Titles and Bibles
Definitions of Expectation.
“If everything that is called Christianity in these days is Christianity, then there is no such thing as Christianity. A name applied indiscriminately to everything, designates nothing.” B.B. Warfield
I found myself inspired by this quote for quite some time after my discovery of Warfield back in 2016. Often times we find ourselves lost in translation due to differing definitions of the same thing. Differing definitions can happen in any form of life; for example, some folks might call a retro item “vintage” even though retro properly refers to an item that is inspired by vintage design but is in itself not actually old enough to be considered vintage. A definition sets an expectation, and when those expectations aren’t met, we found ourselves feeling “lied to.”
One particular area of definition that I wanted to speak on today is the defining title of “pastor” within the church. Often times this title has been thrown around indiscriminately to many individuals throughout leadership roles within a corporate church. In 2018 I worked with a church and was asked by the leadership there to define what 1 Timothy says about what the qualifications of a pastor ought to be, but rather than writing directly on that subject, I chose to more appropriately write about the defining role of a pastor. Often times there are four roles within church leadership that get intermingled and misdefined, and those roles are: Pastor, Preacher, Teacher and Speaker. This was my response to this prompt.
(In response to what 1st Timothy says a pastor is)
Right now, I could rattle off a number of descriptions for the requirements of what a pastor ought to be, whether that be "sincere heart, true faith, self-controlled, etc." but many if not all of these traits are most often necessary for all roles of leadership within a church, and most simply describe what having a spiritually mature faith in Christ would look like. I say mature, because you can very much still be a Christian, and yet not have all of these traits accounted for. These descriptors, are traits in which if you are pursuing Christ-likeness, you will eventually find yourself taking on, just as a son takes traits after his father or a daughter after her mother. A boy isn't born with a full beard like his father, no, instead as he physiologically matures, that bearded trait is then taken on, it is not an immediate part of that child and yet it doesn't make him any less of that father's son. So I wouldn't particularly apply these in a way that may come off as "you ought to pursue these IF you wish to be a pastor." But rather I would encourage all believers to pursue these traits whether they expect to be a pastor one day or not. I would simply state that the Body of Christ use these descriptions listed here to evaluate that person who does believe they are called to pastor, in order to properly show love and care for that person and also care for themselves as the body.
Because of that, I would actually like to make a distinction of the role of Pastor. This distinction is one that I have come across within my own walk with Christ, because there are 4 roles that tend to be confused and intertwined with one another, and how those roles are defined. These 4 roles are Pastor, Preacher, Teacher, and Speaker. So let me explain my definitions for these roles.
A (Christian) Speaker- is someone who begins with and who’s main focus is on an every day topic, whether that be finances, marriage, etc. during their time talking, while using statistics and personal experiences to prove a point and every so often referencing scripture verses to back their points. Speakers generally start with something personal and then use God's word to support their message.
A (Christian) Teacher- is someone who begins with scripture, and then uses real life situations and personal stories in order to help communicate and support what it being spoken in God's word. Their main focus is to help others understand what is being communicated through God's word and how to apply this teaching to their lives.
(The main difference between the speaker and teacher roles are determined by what is primary and what is secondary in their messages. A Speaker uses God's word to explain and support their story, while a Teacher uses their story to explain and support God's Word. It's dependent upon which one is the main act and which one is the supporting act.)
A Preacher- is someone who shares the Gospel message. This person finds different ways to explain and support the simplest and most important message that the bible offers us, that lost in our sins, Christ Jesus died for us by bearing the punishment in which we deserve for our sin to save us from the just judgment of God the Father, and be renewed in Christ, now bearing His righteousness to live a life glorifying the Lord.
A preacher's role isn't to tackle hard truths or theological or moral matters, that would be a teacher's position, but rather their message is one about Christ, and pointing people to Him. This is the position of a preacher, to bring people to hear of and know Christ Jesus.
A Pastor- is someone who personally and spiritually walks alongside the members of his congregation and endeavors to disciple, grow, and deeply love those whom God has placed under his care. This is the man who's mission it is, to know the names, stories, and characters of his church. This is the hardest role of all of these, because it requires the most discipline, time, effort, and in many cases pain than any of the other roles I've mentioned. But the reward that comes with personally sharing in both victories and defeats with others who you would grow so close and fond to that you might even consider them your brothers, sisters, sons, or daughters, just as Paul considered Timothy his own spiritual son, is far greater than anything this world has to offer.
Why do I define these roles this way?
Because I've seen many Christian speakers get a whole lot of people riled up and emotional and excited, but by the time the people leave, they hardly ever know how to change, and don't know Christ either. People borrow wisdom that was first written in scripture all of the time in order to live their lives by, but if they don't ever know Christ, then living the most moral or wise life cannot save you; only faith through knowing Christ can. A speaker can certainly get you excited and want more, but if you're not given a way to change, which is ultimately through faith in Jesus Christ, then it doesn't matter how excited you are, you're still in the same position that you started.
It can be the same for teachers. I’ve seen many teachers who can teach the bible day in and day out. Who know all of its moral lessons and takes on life, and how to apply those to your life, and can help you do the same, but just like the Pharisees who memorized all of the old testament, unless the gospel of Jesus Christ is with you, both in your heart and in your mind, then your heart will be far from Him (Matthew 15:8). I've seen people who could do everything right and yet still be doing everything for reasons so wrong.
I've seen preachers fill stadiums and preach about Christ Jesus in so many and incredible ways, but just as quickly as they shared this message, they moved onto the next town, and those who heard the message and seemed to accept the message of Christ in which they heard, were soon swallowed up by the world and the seed that was planted was now tangled in weeds and thorns because that preacher was focused on spreading the good news of Christ and not remaining to help new and adolescent believers along in their relationship with God, so they went down roads they never should have gone down and believe things about God that are very wrong and untrue, that way finding themselves in a place where they never should have been, and so if you simply plant the seed, but never nourish the seed properly, it won’t grow.
But most importantly, the reason I define these this way, is because I was once under the leadership of a man who held the title of pastor, but outside of coordinating events at the church he was apart of, he never made personal time for the body of that church. He had told a friend of mine who wanted to learn more about God from him, that he didn't have time for him. He didn’t seem to personally disciple anyone, but only wave around his seminary degree, and have "pastor" as his job title. Sure, he knew a-lot of historical things about the bible, and he could certainly quote scripture and use verses to support many subject matters, but he never made time to truly know anyone, but rather tried to feed everyone the exact same content in the same way within his system and expected them to understand it. But different animals need different foods. You can't feed a dog fish food and expect it to grow. To some people you need to be tough on in order to get them past a point, while others might just need a shoulder to cry on. A pastor seeks to grow people personally. To know them, and to walk with them. Not just tell people what to do, but personally show them how to do it. To put it simply, a pastor Knows and Loves his people. God has designed each and every person uniquely. Just as no finger print is alike, there is no perfect system in which you can plug all people into, and they will all succeed within it.
It’s because of this experience, that I realized that just because your work title is “pastor” it doesn’t mean you actually pastor people.
It’s important to note, that not one of these roles are bad or lesser than, but all of these roles in fact are necessary, and most heads of church bodies tend to be a mix of these roles rather than simply one or the other. You can very well operate as a leader of a church, share a message like a speaker or a teacher and sum up the message in a way in which speaks about Christ, all the while still pastoring your congregation on a personal level. I say these definitions, so that others might understand who they’re meant to approach dependent upon their needs. For example, I once saw Dave Ramsey, a well known financial planner, lead a Sunday service at a very large and well known church in the Atlanta area. It would be easy for people to assume, that just because he is sharing a message from a stage at a church, that he was a pastor, which he is not. His message was also centered around handling your finances well, and used scripture to back up some of his points, but there was never any telling of who the man Jesus Christ was, and so anyone who does not know Christ, and may have walked into service that day, would not have heard the gospel, but rather only left with a better understanding of financial wisdom. I’ve also watched as a well known evangelist, preach in front of thousands of people, sharing the gospel message but by the next day, move to another city in order to share the same message there, never having personally walked any of those who may have believed his message into that relationship with Christ.
All of these roles are necessary in building up the body of Christ.
No one role is more important than the next, and all roles are equally as necessary.
For if we have no preachers, then the gospel would not be shared.
For if we have no speakers, then we would have a large church but no knowledge of how to operate in our physical world.
If we have no teachers, we may be able to operate in our physical world, but we would not be able to understand and grasp the teachings of the Bible.
If we have no pastors, then we may have all knowledge, but we would not have a trusted friend.
It’s important that we are self reflective in the gifts that God has given to us, and properly steward the ones in which we have received.
If God has made you like a speaker, then be a speaker.
If God has made you like a teacher, then be a teacher.
If God has made you like a preacher, then be a preacher.
If God has made you like a pastor, then be a pastor. Be whom God has called you to be.