My wife and I have served in churches of various sizes and philosophies.  In all of our assignments we have seen systems, programs and structures change, disappear and then come around again new and improved.  Because of this it is always important to focus on the essence of the church.  The church is a faith community formed by the Spirit on the confession, Jesus is Lord. This can take many shapes as the pastor and people stay grounded in the Word and seek Gods leadership through prayer.

Without this foundation, the philosophy of who a pastor is and what he/she should do has been unsettled and left many asking questions such as..."Who am I suppose to be? A Corporate CEO?  A Church Growth Guru?  A Counselor?  A Manager?  A Theology Professor?  Servant Leader? or a "hip dude" on a Harley known as "The Rev."?  Seldom is the pastor portrayed as a faithful servant of God with a call to shepherd God's flock, the church.  Shepherding takes place when there is mutually loving relationships between a pastor and people.  This love that comes from God attracts others when together they follow the Chief Shepherd.

It is understood that the role of being a pastor has its origin in a divine call and the pastoral ministry determined by scriptural guidelines.  The three major divine offices in ancient Israel were Prophet, Priest and King.  In the New Testament, Christ incorporated all these functions in His earthly ministry.  The church historically began to view the successors of the apostles as shepherds of the flock, who continued the prophetic, priestly and kingly ministry of Christ and his original disciples.

Pastor as Prophet:  A prophet is one who speaks for God.  His task is to communicate God's Word through anointed preaching and teaching.

Pastor as Priest:  A priest is one who "stands before".  His task is to represent to God the concerns of the flock and provide pastoral care.

Pastor as King:  A king is one who governs for God.  His task is to provide servant leadership in administration and the equipping of the believers.

Even with this description it should be made clear that the call of a pastor is more than these external tasks. The effectiveness of ministry is not measured in number of people, size of building, the amount of money raised or tasks completed, although these can be indicators of something greater.  I believe God's Spirit is desiring to create a community of compassionate Christ followers that can only be measured in terms of love and obedience.  The privileged and oftentimes sacrificial role of the pastor and people is to position themselves in a place where they can best love God and one another while extending His love to those in the marketplace, soccer games or the barber shop.  

In short my philosophy of ministry comes from a deep passion for intimacy with Jesus and out of my relationship with Him I exemplify, encourage and extend to others the Christ life.