclaim the truth of God to all the inhabitants of the earth. For this reason, Satan and his army are attacking the community of the children of God, so that darkness and lawlessness reign.

God reveals to us a very important feature of the strategy of the enemy of the Christian family: "...smite the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered"(Zechariah 13:7). Let the one who reads Scripture understand what God wants to tell us by this. Yes, dear ones, the evil one attacks the pastor in the Church first of all and with special force, knowing that, having struck him, it will be much easier to deal with the sheep.

What is this ministry, what is this place in the church, on which the spiritual state and strength of the entire Christian family largely depends? Who is the pastor? What does Scripture say about him? And how should we treat our pastors in order to fulfill the will of the Heavenly Father, so that the “sheep of God” do not run away because of his defeat, but remain in the love, protection and grace of Christ?

Agree, friends, these issues are too important for us to ignore and ignore. Our own spiritual state, our ability to resist the tempter by the power of Christ, which is manifested only in the unity of the Church, our ability to accomplish His work on Earth, to a large extent depends on understanding or not understanding the will of God about our attitude towards the pastor. Let's, having opened the Word of God and prayerfully delved into it, let's figure out what the Bible says about the pastor. So...

Who is the pastor?

The first passage of Scripture to which we turn speaks not simply of the priest, the shepherd of the people of Israel, but of the high priest, that is, the shepherd of the shepherds, the eldest of all the servants of God in all the earth:

“For every high priest, chosen from among men, is appointed for men into the service of God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins, who is able to condescend to the ignorant and astray, because he himself is overlaid with infirmity”
(Hebrews 5:1-2).

The shepherd is a servant of God, he is the same person as everyone else with our inherent weaknesses and imperfections, the ability to make mistakes, he is also "lined with infirmities." Looking ahead, I must say that the pastor is called by God to be a model for other believers, a guide to Heavenly Truth. In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ says: "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect." This means that we should strive for this. While striving for perfection, not one of the living on earth can say that he has already reached it, has already become perfect. The Apostle Paul, in a letter to the Philippian Church, wrote about himself: "Brethren, I do not consider myself accomplished; but only, forgetting what is behind and stretching forward, I strive..." This statement is true for pastors as well.

So, firstly, the pastor is an ordinary earthly person. And we, believers, need to take this into account, draw the right conclusions from this, without expecting or demanding from the pastor impeccably perfect behavior and words.

Secondly, the Apostle Paul writes: "And He appointed some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as shepherds and teachers"(Ephesians 4:11). It is clear from this passage of Scripture that no shepherd alone, independently of God, can take this place and perform this ministry in His Church. Elsewhere it says: "... there is no authority except from God; the existing authorities are established from God"(Romans 13). Of course, here we are talking about both God’s arrangement of the church order, since this is His house, and about any secular authority, since it is written that "There is no power except from God". Almost all the prophets of God spoke about this in the Old Testament, receiving from Him revelation and knowledge about Him and His deeds.

So, the shepherd is none other than the anointed one appointed by God Himself. If, dear friends, someone wishes to point out any human efforts and aspirations in the matter of appointing a shepherd, to declare any human factors, the prophet Jeremiah addresses such a person with such a rhetorical question: "Who is it that says, 'And it happens that the Lord has not commanded to be'? Is it not from the mouth of the Almighty that disaster and prosperity come?"(Lamentations of Jeremiah 3:37-38). To this prophet, seeing his humble and faithful heart, God revealed amazing and hidden secrets. About one of them, sharing with us his knowledge from the Lord, the prophet says:

“I know, Lord, that it is not in the will of a man to go his way, that it is not in the power of the one who walks to give direction to his steps.”
(Jeremiah 10:23).

Thus, every shepherd is put into service by none other than the Creator Himself. And God doesn't make mistakes. In a given local church, in a given period of time, God puts as a shepherd exactly the person who the Lord needs to accomplish His plan, perhaps not known or even incomprehensible to us, but completely wise and just.

The third thing we learn about the shepherd from the Bible: "... they vigilantly bake for your souls, as those who must give an account"(Hebrews 13:17). My dear ones, the fullness of the pastoral ministry cannot be assessed from the position of a mere outside observer. We are simply unable to see and feel a lot of what a pastor experiences in reality. Pastoral ministry is the great responsibility of the pastor for each of us before God Himself. Each pastor will one day give before God, who placed him in this ministry, an account of how he baked, how he cared for each of us. And the pastor knows this, realizes the full degree of responsibility. This means that his heart is worried about us, he often loses sleep, turns gray prematurely, gets heartache, strokes, heart attacks and much more. How many tears for each of us our shepherds shed, for hours, often at night, on their knees pouring out to the Lord their experiences, sorrows, pain for us, for the church, bearing our burdens and weaknesses. Do our eyes see it? How many of us can know about this and fully appreciate the ministry of the pastor? Only the pastor himself and the Lord, who sees everything in secret, knows this.

In addition, the pastor, as we have already said, is the first enemy and the most important target for the devil. Therefore, such attacks and temptations, which the enemy brings down on the pastor from all sides, have rarely been experienced by any of us. And he, withstanding this flurry, must stand in the face of the attacks of the tempter for all of us, so that, standing in the gap, as Moses once did for Israel, he should be able in Christ Jesus to cover with himself the beloved of God, the Christians, about which the Apostle Paul wrote:

“Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you and make up for the lack in my flesh of the sorrows of Christ for His Body, which is the Church”
(Colossians 1:24).

Once during the war, the army was on another long march. Tired and exhausted, the soldiers moved along the road on foot in a long line. The commander made his way astride his warhorse. One of the soldiers, unable to contain the bitterness of resentment, looking at his commander sitting on a horse, shared with his comrade: “It’s good for him. He doesn’t bother his legs and doesn’t know the difficulties that we got, ordinary soldiers.” Probably, the soldier underestimated the hearing of his commander-in-chief, because he, having heard the sad reflections of the soldiers, said to the speaker: "Son, well, come here. Sit down." And, dismounting, he put the offended fighter on his horse. The soldier did not dare to resist the commander and, being a little embarrassed, was nevertheless forced to take his "elite" place.

The commander walked along. Not much time passed, and the enemy shooter struck down an ordinary rider to death. After this incident, none of the soldiers dared to envy the place of the commander and grumble at their difficult position. Dear friends, the pastor also occupies such a place in the spiritual battle. First of all, the enemy directs his efforts to defeat the servants of God.

So, who is he, the pastor? First, the same as we are, a person surrounded by infirmities.

Secondly, the anointed of God, appointed to this service by the Lord Himself.

Thirdly, he who bears responsibility for us, is obliged to give an account before God, and also stands for us in the face of the attacks of the enemy, taking upon himself the main blow of the tempter.

What should a church member do towards a pastor?

Having learned from the Bible who a pastor is and what significance his ministry has on the spiritual state of each of us and the whole church as a whole, it is important for us to understand how we, on the basis of Holy Scripture, should treat our pastors in order for their ministry to be successful, it was in the power of the Word of God, in the power of the Spirit of Christ and His love.

The first thing the Lord tells us is:

"... first of all, I ask you to make prayers, petitions, prayers, thanksgiving for all people, for kings and for all those in authority, in order to lead us a quiet and serene life in all piety and purity"
(1 Timothy 2:1-2).

Dear friends, do you want to lead a quiet and serene life? Do you want to have a blessing from the Lord so that the power of Christ will be in full in your local church? Pray for your pastor. And do not just pray, but pray with thanksgiving, without grumbling and discontent. God gives us exactly the kind of pastors He sees fit to put in this ministry. The Lord's Word is pure, His will is holy, His decisions are perfect, wise and just. Everything He does is based, dear ones, solely on love for us, on tender and reliable care for us. How can we, knowing this, not thank Him?!

If we receive our pastor from God's hand with thanksgiving, then God blesses him with wisdom, love for the church, the power of the Word and all spiritual instruction, and therefore all of us. If we do not thank God for our pastor, if we do not pray for him with love, then can we expect from him everything that was said before?

Realize, please, the intimate connection between the ministry of the pastor in the church and our ministry of prayer and petition for it. The strength of the pastoral ministry depends to a large extent on the prayers for him by the members of the church where he is serving. Usually in a church where members of the church do not thank the Lord for their pastor, do not pray for him with love, it is very difficult for its minister to fulfill the ministry entrusted to him, and this, of course, affects the state of the whole church and each member of such a church.

The following is in the will of God for us:

"Obey your leaders and be submissive, for they watch over your souls vigilantly, as those who must give an account; so that they do this with joy, and not sighing, for it is not useful for you"
(Heb. 13:17).

What is God telling us? Obey the pastor and be submissive to him. In the passage of Scripture we have read, the Apostle Paul reveals to us the secret of pastoral ministry. He writes that if we resist and do not obey the servant of God, he, as obliged to give an account to God, still performs the service entrusted to him to the rebellious and obstinate lambs of God. But it becomes much more difficult for him to do this, because his heart is filled with grief and sadness.

By grieving the pastor's heart, the rebellious sheep creates no small difficulties in his ministry and for all other members of the church.

So, if we truly love the Lord Jesus Christ and His Church, if we accept the pastor as given to us by God Himself, if we know that the church is not led by a person, but by God Himself, who has chosen and anointed a person for this ministry, then, submitting and submitting to the pastor, we submit and show obedience not to a person, but to the Head of the Church Himself - Christ. We do not dare to hurt the Lord and the whole church with our disobedience: "... he who opposes the authority opposes God's establishment. And those who oppose themselves will bring condemnation on themselves"(Romans 13:2).

The third thing that is important for us to know is recorded in the instruction to the collaborator of the Apostle Paul Titus:

"Remind them (i.e. believers) to obey and submit to superiors and authorities, to be ready for every good deed"
(Titus 3:1)

What does it mean? What does the Apostle mean?

He wrote to his other student: "...may the man of God be perfect, prepared for every good work"(2 Timothy 3:17). This means that every member of the church, being a member of God's family, must of course take every need, every work of the church, as his own. In other words, a true member of the Christian family is known by his attitude to church needs, church affairs and ministry. If, however, the one who thinks of himself that he is a member of the church, but, thinking this way, neglects the needs and affairs of the church, expressing his indifference and withdrawing himself from personal participation in resolving current issues of church life, then, dear friends, what do you think, Will the Lord Jesus call such a person a full member of His beautiful Family?

I say this not to condemn anyone, but in order for each of us to test only ourselves: “What is my attitude to church needs and issues? Can I rightfully be called a full-fledged family member in my local church? who cares about the complex and diverse church life, announces the next need of the church or talks about the need to participate in this or that business, ministry, church work, how do I react to this? Do I perceive this message as my personal family matter? Or maybe I am looking for an excuse to turn away, presenting in my heart false vain excuses, making vain efforts to deceive the Lord who sees the true truth? Do I say, like Isaiah: "Here I am, send me!"? cowardice I say: "Let someone else ...".

Before we talk about the fourth, extremely important for us, command of the Lord about our shepherds, let's remember once again who a pastor is. This is a living person, called by God to serve the church, that is, to serve us who believe in Christ Jesus. He, as a person, has the same needs as we do: he has a family, children, a home, domestic problems, and much more. He, living in the body, has the same material needs, is able to get sick and feel infirmities just as we do, and often, due to his ministry, even more than we do. And, finally, his heart tends to experience a variety of feelings associated with numerous church and personal issues. It can rejoice and mourn, mourn and be at peace, worry and worry, weep and be comforted. The pastor also has an inner life, personal needs and needs. And if he is appointed by God to serve us in all our needs, then what do you think, dear friends, to whom does God command to take care of the shepherd himself?

Perhaps you will answer, "Isn't God Himself able to provide for all the needs of His servant?" Yes, definitely strong. He cares about him as well as about each of us. But for some reason the Lord created the Church, a single family of God's children. For what? And how does this relate to our relationship with the pastor? Written:

“We ask you, brethren, to respect those who work among you, and those who are your leaders in the Lord, and those who admonish you, and honor them primarily with love for their work”
(1 Thessalonians 5:12-13).

As you know, the New Testament was originally written in Greek. In the read text, the Greek word "respect" literally means "to contemplate, observe, pay attention." And the word translated as "revere" is to lead, to give direction. That is, the Apostle Paul calls us in this passage of Scripture to take care of our pastors. He writes for us to be concerned about their personal needs, to show our concern for them with sincere love.

And indeed, if we want our pastor to be in the most able-bodied condition to serve in the church, so that he is filled with God's blessings and strength for us, then it is reasonable and logical for us to take care of him, take care of his needs, about his condition. He, my dears, also needs human fraternal participation, consolation, encouragement, he needs someone to just be there at a difficult moment for him and support him, listen, share his feelings and pain with him, perhaps cry with him, prayed with him, prayed for him. Like the helpers of Moses, it is simply necessary that someone support the weakened hands of the pastor in his hard work.

The attitude of the Lord towards those who care for the shepherd

If we are inattentive to our intercessors in the Lord, who admonish us, if we turn away our insensitive, selfish heart from them, whom do we harm? Of course, first of all, to ourselves. And, on the contrary, those who act according to the commandment of God, worrying about and caring for pastors, receive a special blessing and reward from our Lord and Savior. See how full of joy and comfort the following words of the Apostle Paul to the Philippians are:

“I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that you have already begun to take care of me again; you have taken care of me before, but circumstances did not favor you. I say this not because I am in need, for I have learned to be content with what I have .... However, you did well by taking part in my sorrow ... you also sent me to Thessalonica and once or twice to need. I say this not because I was looking for gifts, but I am looking for fruit that multiplies in your favor. I received everything, and I am abundant: I am pleased, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, like fragrant incense, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. May my God supply all your needs, according to His riches in glory, by Christ Jesus "
(Philippians 4:10-19).

Isn't it true, wonderful words of encouragement and encouragement to take care of your shepherd. The Apostle Paul speaks bluntly: for taking care of him, the Lord will bless them, meet all their needs, and what they do will ultimately benefit them.

Indeed, the Philippian Church took special care of him. While serving in other cities, ministering to other local churches, the Apostle several times received material assistance from the brothers and sisters of this amazing church. He writes that this giving, this concern for the shepherd in the eyes of God looks like fragrant incense, a pleasant sacrifice, pleasing to the Lord. How does God respond to such sacrifices? Certainly, nothing but abundant blessings, special grace, the power of the Word, faith and love, the abundance of His Divine peace and personal protection.

However, the same Apostle Paul, with tears, writes a letter to another church, Corinth, where he spent a long time in exhausting labor, spiritual efforts, mortal dangers and sincere pastoral care of her. It reminds the church of the Old Testament priests serving in the temple (1 Corinthians 9). The Lord, in order for the Levites to worship Him for the Israelites day and night, entrusted the material care of them and their families to all the people of Israel. God not only did not allow the priests to work in the field or engage in crafts, but under the threat of severe punishment forbade them to do this, commanding them to perform the sacred act of spiritual service for the entire nation around the clock. God gave the people a firm and strict commandment: to bring the priests 10% of all their profits. There were also voluntary donations by the Israelites in excess of the minimum set by God, which is described in detail in many places in the Old Testament.

Did these principles change with the birth of the New Testament Church? The apostle Paul, having first spoken of the Levites, further writes: "So the Lord commanded those who preach the gospel to live from the gospel"(1 Corinthians 9:14). Pay attention, dear friends, that the Lord does not say "allowed" or "allowed", but "commanded". That is, the Apostle speaks of this principle as a commandment of Jesus Christ: "The Lord commanded those who preach the Gospel to live from the gospel."

The Apostle Paul writes to the Corinthians that he, as a servant of God in the New Testament Church, has every right to count on their material care and care for him. However, with sadness in his heart he adds: "But I did not use anything like that. And I did not write this so that it would be so for me. For it is better for me to die than for someone to destroy my praise"(1 Corinthians 9:15). That is, he seems to be saying to them: “Corinthians, I have the right to use your care and maintenance as a servant of Christ. But I don’t want to accept even the smallest things from you, knowing your spiritual state, your unwillingness to serve me sincerely, with joy and love, like the Philippians understanding that your help will later be reproached to me and will serve as a serious obstacle to my service to the Lord and to you. Sad, isn't it?

Reading both letters of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians, we see how many difficulties and problems were in this church. The messages seem to be saturated with the author's tears, the pastor's heartache about God's beloved sheep, who are in spiritual illnesses and dangers.

What type of church are you, dear readers: Philippian or Corinthian? Churches of God's blessings or churches of spiritual infirmities, sorrows and diseases? Explore, analyze and decide, dear friends. The blessings of God depend on your obedience to Him, His Word, your faithfulness to Him, including your care for your pastor.

Responsibilities of a Pastor and the Time Factor

It should be added that in the pastoral ministry a very important factor is time. In order for a pastor to give counseling attention to each member of the church, to pray for each of us before the Lord, to feed us hearty and healthy food of the Word of God through sermons and Bible studies, what does he need to have? Of course, time! It takes a very long time to intercede for us in prayers in the presence of the Lord, to know His will, and then to convey this will to us in the power of the Holy Spirit. But if a pastor who works in production most of the time takes care of food for his family, then how much time does he have left for what God called him to - to serve the spiritual needs of God's people, the Church of Christ? Remember, how much time you allow your pastor to have for his spiritual ministry before the Lord, taking care of him, depends on your spiritual strength and blessings in Christ Jesus.

To sum up, let's look again at what Scripture says about our attitude towards pastors.

First, pray for them with thanksgiving and love.

Secondly, to be submissive to them, to obey without resistance, in meekness, thus showing obedience to the Lord Himself.

Thirdly, to be ready personally, as a member of the family of the children of God, to participate to the best of my ability in every good deed, in church need and church work.

Fourthly, to take care of our pastors, to be attentive to his experiences, spiritual and spiritual state, taking care of his personal needs.

He who does so finds favor with the Lord. Jesus Christ Himself strengthens him with His Word, abundantly pours out His love to him, and securely preserves Him with His peace.

The difference between an Orthodox priest and a Protestant pastor

On March 28-29, 2013, former Pentecostal pastors and now Orthodox priests of the Irkutsk and Fraternal dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church Oleg Zyryanov, Igor Zyryanov and Maxim Gaskov visited the Tomsk diocese. All of them are employees of the Information and Consulting Center "The Way to the Home" in the name of St. John Chrysostom, which deals with the accession of Protestants and neo-Protestants to Orthodoxy.

They held apologetic seminars "Orthodoxy and Protestantism" in Tomsk at the Tomsk Theological Seminary, gave several interviews to journalists, and spoke on the Tomsk Orthodox Radio Blagovest.

***

The difference between an Orthodox priest and a Protestant pastor

Priest Igor Zyryanov answers (given in the edition and with additions)

There is a huge gulf between a priest and a pastor, so it is unacceptable to identify a pastor with a priest (although neo-Protestants stubbornly do this) - these are different forms of ministry. I have been a pastor for twelve years, and now that I am an Orthodox priest, I see that the difference is simply enormous, because the pastor does not have the tools that an Orthodox priest has. The neo-Protestant pastor has no Sacraments through which the grace of God is given for the correction of believers - confessions, there is, of course, no Sacrament of Communion, Sanctification of the Unction. And most importantly, Baptism itself among neo-Protestants is graceless, they are also not taught the anointing of the Holy Spirit and His gifts, for this is only served in the Sacrament of Chrismation in the true Church of Christ, which is Orthodox Church.

The pastor has only intentions. He talks about sins, he interprets the Scriptures, he calls for something and that's it ... in the hands of a pastor there is only one sermon.

The difference between a pastor and a priest is this: the pastor has more influence over his congregation than the priest in the parish. And isn't that why non-protestant "churches" often called totalitarian sects? Indeed, in any community there is a share of totalitarianism to one degree or another, sometimes even a very large one. By the word totalitarianism, I mean significant control over members of the community.

Pastor in the eyes of parishioners, especially if we are talking about neo-Pentecostal sects, this is a person who, in their understanding, is anointed by God, and he is given a vision of a certain plan, a goal where the whole community should move. And he transfers this vector of movement to people, and if there is a large community, then he transfers it to his junior pastors. To justify their position, they take the image of the prophet Moses, who walked ahead and led the people, seeing a pillar of fire and a pillar of cloud. Therefore, when we talk to a person from any neo-Protestant community, we must understand that the pastor they are talking about has a great influence on him.

But the pastor, I repeat, is not equal to the priest in any way, because the priest for Orthodox believers is an icon of Christ. Neo-Protestants do not even talk about such a pastoral image. That is why in Orthodoxy a woman cannot be a priest, who, in principle, cannot be an icon of Christ, His image, at worship. A woman can be a kind of leader and preacher, although it is worth remembering: “Let a woman learn in silence, with all humility; but I do not allow a woman to teach, nor to rule over her husband, but to be in silence. For Adam was created first, and then Eve; and Adam was not deceived; but the woman, being deceived, fell into transgression; however, she will be saved through childbearing, if she continues in faith and love and holiness with chastity" (1 Tim. 2:11-15).

As we can see, the apostle Paul put a ban on the leadership of church communities by women who, by virtue of their nature, are prone to a certain kind of seduction. And it is no coincidence that it was with the advent of the institution of women's pastors and "priesthood" that homosexuality came into Protestantism.

We also see that neo-Protestants may call pastors bishops. And, for example, the head of the TsKhVE "Church of Glorification" Oleg Tikhonov, calls himself a bishop. We understand that this does not correspond to the ministry of an Orthodox bishop in its essence...

Igor Zyryanov, priest

***

See other speeches of priests on the most relevant topics from the section

In March 2011, a former Protestant pastor who converted to Orthodoxy along with his congregation was ordained a priest.

Why did Father Igor leave Protestantism, how did he come to God, and how to conduct a dialogue with Protestants? About this - a story in an interview with the portal.

Priest Igor Zyryanov

– Father Igor, tell us about your path to Orthodoxy. What was the determining factor in your decision?

– My path to Orthodoxy began, I think, with the question of what the Church is in general.

In 1997, my family and I came to the Ust-Orda Buryat District as Protestant missionaries to preach the Gospel among the Buryats. In 2001, they founded a mission with the aim of preaching the Gospel to the indigenous peoples of Siberia.

Therefore, our work was interdenominational, that is, we worked with Baptists, Pentecostals, Lutherans. I traveled a lot and began to wonder: where is the Church?

All of these denominations claim to be "the real church." I have questions: what are the criteria for defining a church? What can and what cannot be called the Church? If people have gathered (5 or 500) and study the Bible and pray to God, is this the Church?

The so-called “Branch Theory” did not satisfy me. The idea that anyone who believes in Christ is part of the Church made me doubt, because I knew that literally 50 years ago no one knew this theory.

When I read and studied the Orthodox view of the Church, all my questions disappeared. The apostolic succession of the Orthodox Church is the argument that was decisive in my decision to convert to Orthodoxy. Continuity shows where there is a Ship of Salvation and where there is not.

At that moment, I still had questions about the practice and theology of the Orthodox Church, but I realized that, having devoted almost 20 years to preaching about Christ, I myself did not find myself on the Ship of Salvation ... It doesn’t matter what problems Orthodoxy now has, - the most important thing is the Church. I realized what I was deprived of: other sacraments of the Church.

- You said that your grandmother conjured, then you got carried away. Tell us about this experience. How dangerous is he? Give some examples. What pushed you away from the occult?

- Since my grandmother, apparently, communicated with unclean spirits, she passed this on to me as a grandson (a common practice among psychics, the grandmother-grandson connection). In the last classes of the school, I actively practiced various methods of extrasensory perception. After that, I studied at psychic courses and received a diploma, which gave me the opportunity to start practicing.

In our city, I had my own office, where I received people. It all ended after I met with a Protestant pastor, and he explained to me that to be a Christian, you need to accept Jesus Christ as your Master and renounce everything occult. He showed me several quotations in the Bible that clearly showed me that the occult cannot be from God. That any extrasensory perception is a manifestation of demonic forces. Following that pastor, I said the prayer of accepting Christ and renouncing Satan.

After that, all my extrasensory abilities disappeared, I even later, to confess, tried to do something, but there was no effect.

It is absolutely clear that any occultism is a step towards Satan. Those healings and miracles that psychics do are, in fact, replacing illness with a curse.

Already a Protestant preacher, I studied the experience and practice of treating psychics I knew and didn't know. It was very clearly seen that a man, having come with a heart problem, left healed, but began to be terribly jealous of his wife, so much so that after a year or two the marriage fell apart. Or he began to drink terribly, or hit in. Those women who dealt with health problems while pregnant almost always reaped the benefits of magic: children's illnesses from the very first days.

Unfortunately, the occult in our country is trying to put on a religious mask. All actions are done in the presence of icons, a person is asked to be baptized, prayer and others are used. But this is only a mask and a lie. Even the word “ ” itself means “agreement”, but we know that neither Christ nor the Holy Apostles once negotiated with demons, but cast them out.

– Together with you, your Protestant community entered the Orthodox Church. Have you tried to convince them somehow?

- Long before the transition to Orthodoxy, we in our community began to study the topic, since there are no such concepts in Protestantism. We decided to get to know this Orthodox teaching closely, and, of course, we were surprised and delighted with its depth.

We were crying. After I myself made the decision to convert to Orthodoxy, I gave everyone the freedom of choice. Our community and many of our friends and co-workers in different cities converted to Orthodoxy, but this has always been the case. their decision. Not mine.

Of course, my example was important - and people thought: if our pastor decided to be Orthodox, then, probably, this is not just like that. There were many questions, but I did not answer them. Priests came to us every week: the head of the missionary department of the Irkutsk Diocese, Archpriest Vyacheslav Pushkarev, and the rector of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Ust-Ordynsky, Priest Sergiy Kokorin. Many thanks to them for spending many, many hours with our community, talking and answering questions. The personality of a priest is very important for a Protestant who is getting to know Orthodoxy for the first time. These priests showed us a very good example of pastoring.

– Did you plan to become an Orthodox priest by converting to Orthodoxy? How mature was this decision?

– God made me and two other brothers from our community become priests. Since I have been a missionary all my conscious life and the life of our family has always been connected with serving the indigenous peoples of Siberia, then, of course, I immediately had a question: what will I do in Orthodoxy? Can I eventually become a priest? I decided for myself right away that with any answer, I would still be Orthodox. After all, without the Ship of Salvation, how can one be saved? As soon as our community converted to Orthodoxy, we were blessed to serve as a lay rite of mass, since the nearest Orthodox church is 60 km from us. For a year and a half we intensively studied the liturgy and dogmatics of the Orthodox Church.

Father Igor with his wife

– Protestant pastor and Orthodox priest – is there anything in common? What are the significant differences?

Indeed, there are both similarities and differences. The rector and pastor are similar in their leadership activities. They solve financial and administrative issues, and by similar methods. General and responsibility for people, for the area in which the Temple is located.

But there are also significant differences.

First, the priest has the power to solve problems - these are the Holy Sacraments. Protestants also have confession, to one degree or another, but it has no power in permissive prayer. I got the feeling that a Protestant pastor is trying to solve the same problems as a parish priest, but he does it “with his bare hands”, having no real tools to solve people's problems. The priest is clothed with the grace of the priesthood.

If the priest is an intercessor for the people, then the pastor is the voice of God for his parishioners, their spiritual leader. The pastor rules and controls people much more than the priest, hence the constant problems in Protestantism associated with totalitarianism and authoritarianism of the spiritual leadership.

The priest, with all his ministry, with the words of the Divine Service, even with the vestment, seems to be saying - Christ is the main thing here, I am only a sinful person, undeservedly honored with the grace to stand before God. The pastor, on the contrary, claims: if I am anointed by God as a pastor, then my words and actions already have, at a minimum, a spiritual meaning, and, at a maximum, are dictated by God. By the way. It was not without reason that one wise man said that the Protestants, having rejected the Pope of Rome, created their own Pope in every parish.

- Do you plan to conduct in the future? Does it make any sense?

– Our Lord has blessed me to continue the dialogue, which I am doing. Otherwise, how can the testimony of the Church penetrate to the Protestants? In addition, knowing the problems and aspirations of the Protestants from the inside, I can explain some questions to them much more easily than others. To do this, I opened my blog on the Internet, even two. I don't like virtual communication, but without it you can't get through to people. Also, my e-mail is open to everyone, everyone can write and ask a question: [email protected] .

Questions come and I try to answer them all. I know Protestants as sincere and consecrated people and I want each of them to return home to the Ship of Salvation. However, I try to refrain from pressure.

What can we learn from Protestants?

– The question is difficult for me, I think that I can answer it more consciously in 10 years. So far, I see that many of the aspirations of Protestants find the answer in certain Orthodox practices. What do I appreciate in Protestants? Their sincere faith, in the service of God, a deep desire to please God.

What can be learned from them? Never be ashamed of being a Christian. For example, almost any Protestant, wherever he is, in a cafe or at a banquet, will not hesitate to pray before eating. Unfortunately, I see very few Orthodox Christians who even cross themselves before eating in public places. Most likely, this is a temporary phenomenon in our Church, but still ... The second thing that can be learned is the approach to preparing for . Protestants have a highly developed system of proclamation. Baptized people in Protestantism are well aware of what they are doing, and this gives not only quantitative, but also qualitative growth of communities.

What does it mean to you to be a Christian? When did you first feel like a Christian? Tell us about your first meeting with God.

A Christian is one who follows Christ. Who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ and, realizing his sinfulness, embarked on the path of repentance. The difference between an ordinary person and a believer is in the degree of awareness of one's sinfulness.

For me, Christianity was a conscious choice that I made in 1992, in the Protestant community. I remember well how I experienced the realization that God exists and that Christ died for my sins, how admiration, repentance, and love it aroused in me.

I tried to be a Christian and it was my life. I repented, read the Bible, served, prayed. But, you know, only now - in the Orthodox Church - I understood what the fullness of life means. It can be said that I found God the Father in 1992, and the Mother Church only by converting to Orthodoxy. Tradition joined the Bible, explaining to me difficult and obscure passages; a rule has come into prayer, which, like a plumb line, measures the heart, disposing it to repentance. Confession was added to repentance, the Holy Mysteries were added to serving people with the power of the grace of the Holy Spirit. My life is filled with God's grace.

Send your good work in the knowledge base is simple. Use the form below

Students, graduate students, young scientists who use the knowledge base in their studies and work will be very grateful to you.

Posted on http://www.allbest.ru/

Posted onhttp://www.allbest.ru/

religious organization

Educational organization of higher education

Moscow Theological Institute of Evangelical Christians

By subject

Pastoral Epistles of the Apostle Paul

The role of the pastor in the church

Completed by: Seregin K.V.

Moscow 2016

INTRODUCTION

To be God's partners in building His Church today is a majestic task and at the same time a rich field of activity. There are countless books devoted to this topic, and theories and opinions about how to “succeed” in the ministry are endless. Even with a superficial acquaintance with the daily work of pastors, one can be convinced of the diversity of opinions, often contradictory, about the duties of ministers.

Everywhere there is a plea for more shepherds and preachers. There is no doubt that this is a great need for the whole church. The question is, what can the Church do to create more shepherds and ministers? Jesus told the twelve to ask the Lord of the harvest to send more laborers into his harvest. This is the main way leaders are called, and it also means that those who pray are making an effort to have more leaders. Leaders, in turn, should make shift education a part of their ministry. It is symbolic that God said to pray for doers to those who are already doing. This is because when a laborer begins to pray that God will send out more laborers, he comes to understand and zealously recognize that only the hand of God can send laborers into His harvest.

1. DEFINITION-THE LEADER OF THE CHURCH

church bishop elder shepherd

In the New Testament, each type of leader is designated by a specific term. We will review these terms and define them.

Bishop - the Greek word is now often translated as "elder", "overseer", "shepherd", or "overseer", which is close enough to the modern word "pastor". Jesus is called "the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls" (1 Pet. 2:25).

In the New Testament, the words "bishop" and "elder" denote the same position, which is evident from the words of the Apostle Paul - he tells Titus to "appoint elders" ("presbyters) in all cities", and then the same people are called "bishops" (Tit. 1:5,7). Walter Eluel and Philip Comfort. Big Bible Dictionary. - St. Petersburg. 2005.-429s.

We can also look at the definition of this term from the author John R. W. Stott, where it is written that in the time of Paul there were two terms - episkopos ("guardian" and "bishop") and presbyteros ("presbyter" and "elder") - applied to the same post. John R. W. Stoth. The First Epistle to Timothy and the Epistle to Titus. - St. Petersburg. 2005.-101p.

We will give a longer definition of the term "shepherd". Shepherd is a word literally meaning "shepherd", which is used figuratively in the Old Testament and New Testament to refer to rulers and leaders.

Shepherds and teachers helped the apostles, prophets and preachers. In the New Testament, the same office is also designated by the words "bishop", "presbyter" and "overseer". Walter Eluel and Philip Comfort. Big Bible Dictionary.-SPb.-2005.-947s.

We can conclude that bishop, elder, pastor, elder, and overseer are the same word.

There is something else that we can draw our attention to and define the term deacon. Deacon is a term denoting a position in the local church, derived from the Greek word for "servant", "servant". Walter Eluel and Philip Comfort. Big Bible Dictionary.-SPb.-2005.-359s.

2. DEFINITION OF THE TERM CHURCH

At this point we will learn what the church is. The word church has several different meanings. If we are talking to anyone about the church, it is very important to know the meaning of the word church.

Modern meanings:

a) a building

b) local church - a group of people united by the same beliefs and regularly meeting together

c) confession - a religious organization

d) all Christians in the world

e) religious service

The Church in the Bible: a) all Christians of the world and b) the local church.

Biblical images of the church. The Bible uses several imagery to depict the church, especially to depict it with Christ.

A) A building whose foundation is Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:11; 1 Peter 2:6-8.

B) The body, the head of which is Christ. Col. 1:18; Ephesians 1:22-23; Ephesians 5:23-24.

C) The Bride whose Bridegroom is Christ. Ephesians 5:25-32.

The Church is called to promote the spiritual growth of Christians. A healthy local church will help new Christians reach spiritual maturity.

The Church is called to tell about Christ to those who have not yet accepted him. If the local church promotes the spiritual growth of Christians, they will testify of Christ to others (Acts 2:42-47).

In the church, people gather for fellowship, to glorify God, to listen to God, to help each other. David Batty. Practice of Christianity.-M. 2000.-2.3C.

Having considered all of the above, we can conclude that the church must have a leader who will shepherd the church.

3. THE ROLE OF THE PASTOR IN THE CHURCH

It is important for us to understand that Christ is our Head. The first of the main foundations of healthy leadership is the recognition that Christ is the Supreme Head. He and He alone is the head of the church. In Ephesus. 4:11 it is written, And he appointed some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as shepherds and teachers.

Our role as shepherds is to learn to understand God's feelings AND His mind. When God is not involved in the leadership of His church, then church leaders begin to view the church as a platform for the development of their own plans and ideas.

As we have said. that the bishop, presbyter, pastor, elder can be assumed that they are all equal in position.

Let's look at a few points about the role of the pastor in the church.

1) Provide a cloak of wisdom and maturity.

Appointing elders is not just about acknowledging the spiritual gifts or ministries of these people. Elders may have gifts, they may be apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, or teachers, and may have many other gifts such as working miracles, discerning spirits, or the gift of tongues. They must be stable and mature people. Without these qualities, no spiritual service can take place. In the same way, ministry cannot be built on natural maturity and wisdom alone; spirituality is needed. An elder must combine the natural and the spiritual.

Elders are most commonly referred to in the New Testament by the Greek word presbuteros. This word is used over 60 times in the New Testament. Another word for a senior minister episkopos - guardian, occurs only 5 times. The strength of this concept is not in seniority. This in itself cannot be the basis for serving in the church.

The role of the elders was originally to provide a veil of spiritual and natural wisdom and maturity. The Holy Scripture invites every man to grow spiritually and become mature so that, eventually, he will become a father in Christ Jesus and share the burden of leading the local community, taking it seriously and soberly. As the community grows, so must the number of elders. It is important here to distinguish between calling and anointing to lead. Because it is the anointing that makes a man senior among the elders, and it is spiritual and natural maturity that makes a man an elder.

2) Be vigilant and observant. Watch for dangers - the word episkopos is translated as a guardian, i.e. the one who watches. The elders are the shepherds who have to watch over their flocks.

Watching God - elders should be "on the watchtower" like Habakkuk to hear what God has to say to the flock and see what God wants to do in his people.

Watch over souls - Heb. 13:17, the elders must be vigilant about what is happening in the lives of the sheep. They must be on the lookout for false doctrine and carnal human ambition. They must be careful to correct the situation in time.

3) Go ahead. In an epistle to Rom. 12:8, and Thess. 5:12, the Greek word proistemi is translated as to lead or be in charge. The literal meaning of the word is to take the lead or stand in front. The elder must be in charge, which means that the church must feel that whoever is in control is reasonable and sensitive. This means that the church should feel secure in the knowledge that there are those who are responsible for the ministry that is carried out at the meetings. In Old Testament times, the elders of the city sat at the gates of the city, in full view, and they knew who entered the city and who went out.

4) Follow the course. In 1 Corinthians 12:28, Paul tells us about the spiritual gift of government. This does not mean that all elders have this gift, but it does mean that there is a gift to see the answer in a given situation that brings light to the church as it seeks guidance and a path. The Greek word kubernesis, translated into Russian as management, literally means to steer or steer a ship.

5) Manage. This is perhaps the most difficult aspect of the role of an elder, and one that is especially hard to accept in this day and age. But the Greek word haigoumenos is used of Jesus in Matt. 2:6, and in relation to the elders Heb. 13:7, 17 and 24. They can have as much authority as people recognize them.

There is no doubt that the elders should manage to punish, correct, restrict, exhort.

6) Pasture. One side of the government is called this word in Greek poimaino, and is often used in relation to Christ and the elders. This word is often mistranslated as "feed". It would be more correct to translate it as "take care of." Shepherds have to take care of their flock, which includes feeding, but it's much more, it's all outside care. An elder must have the heart of a shepherd, although not everyone is a shepherd.

The key text is John 21:15-17. Here Jesus wants to draw Peter's attention to the fact that the key to properly caring for His flock is to love Him, the Chief Shepherd, as Peter calls Him. Jesus gives three commands to Peter. In the first, the Greek word bosko (to feed) is used, in the second - poimaino (to take care), in the third - again bosko. This indicates that shepherd means to feed and bathe. The food that the sheep need is love, but not only. Food is the ministry of the word. People must constantly receive the Word of God.

7) stewards of God. This title was given to the elders by Paul and is perhaps their greatest role. This points to the fact that the elders are the ones who govern the house of God and His affairs. The house of God combines two elements, first God Himself, and secondly, His people. To be the steward of His people is already a high calling, but to be the steward of God Himself is something indescribable.

Being an elder is a great calling, therefore, the elder, first of all, must be immersed in the consciousness of God and know Him. Looking at the church, the world should see a revelation about God. He should not pretend to be the master of the House of God, but be a servant in that house.

The Church is the pillar and ground of the truth 1 Tim. 3:15. God Himself dwells there, and it is the place where His presence is known, and where His stewards are with Him, filled with faith and the Holy Spirit. Wilton L. J. Compass. - Smolensk, publishing house "Life", 2011. -179-183s.

CONCLUSION

Considering all of the above, we can conclude. The role of a pastor in a church is to be a good servant of Jesus Christ. The word translated minister is the same word that is otherwise translated deacon 1 Tim. 3:8. Jesus used this word for Himself when He said, "I am among you as a servant" (Luke 22:27). He is a convincing example of humility when, like a servant, he washed the disciples' feet (John 13). Paul also considered himself a servant and was assigned to the ministry (1 Tim. 1:12).

“Work hard to make the church alive for Jesus, so that every member of it is filled with energy, and all of them are united together in unceasing activity for the salvation of sinners. To make the soldiers of Christ strong, feed them the bread of the best sermons and pray without ceasing that they be filled with power from above. Do not forget that your example is able to kindle their jealousy: then, with divine blessing, guided by common sense, no force can prevent them from producing the desired results. Are you ready to take this idea and bring it to life?

Charles Spurgeon

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL LIST OF USED LITERATURE

1. Bible Synodal translation.

2. John R. W. Stott. The First Epistle to Timothy and the Epistle to Titus - St. Petersburg. 2005.-279p.

3. David Batty. Practice of Christianity.-M. 2000.-2-3s.

4. Walter Elwell and Philip Comfort. Big Bible Dictionary. St. Petersburg. 2005.-1503p.

5. Wilton. L.J. Compass. - Smolensk, publishing house "Life", 2011.-289 p.

Featured on Allbest.ur

Similar Documents

The beginning of the split. Monarchy and Church. The progress of the reform. Nikon's opponents. Council decisions. Attempts to restore the ancient Orthodox faith. Persecution of ancient Orthodox Christians. Flight of the church into forests and deserts. Old Believers abroad. Church life.

term paper, added 01/14/2006


Features of the New Apostolic Church. questions of a theological nature. History of the New Apostolic Church. Divine services, sacraments, church structure, social activities, finances and property. New Apostolic Church in Russia.

abstract, added 09/06/2002


Reasons for Slow Church Growth. The essence of cell service. Cell Ministry Principles in Old and New Testament Times, in the Ministry of John Wesley. The modern cell church, its differences from the traditional one. Church Growth Through Leadership Development.

thesis, added 02/10/2012


The influence of the development of the Russian state on the Russian Church of the synodal period, the attitude of emperors towards the Church. "Spiritual Regulations" and the establishment of the Holy Synod, the organization of diocesan administration. Spiritual education and teaching of theology.

book, added 11/09/2010


The True Orthodox Church, Its Place and Significance in the History of the Russian Catacomb Church. A brief history of the origin and development of the CPI, its organizational structure and features of the dogma, adherents. The economic situation of the church and the impression of it.

abstract, added 11/23/2009


Monarchy and Church. The progress of the reform. Nikon's opponents. Attempts to restore the ancient Orthodox faith. Persecution of ancient Orthodox Christians. Flight of the church into forests and deserts. Old Believers abroad. Church government. spiritual centers.

term paper, added 01/10/2006


Orthodox Church and State in Modern Russia. The actual position of the Church in the political system and in society. Economic and social relations between the state and the Church, cooperation in the field of strengthening public security and law.

abstract, added 05/06/2012


Origins of Christianity. Jesus Christ and His Teachings. The Bible as the holy scripture of Christians and literary work. Orthodox Church in the Russian Federation. Division of the Christian Church into Catholicism, Orthodoxy and Protestantism.

abstract, added 12/13/2009


Brief chronology of the historical events of the period of the early Church. Description of the life of Christians in the book "Acts of the Apostles". Worldview feature of Christians of the first decades, the emergence of heretical teachings. The transition from the persecuted Church to the Imperial Church.

abstract, added 01/04/2015


The history of the role of the church in the political life of Russia. Orientation of reforms in relation to religion in the years of perestroika. Political reforms and the church. The influence of the religious factor on the development of social processes. Peculiarities of the separation of church and state.