Determine to be a Good Pastor

It is more important to be a good pastor than delivering a good sermon.

I’ll never forget hearing the quote above as a young preacher – it changed everything. In the early days, I thought ministry was mostly preaching. If I could be a great preacher, I thought, everything else will fall into place. There is no excuse for being ill-prepared to preach. A preacher must allocate time for study and sermon preparation however, if you’re not a good pastor, you may suffer the consequences. If you are a good pastor; your people will support you, including poor sermon delivery.

1. Ministry is people, not power.
2. Love your people where they are.
3. Weep with those that weep. (Jn 11:33-36)
4. Praise is powerful. (Pr 27:21).
5. Be thankful for what each member contributes.
6. Preach with purpose. Preaching with purpose comes natural when take to heart what I refer to as the 3-fold purpose of the pulpit ministry. Consider Eph 4:11-12, “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.”
7. The goal of pulpit ministry and the example of pastoral leadership is to lead/influence your people to follow the Lord. (Mt 4:19; 1Co 11:1)
8. The fruit of Spirit-filled preaching is disciples of Jesus Christ. (1Co 2:1-5)
9. Guard against the temptation of doing in the flesh what God can do through His Word i.e. Doctrinal preaching for example, reproves, rebukes, exhorts, equips, edifies, and feeds. (2Ti 3:16-17, 4:2, 1Pe 2:2, 5:1-4)
10. A pastor’s primary duty is oversight, not ownership. Lording is assuming ownership. The flock is God’s heritage. Oversight means to care or tend to the welfare of the flock. What a shepherd is to his sheep, a pastor is to the Lord’s heritage. (1Pe 5:2)
11. Services should educate, equip, edify, and exalt the Lord.
12. Make every attempt to make every service uplifting (stirring, moving).
13. Though a pastor shoulders the cares of the church, take every care to God in prayer. (1Pe 5:7)
14. Never use the pulpit as whipping post. Guard against condescending remarks and carnal preaching.
15. Avoid teaching for doctrine the commandments of men. (Mt 15:1-9)
16. Get counsel, when necessary, glean ideas, be teachable, etc.
17. The Word of God is the only standard by which you and I will be judged. (1Co 3:5-10)
18. Guard against the “comparing” habit/trap.
19. Never show frustration or unrighteous anger for example in a public worship service.
20. Deal privately with disorderly members.
21. You don’t get what you expect, you get what you inspect.
22. Use fellowship, potluck etc. as an opportunity to sit with your people, i.e. make it a point to know your people outside of the pulpit. (Acts 2:42, 46; Lk 24:29-30, 35)
23. Be approachable, personable, and attentive to members.   
24. Serve your people. 1Kings 12:7, “And they spake unto him, saying, If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever.” (Mt 2:20-28; Lk 22:21-27; Jn 13:1-17)
25. Model your oversight/leadership after the Good Shepherd. (Jn 10; 1Pe 5:1-4; Ps 23)
26. Be more concerned about being a good pastor than delivering a good sermon. Charles H. Spurgeon said, “I would rather teach one man to pray than ten men to preach.”
27. However, heed 2Ti 2:15. It is impossible to rightly divide, deliver, or defend the faith without a diligent study of the Scriptures. The honorable goal of a diligent study of the Bible and a purposeful pulpit ministry is not the acceptance of men, but the approval of God.
28. Our motive for ministry is never the praise of men; our motive, regarding “whatsoever ye do” is “do all to the glory of God.” (1Co 10:31; Col 3:23-25)