Brief Scriptural encouragements for pastoral ministry

Earlier this week, a friend who is entering into full-time occupational ministry asked if I could give him two or three key pieces of advice. So much could be said - indeed, so much has already been said over centuries of Christian history and writing - but below are three things I was led to note. If it helped him, perhaps it will help some of you.

1. "I am not the Christ" (John 1:20). It is easy if we are not careful to place a greater emotional and practical burden on ourselves than we are called to carry. While it is clear from Hebrews 13:17 that we must watch over the church as those who have to give an account, we are not saviours and we cannot be nor should we try to be the Messiah our churches need. Our task is - through preaching, pastoral care, discipleship, biblical counselling, evangelism and so forth - to point people to Christ.

2. "When I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:10). One of the first series I lead as pastor for our midweek prayer meeting was entitled simply "Small Church, Big God." I did not want our church, as new people joined, to forget the things God had done in and through our little church in the previous decade and become negatively fixated on our smallness as though it were a handicap or something to be apologised for. Remind yourself that God is stronger than your weakness and greater than your church's smallness, and let that powerful truth positively season your ministry and be a constant theme.

3. "...not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful" (2 Thessalonians 3:2-3). Normally we are all too aware of the first of these, but while theologically we affirm the second, we do not always act accordingly or appropriately, and we do not always see how these two walk hand in hand. Prepare yourself and your church to be hurt. Prepare yourself and your church also to be helped.