Providence Reformed Baptist Church

Reformed Baptist Church in Remlap, Alabama

By

Character & The Calling to Pastoral Ministry

We live in a day and age when character means very little to most people. By the term “character,” I’m referring to the moral strength of an individual. Character therefore centers on whether a person is honest or dishonest, self-controlled or given to excess, diligent or lazy, trustworthy or deceitful. Sadly, our culture has become a society that favors one’s abilities over their character.

For example, in 1998, news broke of an illicit extra-marital affair between President Bill Clinton and a twenty-two year old White House intern named Monica Lewinsky. The adulterous scandal ultimately led to President Clinton’s impeachment by the U.S. House of Representatives. But one of the greatest tragedies surrounding the entire event was the public opinion of American citizens. It appeared that for nearly half, if not more than half, of all Americans were not concerned over President Clinton’s glaring lack of character. Their attitude was basically this: “As long as he can get his job done, we don’t care what he’s like as a person.” In short, Clinton’s abilities eclipsed his character. For many Americans, they did not see any connection between Clinton’s disposition and how that would affect his leadership of the nation. They affirmed: “What he does in ‘private’ has no bearing on what he does in the ‘public.’ ”

But if a married man betrays the single greatest trust he has on earth – namely, the marriage-covenant with his wife – then how can he still be trusted to lead a nation with integrity? The question answers itself. Yet when Bill Clinton left the presidential office in January 2001, his approval rating as president was at an all-time high of 68%!

There’s something terribly wrong with this picture. Our American culture does not esteem having strong moral character as necessary for effective leadership – much less anything else. What is praised is how talented and gifted and smart and attractive one is, as opposed to how honest and trustworthy they are.

However, what’s even more disconcerting than this hard fact, is that this way of thinking has infected much of the church. Observing this rising bias among evangelicals, David Hegg wrote: “It seems in our day that talent, and more to the point, spiritual productivity (e.g., getting the job done in a way that ‘blesses’ people, and brings them back) carries vastly more weight than the personal character of the man when it comes to affirming a man for pastoral ministry.” Adding to Pastor Hegg’s observation, we could also say that if a man possesses a PhD, holds a record of building large churches, has potentially written a best-selling book, and has a growing reputation as a sought after conference speaker – then whatever he is as a man is irrelevant, when considering him as a pastor. And of course for most churches, as long as a man is a “good preacher” and will visit the sick, then what he is in his character is a moot point.

But in spite of where so many churches overlook character for abilities when choosing a man for pastoral leadership; yet the most pressing question in the face of this, is whether God values a man’s abilities for ministry more than his character? Answering this question, I quote again from David Hegg: “God makes the man, and extends to him the gifts and graces necessary. To determine that a particular man is necessary to the Kingdom regardless of known character flaws, is to forget that God can raise up all the men He wants. He is not so in need of [preachers] that He can be forced by man’s indiscretion to use those whose character is lacking. We must never forget that should He so desire, [God] can draft the rocks and cause them to cry out! Character matters, and it is a man’s character that forms the foundation of his ministry because it gives credibility to his message. While great talent and ministerial ability are necessary, they are not sufficient. Where personal integrity and godly character are lacking, no amount of brilliance can compensate. As Robert Murray McCheyne so [aptly] put it: ‘It is not great gifts that God blesses so much as it is great likeness to Christ.’ ”

The bottom line is this: By God’s standard, proven character is a prelude to ministerial position. This is why the Apostle Paul admonished Timothy to only develop and disciple “faithful men” for pastoral leadership (2 Timothy 2:2). To enter therefore the service of Christ as a leader in the church without approved character is dangerous to the man and the church. Consequently, it is hypocritical to proclaim a message with your words that is not matched by your life. A fruitful ministry and a healthy church is thus dependent upon the godly character of its leaders.

By

Don’t Be Hasty!

Over this past weekend I had the joy of meeting and conversing with a fellow Reformed Baptist pastor who shared many of the life-experiences I had in the pastoral ministry. One of the common scars he and I discovered was sharing the eldership with a man who proved to be disqualified. In his case, as in my own, the man who ministered with him as a co-elder was not only a trusted partner in ministry but one he counted as a best friend. But over time, this seeming credible elder and bosom buddy turned out to be nothing but a self-willed traitor to both this brother and the church which called him to the ministry. As we discussed this mutual experience, the question that surfaced was what did we learn from it as pastors? And for the both us, the lesson we took was the same: Don’t be hasty but wait patiently on the Lord to make men qualified elders. 

This lesson comes straight from God’s Word. It is the Spirit-inspired directive Paul the apostle gave Timothy in 1 Timothy 5:22 – “Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, nor take part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure.” These words have to do with the ordination of church elders. And the imperative which stands out in bold relief is the absolute necessity for overt caution in the matter of selecting men to serve the church as qualified elders. In fact, Paul lays so much stress on this matter to not be hasty ordaining men as elders, that he adds a solemn warning to Timothy for such impetuousness: “nor take part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure.” What does this mean? What is it referring to? If we act with haste to ordain a man to the eldership, who later proves himself disqualified, then we make ourselves culpable in the man’s sins. In other words, it’s not just the disqualified man who has to answer for his sins, but its the pastoral leadership who laid hands on him that will answer for it as well – combined with the church who affirmed the man’s ordination. Observing therefore the caution needed in this matter, John R. W. Stott (1921-2011) wrote: “It is a common human tendency to make premature and ill-considered decisions, to be hasty when we should rather be cautious. Although the opposite fault is to be indecisive, yet in leaders it is better to take time to form judgments and make decisions than to be precipitate and live to regret it.”

Take time to form judgments and make decisions. This is so wise because it’s so biblical. Yet, I fear that many of us (like myself), even when we believe sincerely that we’ve taken the needed time to evaluate and judge properly the potential candidate for the ministry, we still end up suffering the reproach of a disqualified man we affirmed as qualified. So what can pastors do to follow more carefully the imperative and admonition of 1 Timothy 5:22? My answers to this question are shared as one who is continuing to learn from the misjudgments and errors I made in the past, when I recommended men to the eldership who should’ve never been appointed. My only comfort in this is God’s providence, which overrules even our foolishness to make us more like Christ (Rom. 8:28-29). Nevertheless, we’re still responsible for our actions and should thereby strive to learn all the Lord would teach us from choices we made that should’ve been reconsidered with more counsel.

The first lesson then would be this: Remember it is the Holy Spirit who makes the man a qualified elder. Paul reminded the Ephesian elders of this truth in Acts 20:28 when he said it was the Holy Spirit who made them overseers. This tells us that such a call to the pastoral office is supernatural. It’s not what men decide they want to be but what God sets men apart to be. Hence, it is the Holy Spirit who fashions and prunes and fits the man for the ministry.

Second, since it is the Holy Spirit who fits the man for the eldership, then He will raise up such men in a church in His timing. This is where we must learn patience in waiting on the Lord to do what only He can do. If we rush ahead in this matter, then we’ll have elders of our making rather than God’s. The Holy Spirit is the One ordering and governing the season and time when a church is ready for more pastors. We must trust Him in this because it is only His men we should desire.

Third, since it is the Holy Spirit who fits the man for the eldership, then we should look for the graces the Spirit fashions and declares as making a man qualified for this office. This is where 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9 are so crucial for a church to understand and take serious as the only credible grid to judge a man fit to be an elder. But when we study these passages, it becomes apparent how that we’re looking at a man’s life as a whole, not just what he’s able to do but what he is in his character. What is he then as a Christian man? And the answer to this question as it pertains to the eldership gets very specific with character traits that should be seen already present and making progress though not yet perfect. The main point here though, is that we’re looking for a very distinctive Christian man whose life carries those graces which can only be the fruit of the Holy Spirit’s work.

Fourth, since God has given us a divine grid to judge a man’s life by as a potential elder, then our investigation must be thorough and without haste. This means that both the pastor and the congregation must have ample time to get up close and personal in the man’s life, so that a sound judgment can be made as to his fitness for this office. If there are any doubts to his qualifications that requires questions to be asked, then we should meet with this man and ask away. Making assumptions about such a man without having credible answers to our inquires; and yet, affirming him to be ordained is both folly and shame on our part (Prov. 18:13). All we have is time. There is no rush in this matter for any reason whatsoever. Thus, we should be painstakingly extensive with how much time we give in making a proper judgment as governed by 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9. And let it be remembered under this context what Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy 5:24 – “The sins of some people are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later.” While the sins of some men are clearly evident, making the judgment of the church easy as to the man’s disqualification as an elder; yet, there are other men whose sins are not so clear. They make a flawless first impression. They appear sound in all the right places. However, as tempting as it is to quickly ordain such a man, God’s Word seems to say in 1 Timothy 5:24: “Wait a minute! How well do you really know this man? Remember: the sins of some appear later. So, give it time. Slow down. Hold off. Keep investigating. Get to know this man so that your judgment can be truly credible and thereby in conformity to the Word of God.”

Fifth, don’t turn a blind eye to anything you believe could make a man unqualified as an elder. This lesson is an extra layer from the last but needs to stand out on its own. If you see things in a man’s character, his marriage or family that may not disqualify him but presently unqualify him as an elder – do not proceed to ordain him! Rather, help the brother to see whatever these things may be and endeavor to aid him in how he can grow and mature in such areas. But don’t ordain him when there is greater maturity needed in those places that will hinder him for any effective ministry, if not worked on.

Finally, beware of any man who shows up and insists the church ordain him because he knows he’s “called,” despite whatever judgment the pastor or church may have otherwise. A man like this is what the Bible calls, “self-willed” (Titus 1:7), which is what a potential elder is forbidden to be. I once engaged with a man like this in a former church I served as pastor. He was convinced he was called to the pastoral ministry, though he did not have the official support of either the present eldership nor the congregation. But in his mind and by his own personal judgment, he didn’t believe himself to be disqualified and challenged our eldership to prove he was. I tried to explain to him that the New Testament qualifications of an elder were not for the potential elder to judge himself by, but for the leadership and congregation to make their judgment of the man. Sadly, he didn’t see it this way. For him, neither the church nor its leadership had any real authority to make a qualified judgment of his life. It was his own personal judgment that was his final court of appeal. He thus departed to look for a church that would agree with him. This is a self-willed man. It is that man in 3 John 9 named, “Diotrephes,” who we’re told, “likes to put himself first” and had no regard for the authority of the apostles nor the church.

These then are the lessons I’ve learned thus far as it pertains to ordaining men as elders. I’m sure there are many more to come. As hard as it may be though to serve as a single elder, the difficulties of serving with disqualified men  far surpass the trials of a lone pastor. So then, I pray and wait patiently with eager expectation for the Lord to make His move with raising up His men in the time and season of His choosing.

By

Should the Pastor’s Door always be Opened?

The leading question to this post may seem as if it requires no amount of thought. For church members in the majority, I can hear their answer: “The pastor’s door should always be opened – no questions asked!” In other words, when it comes to the wish of church members to meet with their pastor, I have found in my own experience (not to mention, the experience of other fellow pastors) that the lion share belief is that despite the motive, attitude, and aim of the church member – pastors are beholden to bow to the demands of those they minister as it pertains to a personal conclave. But is this right – biblically? Does the Word of God bind the conscience of Christ’s under-shepherd to keep his door always opened to every whim and fancy of the sheep?

To begin with, pastors should always be willing to meet with those in their charge. If they truly love and care for those God has placed under their leadership, then when a church member makes a request to meet, a readiness to oblige their desire should stand at attention in the heart of a pastor. But such a keenness to meet on the part of the pastor, should never be without wisdom and discernment. For instance, has he already made other commitments prior to this request? Would he be breaking his word to others if he chose to meet? Is he already stretched so thin with his time, that to meet would only add more stress to his taxing schedule? And what about his family? Would this meeting infringe on their time with the man they know first as husband and father? A pastor’s family must get first dibs on his time and energy before the church ever makes such demands.

Also, has he asked the church member what is the nature of this meeting? This is a huge question which many pastors tend to either forget to ask or they’re afraid to ask because they don’t won’t to offend the church member. But this question is critical and crucial. A pastor should strive as best he can not to enter a meeting with a church member completely blind as to the matter at hand. To do so shows a naivete in the pastor whereas prudence is what he needs. If a church member refuses to disclose why he desires to meet, then the pastor would be wise to hold off. I have found more often than not, when church members have nothing insidious as to their aim in the meeting, they’ll not hesitate to express their reasons for the meeting. If their motives are pure, then they have nothing to hide before the meeting ever takes place. However, if their motives are not for good but ill, then they’ll say only they desire a meeting (in most cases). Or as I’ve heard it so many times: “Pastor, I have something I want to talk with you about…” And with those words, a pastor feels a chill in the air. He’s left hanging in suspense. This is nothing but tortuous and discourteous. Thus, it is only fair for a pastor to ask: “What do you want to talk about?” In short, the pastor has every right to judge for himself if this is a meeting worth pursuing. He therefore has the freedom and in some cases the obligation for the sake of caution, to close the door.

But as to the church member who is seeking to meet with the pastor, what should they be asking? First and foremost, what are my motives? What is it that’s driving me to meet with my pastor? Is it love or anger? 1 Corinthians 16:14 commands, “Let all that you do be done in love.” Am I pursuing this meeting out of love for my pastor? If love is not the driving motive but anger, then a church member needs to put off the meeting till they repent and put the anger to death. The wrath of man only acts foolishly, exalts folly, and stirs up strife (Prov. 14:17,29; 15:18). In addition to this, am I as the church member pursuing peace with my pastor? Let’s say a church member has a personal grievance with their pastor, an issue dividing them with Christ’s under-shepherd. How are they to resolve this? Do they meet with the pastor just to let him have it? Is the goal of their meeting only to get their digs in? If this is all they want to do then to meet with the pastor would be a sin. Romans 12:18 and Hebrews 12:14 command us to live peaceably with all by pursuing peace with all. If peace then is not the end at which the church member is endeavoring, then their purpose will not have the favor and pleasure of God. If they’re not about reconciliation but only revenge, then they need a meeting with God before they even think about meeting with their pastor.

Yet, another layer for a church member to question has to do with their respect for the pastor and his office. Romans 13:7 commands us to “Pay to all what is owed to them…respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.” The context of this imperative has to do with respecting and honoring those in authority over us. God says we owe all such persons due to their authoritative office respect and honor. This includes pastors! Thus, 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 calls every church member to respect and esteem their pastors highly in love for the sake of their work. A church member then who refuses to show this respect for their pastors is sinning against God’s direct command. But what’s more, if they are pursuing a meeting with their pastor they must ask themselves: Do I love this brother and respect him as the man of God placed over me for my spiritual welfare? Do I esteem him highly in love for the sake of his work? If a church member cannot answer in the affirmative to these questions, then he has no business meeting with his pastor. Sadly, what I have witnessed in so many churches, is the total absence of respect and love for the pastor –  because his sacred office is profaned by the idea that a pastor is nothing more but an “indentured servant” than the man of God. In fact, there are church members who believe it is their right to treat God’s man any way they choose because there’s nothing holy about his calling. How shameful and disgraceful is such an attitude! But if this is an attitude burning in the heart of a church member who’s pursuing a meeting with their pastor, they need to stop and reprove themselves by seeking God’s forgiveness and the mortification of what amounts to nothing but disdain for God’s delegated authority over them.

So then, returning to our leading question, “Should the pastor’s door always be opened?” – what would be the right answer as guided by Scripture? For one thing, God’s providence may not permit it (Dan. 2:21; Rev. 3:7). Hence, “always” is expecting too much. Second, the pastor himself must walk circumspectly not foolishly (Eph. 5:15). While he should believe the best and hope the best as opposed to being cynical and suspicious (1 Cor. 13:7); yet, he cannot afford to throw caution and prudence to the wind. Asking what the meeting is about is a fair and appropriate question! Lastly, as to the church member pursuing the meeting, remember this chiefly: “Whatever you want men to do to you, do likewise to them” (Matt. 7:12). How would you want the pastor to treat you if he sought a meeting with you? Then treat him the same way. This means above all, let the love of Christ dictate your motives, words, and actions for meeting with the man of God given to you by Christ.

By

“Let them to do this with joy…”

In a recent statistic, it was reported that 16,000 pastors leave the ministry every year. The cause for their departure varies from minister to minister. But overall, the number one reason has been discouragement. 

Now to the man and woman sitting in the church pew, this may seem like an absurd reason to leave the ministry. In fact, I can hear many church people thinking to themselves, “What could pastors possibly be discouraged about? Why they must have the easiest vocation there is: they work primarily from home (which, of course, allows them to see their own family throughout the day); their main responsibility is to preach every week (and how difficult could that be – just prepare something to talk about); they don’t have to punch a clock and answer to an employer who is always looking over their shoulder; and above all, they have more free time than anyone I know, to come and go as they please. So, what could be discouraging about a job like that?!”

Well, to any church member who reduces the work of pastoring to such a superficial, shallow, and non-spiritual vocation, as has been just described – they are naive at best and a block-head at worst. Sadly though, the aforementioned description of pastoring is how many people in the church judge the ministry to be. Pastoring the church to them, is nothing but a “cakewalk.” In fact, there are church members who actually scorn pastoring as not even measuring up to real work. Thus, to hear that 16,000 pastors are leaving the ministry every year, due largely to discouragement – causes great perplexity for many people in the church.

But their perplexity is rooted in an ignorance of what the real work of pastoring the church calls for by God’s own mandate. God commands His under-shepherds to “shepherd the flock of God which is among you, exercising oversight” (1 Peter 5:2). When this work is carried out with faithful earnest, it places the pastor in a vulnerable position where they are open to the most severe attacks of discouragement, and even depression. But why is this?

Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) once spoke to this very issue as a part of his Friday afternoon lectures he deliberated to his ministerial students at his Pastors’ College. He titled this particular lecture, “The Minister’s Fainting Fits.” And in the course of this message, he addressed the question as to why pastors would succumb to discouragement and depression. Among a host of answers he gave, one of his responses truly nailed what is at the root of pastoral work, and how the nature of this work plays right into grave discouragement. Spurgeon observed:

“Who can bear the weight of souls without sometimes sinking to the dust? Passionate longings after men’s conversion, if not fully satisfied (and when are they?), consume the soul with anxiety and disappointment. To see the hopeful turn aside, the godly grow cold, professors abusing their privileges, and sinners waxing more bold in sin – are not these sight enough to crush us to the earth? The kingdom comes not as we would, the reverend name is not hallowed as we desire, and for this we must weep. How can we be otherwise than sorrowful, while men believe not our report, and the divine arm is not revealed? All mental work tends to weary and depress, for much study is weariness of the flesh; but ours is more than mental work – it is HEART WORK, the labor of our inmost soul. How often, on the Lord’s day evenings, do we feel as if life were completely washed out of us! After pouring out our souls over our congregations, we feel like empty earthen pitchers which a child might break.”

As Spurgeon rightly put it: the work of pastoring is more than “mental work,” it is heart work. It is the pastor’s own heart spending and being spent to exhaustion, as he gives himself fully to the Lord’s call and to the Lord’s people. Moreover, it is heart work from the standpoint of where the pastor is actually ministering to the church. He is working to reach their soul – nourishing them in the faith, building them up in Christ, and doing all he can, by what God has given him to help the church grow and mature as faithful followers of Christ.

Mark it down: there is nothing easy about this kind of work. For not only do pastors have to work on the spiritual state of their own hearts – both as a Christian and an overseer of the church – but they also have to be much at work on the hearts of God’s people. And this is where the work of pastoring becomes most discouraging and depressing. Consider again the words of Charles Spurgeon on this point:

“One crushing stroke has sometimes laid the minister very low. The brother most relied upon becomes a traitor. Judas lifts up his heel against the man who trusted him, and the preacher’s heart for the moment fails him. We are all too apt to look to an arm of the flesh, and from that propensity many of our sorrows arise. Equally overwhelming is the blow when an honored and beloved member yields to temptation, and disgraces the holy name with which he was named. Anything is better than this. This makes the preacher long for a lodge in some vast wilderness, where he may hide his head for ever, and hear no more the blasphemous jeers of the ungodly. Ten years of toil do not take so much life out of us as we lose in a few hours by the traitor or the apostate…The trials of a true minister are not few, and such as are caused by ungrateful professors are harder to bear than the coarsest attacks of avowed enemies. Let no man who looks for ease of mind and seeks the quietude of life in the ministry; if he does so, he will flee from it in disgust.”

In light of these very pointed words by Spurgeon, I hope in some way it’s clear why pastors can be discouraged and depressed – and tragically, would even succumb to leave the ministry altogether. But of course, the pressing question we must raise is this: How can pastors overcome such discouragements that would bring them to leave the ministry?

Spurgeon’s answer to this question focused on what the pastor could do – and his counsel was very wise. For instance, he said the pastor should not be “dismayed by soul-trouble.” He also exhorted his fellow ministers to put no trust in frames or feelings. Care more for a grain of faith than a ton of excitement. Trust in God alone, and lean not on the needs of human help. Moreover, he said, be not surprised when friends fail you: it is a failing world.

This is all good counsel to be sure. Yet, as mentioned, it is counsel restricted to how the pastor himself can minister to his own soul. But would it surprise you to know that the church body itself can take a direct role in the encouragement of their pastor to stay the course in faithfully shepherding the flock of God? The assembled congregation of God’s people have a divine mandate from God’s Word to hearten the man of God who labors to shepherd them. This mandate is in Hebrews 13:17. In this passage, it is revealed that a pastor’s summary labor is described as “keeping watch for your souls, as those who will have to give an account.” By “watching for your souls”, a pastor watches for dangerous doctrine and false teachings outside the church; he keeps alert for deceitful and divisive behavior within the church; and he stays attentive to the church’s spiritual development (cf. Acts 20:28-31; 3 John 9-10; Titus 3:10-11; 2 Timothy 4:1-2; Ephesians 4:11-12).

But how must the church respond to such spiritual “watching” like this, which the pastor conducts as a matter of good for their souls? Hebrews 13:17 answers this question with this imperative: “Let them do this with joy and not with groaning…” Here’s where the church member has a direct responsibility in the encouragement of his pastor. As the pastor is faithfully keeping watch for the souls of his congregants, they in turn respond by letting their pastor lead with joy in this stewardship. And the joy springs from the church obeying and submitting to the leadership God has entrusted to His under-shepherds in the work of the ministry. This is how Hebrews 13:17 puts it in the whole:

“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.”

So, connecting the dots here – it is only when the church is obedient and submissive to the watchcare which the pastors are giving them for Christ’s sake, that the pastors are then enabled to shepherd with joy verses discouragement. What every local church must take into account from Hebrews 13:17, is that if they fail to let their pastors lead with joy due to either their own rebellion or apathy to his watchcare, they will in turn be the ones who suffer most. As this passage warns in its closing words: “…for that would be of no advantage to you.” The term “no advantage” means “harmful.” It would be harmful to the church to be the cause of their pastors’ grief in his work. Fanning out this consequence, A.W. Pink (1886-1952) observed:

“For the members of a church to so conduct themselves as to be a constant source of grief unto their minister is to despise their own mercies. It not only prevents their receiving his instruction into their hearts, which results in their spiritual barrenness, but it also saps his vigor, quenches his zeal, causing him to proceed with a heavy heart instead of with cheerfulness. What is still more solemn and serious, the Lord Himself is highly displeased, and the tokens of His favor are withdrawn, for He is very sensitive of the mistreatment of His stewards.” 

One of the great biblical principles we need to take away from this is that Christ does not exercise His rule over the church directly but by mediation (John 13:20). Specifically, the Lord rules His church through those men He has gifted and given to the church for that purpose – namely, the pastors or elders (1 Timothy 5:17). Therefore, the church advances in spiritual blessing through the faithful leadership of its pastors (Ephesians 4:11-13). Hence, when the church obeys and submits to the watchcare of Christ’s under-shepherds, then believers can expect great spiritual blessing. This is because as they are liberating their pastors to lead with joy, they are at the same time receiving joy by the work God has enabled His under-shepherds to carry out in behalf of His people. Or as John MacArthur put it: “You will never find a truly happy pastor apart from a happy congregation, or a happy congregation apart from a happy pastor.” 

So then, according to Hebrews 13:17, the church is responsible to encourage their pastors to lead with joy, only, as they obey and submit to the watchcare which any faithful pastor will give. When such a relationship like this is working and developing within a church, then that congregation will be greatly blessed with spiritual vigor, health, and maturity.