About

These are the biblical qualifications for Christian pastors, trained up to desire and fulfill the task of pastoring. Therefore, we establish who God the Father, Son, and Spirit is. Then we learn what Christian means. Then we learn what it means to be a Christian pastor. Without the fundamentals, we will be fundamentally off and become fundamentally weird and wrong.

Trained

1. Christian: Follower of Christ who has matured in life being inspired and living by truth and love.

   • Life and identity only in God

   • Humble and forgiving

   • Loving and truthful

   • Learning and growing in wisdom

   • Steadfastly working

   • Baptized and participating in communion

   • Generous (tithing and giving to others)

   • Involved in community

2. Community: Relationally and rhythmically involved with Christians and non-Christians, especially within an area and local church context.

   • Training with mature and older Christians including one or more pastors.

   • Training up younger people to live for Christ, including his own kids.

   • Gathering and participating with a local church.

   • Engaging neighbors including family, neighborhood, co-workers, and strangers.

3. Conviction: Internal desire to pastor, being shaped by the foundational truths of God's word and world while being transformed to live by those beliefs. A fighter who fights the good fight of faith but does not become quarrelsome, judgmental, confrontational, defensive, or argumentative.

4. Courageous: A willingness to carry out the task regardless of surroundings or support, to hold fast to truth and love, to endure loss, to withstand rejection, and to avoid distraction.

5. Character: Genuine evidence and pattern of God's internal work to the heart and mind controlling and sustaining life beliefs and behavior.

   • Honorable and trustworthy.

   • Stable patterns of life.

   • If married, then committed to his wife in all aspects.

   • Wise steward of life, including assets and liabilities, work, finances, and relationships.

   • Long-suffering through varying life issues, rejections, loss, success, or positions.

6. Capable: A capacity and ability to fulfill the life, relationships, and functions of pastoring such as sound teaching and preaching, stable family life, managing responsibilities and time, and financial stewardship.

   • If married, then his wife will also be Christian.

   • If with kids, then respectful, genuine relationship among his children.

   • Able to teach, which is explaining God, God's world, God's word (the Bible), and living for him with coherency, clear conscience, and loving motivation.

   • Time to fulfill pastoral tasks and relationships.

   • Relational-ability in dealing with people of all ages.

   • Healthy stewardship of responsibilities, possessions, and finances.

7. Confirmed: Affirmation by Christian friends, including pastors, and devoid of authentic accusations from non-Christian people recognizing inconsistencies.

8. Consistent: Sustained, stable, sound, and steadfast life of belief and behavior.