Called to Pastor: The Gift of the Pastorate

By Wendell Smith

In Ephesians, Paul said, And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers (Eph. 4:11). From this verse we understand that being a pastor and teacher is a gift from God. Becoming a pastor is not done when a person so desires, but when he is given the Gift of the Pastorate. This book is being written especially for those who are being called into the pastorate. I hope that this book will benefit young pastors, or even experienced pastors, who may not have had the benefit of a wise counselor. The basic purpose of the book is to explain the calling, preparation, and role of a pastor. I also think that this book could help church members understand the role of a pastor and what being a pastor entails.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Mar 24, 2016
• ISBN: 9781512731743

Wendell Smith

Wendell Smith was in the ministry for thirty-eight years. Thirty-two of those years were in the pastorate. He planted/pastored three churches and pastored two others. Six years of his ministry were as an associational director of missions. He graduated from Indiana State University with a bachelor’s and master’s of secondary education. He taught eleven years in the public school system. He also has taught seminary extension courses and classes for Boyce Bible School extension center. He graduated from Ashland Theological Seminar with a master’s of divinity. He served in the US Army Reserve, Military Police Corps, and Confinement Section as training officer. He is married, a father of three and grandfather of eight. He now resides in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, where he is retired due to a crippling car wreck. His wife and he are helping a small Southern Baptist Church in Gallipolis, Ohio.

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Copyright © 2016 Wendell Smith.

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This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

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Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-3173-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-3175-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-3174-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016902719

WestBow Press rev. date: 3/24/2016

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1. Salvation

2. The Call—How to Know the Will of God for Your Life

3. The Qualifications of a Pastor

4. The Duties of a Pastor

5. Education

6. Unconditional Love

7. Problems for the Pastor

8. The Confidants

9. The Pastor and Public Meetings

10. The Pastor’s Power

11. Things the Pastor Must Remember

12. Knowing When to Move On

Conclusion

Acknowledgments

I believe that God laid the task of writing this book upon my heart. It was written especially for those who are being called into the pastorate. When I entered the pastorate, if it had not been for my director of missions, Cliff Coleman, I would have had no idea of what to expect or how to handle the position of pastor. Therefore, I hope that this book will benefit young pastors, or even experienced pastors, who may not have the benefit of a wise counselor. I am writing from what God has taught me in my thirty-eight years in the ministry. I would like to thank Pastor Thom Mollohan for reading the manuscript and offering his opinions (as if you could ever keep a pastor from offering his opinion) and helping when I got bogged down. I also want to thank Doctor Kent Williams, professor of English at Rio Grande University, who did the editing. All of the Scriptures are from the New American Standard Bible. I pray that what God directed me to write will help the individual with his gift of the pastorate.

Introduction

In the letter that the apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians, he said, "And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers" (Eph. 4:11). From this verse we understand that being a pastor and teacher is a gift from God. A gift is the prerogative of the giver. It is given by the giver to whomever he or she desires whenever he or she desires. In our everyday usage of the word gift, whatever is given then becomes owned by the receiver, and the receiver can do whatever he or she wants to with the gift. However, in this instance, the giver tells what is to be done with the gift. It is for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ (Eph. 4:12). We also feel that the gift, which we now own, is to be used whenever we desire and for as long or as short a period as we desire. However, again, in this instance, the text tells us the duration of the gift. We are to use it until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ (Eph. 4:13). By way of explanation, we are to understand because of the Greek word construction: pastor and teacher refer to one group of individuals, not to two groups (the first group being pastor and the second group being teacher).

It is necessary to grasp the above to understand that becoming a pastor is not done when a person so desires but when he or she is given the gift of the pastorate.

Chapter 1

Salvation

T he most important thing that pastors should know is not only what a Christian is but that they themselves are Christians. Only a Christian can receive the gift of the pastorate. Salvation is a gift. It is a gift given to those whom God elected or predestined to become Christians. God has certain criteria for those whom He elects. We can understand election by God as being similar to election to a public office. For example, to be president of the United States, one must be a natural-born citizen, be over thirty-five years old, and meet several other qualifications. So for God to elect a person to become a Christian, God has determined that the person meets certain qualifications.

We find those qualifications in several places in the Bible, but perhaps the easiest to understand is in the letter to the Romans. The first qualification is in Romans 3:10: As it is written, ‘There is none righteous, not even one.’ The qualification is that a person must realize that he or she is not righteous, or in simple terms, that he or she is a sinner. Romans 3:23 goes on to say, For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. In other words, nobody can meet the qualification of being sinless. We all fall short of this qualification. James 2:10 tells us that if we have committed one sin, then we are guilty of committing all sins.

The second qualification is to understand that the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 6:23). The qualification is that we have received the free gift of God—eternal life in (through, because of) Christ (the Messiah, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords)—and have allowed Him to become Lord of our lives. What did Christ do? Romans 5:8 says, But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Yes, that is the secret of salvation, the mystery of the gospel, and the only way to become sinless: Christ, God’s Son, had to die for us when we did not deserve anything but death, for we were still sinners.

To become a child of God, you first have to realize that you are a sinner. Second, you must recognize that you have received eternal life as a