Pastoring the Flock

As I write this newsletter to you my dear brethren, I am now preaching meetings in the Deep South in my home state of Georgia.  The cotton is ripe for picking and the pecans will soon follow…

 Forgive me I got carried away with my thoughts of being home for a while.  But back to our thought…and that is Pastoring the Flock…

 Whether it is driving through big cities, small towns or driving down winding country roads with cotton fields and Pecan Orchards on both sides of the road, from the Large Church to the Small Country Church we began to see a consistency among Pastors.

 I having been a Pastor and working, I realize that this is not an easy task, but it can be more rewarding and encouraging than the discouragement that I see among Pastors.  I feel their pain and see their discouragement, that reminds me of the cold, bitter icy, snowy winters in New England…And this is where I get the opportunity to love on them, encourage them, and minister to them.  I do not claim to know it all and neither do I have all the answers, but I do understand and over the past 44 years in the ministry God has taught me a few things which I would like to share with you and hope it will be a blessing to you.

The Pastor of the Church…[Ephs. 4:11]

 The term “Pastor” is the one most used in Scripture.  It designates the person who has the responsibility of feeding [and caring] for the flock.  I would like for us to focus on Caring For The Flock.

 Recently while here in Georgia I had the great honor and privilege of working with a Small and Struggling Church whose Pastor had recently left.  Also, within 50 miles there were 3 Churches without pastors.

 At one Church I along with one of the Deacons visited a dear lady who had had a stroke and was disabled.  With tears she told me how here previous pastor hadn’t visited her but once in one year…Another Church in Ohio is next to closing its doors for the same reason the only time they see their Pastor is at Church.

 As Pastors the first thing we must do is get the people’s heart and that doesn’t happen over night.  It takes time to win the folks confidence and trust.  Preaching is such a great calling and blessing of God but that is only 10 percent of our responsibility.  The other 90 percent is being involved with people’s lives.

 I am blessed every time I go to preach meetings at a Church with a dear pastor friend of mine in Florida.  About 4 years ago when they called him as pastor, they had only about 20 to 25 folks.  God used this dear man of God in taking this Church from 20 to 25 members to over 120 to 125 average today.  The Love and sensitivity of this dear man of God and his dear wife as they got involved in folks lives. They visited them every time they had a need, cried and wept over them when they had problems in their home with children or marriage.  He lived Christ before them by caring for them as Christ teaches us about the Shepherd and the sheep. We have too many pastors today and not enough Shepherds.  The Bible says…For He Careth for you…

 The pastor not only looks after their spiritual needs but also he watches, protects, guides and rules in self-sacrificing Love and Sympathy.
 The Greek word [pomen] indicates a pastor-shepherd.  As a pastor, he works with the same spirit of love that Christ demonstrates as our “Good Shepherd.”  Read (1Peter 5:2, 3; Acts 20:17, 28).
 
I for one realize how busy and challenging the ministry can be trying to balance our duties, our family and home life and taking time to get involved with people’s lives.  Listen, Jesus never just taught them but he also loved them and got involved in their lives.

 Pastors are beating themselves to death trying this program and that program.  Programs do not build Churches…People build Churches.  Get the folks trust and confidence, get their heart and then they will follow you.  But before they will follow you, you first must start following Christ.

 If we neglected our families like we do some of our members we wouldn’t have a family very long.  Let’s be honest with ourselves, are we too busy just preaching?  Then we need to ask God to help us balance that.  A pastor who doesn’t study can not help his flock.  What doesn’t flow in can’t flow out.  And a pastor who spends all of his time with his people may enjoy their fellowship but will miss their fellowship with God.  There must be a balance.  God gave us both because we can do both.  God doesn’t tear down one good thing to build up another good thing.  God wants harmony.

 We must all seek to be more like Christ and be a Shepherd to our flocks that God has entrusted us with under our care.  The pastor will be a true Shepherd, a lover of souls…He will feed and nourish his flock, instructing them in divine truth.  He will have sympathy for the needs of others, a burden for God’s People that will lead him to pray earnestly for them.  He will watch, protect, guide, rule in Spiritual things.  He will apply God’s Word in cases of Spiritual illness, need, error and sin…But also he will visit them, love them, cry with them and get involved in their lives.  In self-sacrifice he will freely give himself to his people.

 We are only going to turn the situation of the Church around when we get folks hearts and gain their trust and confidence so that the Pastor and the flock can enjoy God’s Blessings…

 Pray for one another and encourage one another that our service will bring Glory to God our Father.  Let’s start the New Year with a fresh vision and a new commitment to love and serve the Lord.