About

These are the pastoral tasks for trained up pastors. There are several interpretations on 'tasks' or what a pastor 'does'. Sometimes the tyranny of the urgent takes over and leads the way (such as life phase, time, money, other life pressures), but pastors are trainers, otherwise known as equippers or shepherds. Metaphorically and naturally, shepherds equip sheep to live by training them primarily to trust the one they are to listen to. While training them to listen and believe, they also guide them practically through specifics. Therefore, pastors are to train or equip people to believe in the chief shepherd of God the Son, Jesus the Christ, to live and follow him in real life.

Train

1. Mission: Inspired by truth and love to make life, disciples, and churches all about Jesus.

2. Vision: Participating with other pastors and people multiplying as healthy, long-term churches with the same unified mission inspired by truth and love.

3. Purpose: To follow Christ and his teaching in training people to trust and live in real life for God.

4. Role: Pastorally oversee people in an area as well as within a local church community. The imagery of 'overseer' in the Bible is more from a metaphorical shepherd viewpoint from the same ground level as sheep to look over and beyond in order to rightly care.

5. Work:

   1. Prioritizing life

   2. Providing for his family in all aspects, which can include bi-vocational as necessary for finances or various associated needs to the family or strategic in connecting with people in the area through business.

   3. Prioritizing and coordinating time and tasks.

   4. Localizing family, people, gatherings, and tasks where possible.

   5. Connecting and relating people to one another.

   6. Gathering people together in relationship to Christ and to one another, especially Sunday church gatherings (services).

   7. Teaching people God, his word, and his world.

   8. Hospitality in relationships such as one's own neighborhood as well as gatherings.

   9. Listening, conversating, and counseling people strategically as well as rhythmically in life.

   10. Resting with time periods away from the normal routine of work and people where possible.

6. Extent: The length of time a Christian man serves with the purpose and role as a pastor is dependent on the qualifications. This means the time is not constrained to a 'term' or 'indefinitely' though a pastor might experience either time length. The focus is not on timing but on qualifications. This helps us understand God's timing among a time, place, culture, and context for any given pastor. This is a biblical and relational recognition vs. a procedural outcome.