Pastoring

How should you deal with a bad statement of faith, church covenant, or church constitution that you inherit in a new pastorate?

9Marks

It depends on your circumstances. But here are four different tactics that you might find helpful.

What should an installation service seek to accomplish?

9Marks

In a nutshell, an installation service should clarify and underscore the responsibility the pastor has toward the church and the responsibility the church has toward the pastor.

What are some practical ways for a new pastor to get to know his church and its community?

9Marks
Learn everything you can about your people. Get to know them by name. Learn how they became Christians, what their experience at the church has been like, and what they are struggling with and encouraged by in the church.

What are the most important things for a young pastor to do?

9Marks
Preach the Word. The single most important thing a young pastor must do is preach God’s Word. Everything begins here. God’s Word is what converts sinners and sanctifies saints (1 Thess. 1:5; Jn. 17:17). God’s Word is what brings health and growth and godly change (1 Thess. 2:13). Therefore, faithful expositional preaching of God’s Word must be a young pastor’s first priority.

How can a pastor wisely shepherd his church toward the ability to practice church discipline?

9Marks
Encourage humility. Help people to see that they may be mistaken about their own spiritual state. Consider the example of the man in 1 Corinthians 5 as well as Paul's exhortation to the Corinthian Christians in 2 Corinthians 13:5. Paul charges us to examine ourselves to see if we’re in the faith. Do your church members recognize that they should help one another do such examination?

Are regular devotions important for a pastor?

9Marks

Jesus himself withdrew from ministering to huge crowds so that he could pray alone (Luke 5:12-16). The apostle Paul made time to pray for churches near and far (Rom. 1:9-10, 1 Cor. 1:4, Eph. 1:16, Phil. 1:4, Col. 1:3). But in case the examples of Jesus and Paul aren’t enough, here are a few more reasons why pastors should spend daily, personal time in the Word and prayer. 

What are some practical ways for a pastor to love his children?

9Marks
Have deliberate, weekly one-on-one time with each of your children, probably to include playing, reading scripture, or praying. Date your daughters. Leave the church at church so dad can be dad at home. Take a child with you on visits or short trips. Take an interest in what your children enjoy doing.

What are some practical ways for a pastor to love his wife?

9Marks
When a church interviews you for the position of pastor, explain that they are hiring you and not your wife (the Bible says nothing about elders’ wives). When the church asks what she will do, explain that she intends to join the church and be a member, just like everyone else. Help guard her heart from the church’s extra expectations of her. Give her space to define her own role in the church.

What are some practical ways for a pastor to love his family?

9Marks
Take the initiative to establish a plan for family worship, then follow the plan! Come home at the exact time you say you will be home and prepare your heart to serve your family, not be served. Take responsibility for your children’s education and discipline—don’t leave it to your wife to figure out.

What are some practical ways a pastor can train younger men for ministry?

9Marks
Share your pulpit (carefully). Look for ways to give doctrinally and pastorally reliable younger men in your congregation opportunities to preach and teach—even if they are not practiced public speakers.

Why should pastors personally disciple men who are potential church leaders?

9Marks
Scripture commands it. In 2 Timothy 2:2 Paul writes, “What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” Since 1 Timothy was written not merely for Timothy, but for us all (Rom. 15:4, 2 Tim. 3:16-17), every pastor of a local church should train other men to be teachers in the church.

Practically speaking, how can a pastor plan services?

9Marks

When planning services, each pastor should do whatever works best for himself. That said, here is the broad outline of how one pastor does it (Mark Dever, senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC).

What’s the goal of service planning?

9Marks

The goal of service planning is to craft a unified service that clearly communicates the gospel, makes the sermon the centerpiece of the service, and impresses people with the glory of God.

Why should a pastor or elder plan church services?

9Marks

A pastor or elder should generally plan church services because the whole service is part of the teaching ministry of the church, which is entrusted to the elders (1 Tim. 3:2; 1 Thess. 5:12-13).

How can I grow my church?

9Marks
The short answer is, you can’t. You can faithfully scatter the seed of the Word, but only God can make it grow (1 Cor. 3:6). You can faithfully call people to turn from their sin and trust in Christ, but only God grants faith and repentance (Phil. 1:29; Acts 11:18). You can alert people to the danger of their state, but only God can raise them from spiritual death (Eph. 2:1, 5).
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