Perhaps as you assess the condition of the churches around you today the words of Nehemiah 1:3 echo in your heart, “The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.” Outside the walls of the church the culture has turned decidedly hostile toward us. Within its walls we have witnessed the corruption of too many prominent leaders and the collapse of several promising and storied ministries. The residual consequences of the global pandemic and the weaponization of political tribalism has left church members divided and caused pastors to leave the ministry at an alarming rate.1 The temptation for the church in a season such as this is, as Francis Schaeffer pictured it, “to pull up the drawbridge on the citadel and lob the occasional truth boulder across the walls at the culture.”2 Or on the other hand, as Machen warned, to adopt the dogma and direction of the culture in order to preserve the church’s institutional sustainability.3 For a faithful and faith-filled church, neither of these responses is an option. Instead, we must take up the cross of Christ on the mission Christ has entrusted to us and continue to build and extend the walls of Christ’s church until he returns and he completes the walls and gates of the city of God (Rev. 21:12). To continue to arise in the cause of Christ the church needs the pastoral leadership Christ has appointed.
The Ephesus Story
The church in Ephesus was a church which had experienced a great work of God and had been provided with some eminent pastors. In the course of just a few years Christ had established a church which led to the preaching of the gospel and the planting of churches throughout the region, the conversion of multitudes who had been enslaved in pagan practices, and the development of multiple leaders to serve Christ’s church (see Acts 18:19-19:20, 20:28), even amidst severe cultural hostility (19:21-41). The church had been pastored by none other than Paul, Timothy, and John. But the fact that Timothy had to be sent to Ephesus to put the church back into order in terms of doctrine, leadership, and practice (1 Tim. 1:3, 3:15) reveals that even a church which has experienced a great work of God and been graced with gifted pastors can decline and even die (Rev. 2:1-7) if its leadership is not wholeheartedly attentive to the biblical precepts and priorities Christ has prescribed for his church (Acts 20:28-30). The good news is that Christ himself has provided the leaders his church needs to continue to be built up in him, and amongst them are pastors.
Pastors Are Leaders on Christ’s Mission
The inspiring mini-series Band of Brothers chronicles the true story of Easy Company of 101st Airborne Division in the European campaign during WWII. One episode in the series depicts the company’s endurance in the forest of the Ardennes during the Battle of the Bulge. A low point in the story is depicted as the company’s field commander, who is worn out by the strain, leaves the men in the field as he goes back to HQ to “make a phone call.” As the church moves forward on Christ’s mission in this age we do not have a commander who has retreated to HQ leaving us leaderless in the field. King Jesus is not passively watching from heaven as his church fights the good fight. He is there as head over all power and authority and, by his Spirit, is with us (Matt. 28:20; Acts 2:1, 17) and, by that same Spirit has given gifts to his church (Rom. 12:4-8; Eph. 4:7) amongst which are pastor-teachers to build us up and equip us for our service in his cause (Eph. 4:11-16).
That pastors are leaders in Christ’s cause is not always appreciated as it ought to be and, in fact, is resisted in some philosophies of pastoral ministry. But the fact that pastor is translated from shepherd in the New Testament demonstrates that a significant function of a pastor is moving sheep (God’s people) from where they are to the green pastures God has prepared for their provision and protection. Even at a most basic level, moving people from where they are to where God has purposed them to be is leadership. William Still made this connection when he described the work of the Pastor, “The Pastor by definition is a shepherd, the under-shepherd of the flock of God. His primary task is to feed the flock of God by leading them to green pastures.”4 Timothy Witmer has shown that, in the background in which the Scriptures were written, kings were often styled as shepherds since their responsibility was to protect and provide for their people.5 This background helps us to understand the picture in Ephesians, that when the risen King (Eph. 1:20- 21) gave under-shepherds to his people (Eph. 4:11-12) to build them up in his likeness and equip them for his service (Eph. 4:13-16) he was providing them with leaders to move them into his purposes together. A pastor-teacher is a Christ-appointed leader who must know, according to the Scriptures, where God’s flock should go and how to get them there. For the Church to arise on its Christ-given mission it needs Christ-appointed pastoral leadership.6 In the space provided here we’ll consider three core practices for how pastors lead the people of God into the purposes of God.7
Pastors Lead by Exposition
I recall a reading in my early ministry where a seasoned pastor said, “Don’t tell me what you believe about the Bible. Let me hear you preach, and I’ll tell you what you believe about the Bible.”8 Another said, “we seldom live what we profess, we always live what we believe.” At times churches which seem to be based on the Bible encounter corruption or experience atrophy because, while they hold formally correct positions about the Bible, the Scriptures are not functionally authoritative for how they lead. Too many pastors confess the authority and sufficiency of the Scripture but when it comes to the practices of leadership in the church the Bible exercises, at best, a nostalgic and marginal influence. The apostle Paul believed that, precisely because the Scriptures are God’s inspired and authoritative word (2 Tim. 3:16), they are sufficient to equip pastors (the man of God) to do everything Christ has entrusted them to do (2 Tim. 3:16-17). He was also keenly aware of the corrupt and hostile context in which the New Testament church would have to live and work for Christ (2 Tim. 3:1-5), so he provided Timothy with a strategy that, in any context, would endure at any time; preach the word! (2 Tim. 4:2) The authoritative exposition of the Scriptures (preaching) was to permeate every facet of Timothy’s leadership in Ephesus (2 Tim. 4:2-5). Paul knew that this strategy was not only enduring but also effective on Christ’s mission. The great work of God that Ephesus experienced was directly tied to the fact that he had prioritized preaching during his own service in that city (Acts 19:6-10, 20, 20:18-21, 25-27, 31). The apostle believed that, because of what the Scriptures are and because of what they can do (Isa. 55:11; Jer. 23:29; Heb. 4:12-13), pastor-teachers must fulfill their stewardship through the preaching of God’s word.
This apostolic precept has formed the functional priority for mission leading pastors throughout history. John Calvin’s leadership of the Reformation in Europe, particularly as it was expressed through the church in Geneva, was driven by his relentless and prolific exposition of God’s word.9 And Charles Spurgeon, whose ministry was so expansively used of God, was overt about the priority of preaching in the leadership of his ministry:
I do not look for any other means of converting men beyond the simple preaching of the gospel and the opening of men’s ears to hear it… when the good old truth is once more preached by men whose lips are touched as with a live coal from the altar, this shall be the instrument in the hands of the Spirit for bringing about a great and thorough revival of religion in the land.10
The eminent Old Princeton Theologian, Archibald Alexander, renowned not only for his leadership of that strategic seminary but also of a disciple-multiplying church (Pine Street) in Philadelphia stated his conviction that, “God has indeed appointed the preaching of the gospel as the great instrument of the instruction and moral reformation of men, and nothing should be allowed to supersede this.”11 Historically, the church has been led into maturity in Christ and on mission for him by pastors who prioritized the exposition of the Scriptures in their ministry.
A pastor-teacher is a Christ-appointed leader who must know, according to the Scriptures, where God’s flock should go and how to get them there.
This does not mean that preaching is the sole leadership function of the pastor or the only ministry the church needs to be built up in God’s purposes. While all ministry in a healthy church flows downstream from the pulpit, in a healthy church there will be a lot of ministry taking place downstream from the pulpit. Preaching that is not only prioritized but purposed to the ends all of the good works for which God has appointed it will cast a compelling biblical vision and define biblical strategies that translate into a discipling system which equips God’s people for worship, for growth in Christlikeness, and for ministry to one-another and their neighbors.12 It is through his word, particularly as it preached by those Christ has appointed, that Christ himself speaks to his church (Rom. 10:14-17; 2 Cor. 5:20; Heb. 12:25) and Christ himself leads his church. Therefore, pastor-teachers lead by proclaiming the Scriptures not only to teach the church its doctrine but also to set its direction.
Pastors Lead by Example
When my children were very small, we lived in an area that received heavy snow fall. It was often so deep that our little boys’ little legs would not carry them through the snow, until I got in front of them and made big footprints into which they could place their feet and follow me home. I had to lay down a pattern of walking that they could emulate if they were to get where they needed to go. Similarly, Paul expected pastors to walk in front of God’s people in such a way that his life would show them where the word he was preaching was leading them, and they could follow him there. When he told Timothy to “set the believers an example” (1 Tim. 4:12), he used a word which meant he was to typify in his character what he taught in his content. The gospel Timothy proclaimed was to mold his own manner of life as a pointer to the Christ on whom his message centered.13 A pastor’s walk must be integrated with the word he preaches.
This desperately needs to be reemphasized in our age when high profile betrayals of pastoral trust have caused many to feel that leadership is inherently toxic, particularly if the offending leader wields the word of God. When there is serious disintegration between the doctrine and life of a pastor, it is not merely a personal problem; it betrays the reputation of the one who appointed the pastor. Pastors who preach to lead people to Christ and his purposes for their life in him must imitate him in their leadership.
This will mean, at least, that they will earnestly pursue personal sanctification (1 Tim. 6:11; 2 Tim. 2:22), adopt a cross-shaped pattern of servant-leadership (1 Cor. 1:17ff), and be willing to lay down their life to stand for the glory of God and the good of the church in an oppositional culture (Acts 20:24; 1 Tim. 6:12). And, not least, they will be motivated in their leadership by the supreme Spirit-produced affection, love (1 Tim. 1:5, 6:11; 2 Tim. 1:7). Loving pastoral leadership desires and acts for the eternal good of God’s people, even if it costs the leader. . . his life.
The good news is that leaders who have been appointed by Christ can grow in their commission to exemplify Christ to his people because a pastor is a son in Christ before he is a servant of Christ (Rom. 8:14-15; Gal. 4:6-7). Christian pastors are Christians before they are pastors. That means that they are united to Christ and, therefore, Christ is for them (Phil. 3:9) and in them (Gal. 2:20). As believers they are justified by God, having acquitted and accepted them as righteous before him solely on the ground of Christ’s righteousness imputed to them (Rom. 3:21-26, 4:22-25). He has sanctified them having delivered them from the dominion of sin (Rom. 6:6-14), and is progressively sanctifying them in his likeness for his glory (2 Cor. 3:17-18). And this gospel-grown Christ-imitating exemplary leadership can not only instruct God’s people but also inspire them to lead for Christ’s sake in the relationships and responsibilities God has given to them.
Pastors Lead by Equipping
The opportunities for and challenges to Christ’s cause both within and outside the church’s walls are too numerous for a pastor to respond to effectively by himself. And Christ never intended him to. One of the purposes for which Christ has given pastors to his church is to lead the members of his church into the works of service he has apportioned to them (Eph. 4:7, 12).14 Pastoral leadership that desires to build up Christ’s church in the current cultural moment will be intentional about equipping the saints to employ their grace-given wisdom, gifts, and resources to advance the purposes of God in the spheres where they live, worship, and work. As stewards of God’s word pastor-teachers have the opportunity and responsibility to train believers in the character, convictions, and competencies for their ministry to one-another within the church (Rom. 12:4-8; Eph. 4:15-16; 1 Pet. 4:10) and for their God-given opportunities to witness to the world outside the church (Col. 4:5-6; 1 Pet. 3:15). And though this witness does not have the transformation of society as its end, believers are called to do whatever they do, wherever they do it, for God’s glory in Christ’s name (1 Cor. 10:31; Col. 3:17). As Pastors lead the saints into all of the good works for which God has created them in Christ (Eph. 2:10) they will apply their teaching to provide biblical vision, convictions, and ethics for all of life in all of the spheres where God has providentially placed his saints.
Harry L. Reeder III translated this priority of pastoral leadership into a vision that the church would actually become “a leadership factory and distribution center”15 for the culture versus what is usually the case, the culture shaping the leadership of the church. In a recent conversation with a pastor from another nation, he educated me on how his great nation had benefited historically from leaders with a Christian worldview. The country’s hospital system, educational institutions, and even the constitution with its commitment to the rule of law were the product of leaders who had been trained with a biblical view of humanity, science, and government. Pastoral leadership that is committed to building the church in this generation and for the next must invest itself in developing believers to lead for Christ’s glory in every sphere of society. One shudders to imagine where the world would be if William Wilberforce had lacked the intentional pastoral leadership of John Newton. For the church to be built from decline and decay to maturity in Christ and mission for Christ, the entire body must arise and work together (Neh. 2:18, 4:6). Pastors must equip them for that work.
Conclusion
The work will be completed. Not because of the pastors who lead the church but because of the one who appointed pastors. Pastors are simply instruments in the hands of the archetypical leader, the King of Kings, and he said he would build his church and the gates of hell would not prevail against it (Matt. 16:18). Jesus did not make that promise amidst a sympathetic culture, and he did not envision a sympathetic culture when he commissioned his appointed leaders to establish and extend his church amongst the nations (Matt. 28:18-20, cf. Matt. 10:22). But Jesus has never made a promise he won’t or can’t keep. And, as in the Ephesian church’s story, Jesus is yet in the midst of his church (Rev. 2:1), leading us and giving us life (Eph. 4:16). Pastors have the great grace-given privilege and responsibility to follow his lead and, with the unshakable hope in his promise, lead his people into his purposes. That’s a call worth pouring out your life for.
1. https://www.barna.com/research/pastors-well-being/https://www.barna.com/research/pastors-quitting-ministry/.
2. Francis Schaeffer, The God Who Is There (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1998), 170.
3 J. Gresham Machen, Christianity & Liberalism (Glenside, PA: Westminster Seminary Press, 2023), 4–8.
4 William Still, The Work of the Pastor (Fearn, Ross-Shire, UK: Christian Focus, 2001), 17.
5. Timothy Z. Witmer, The Shepherd-Leader (Phillipsburg, PA: P&R Publishing, 2010), 11-12.
6. On parity and plurality of elders of which a pastor is one. …Pastoral leadership is given not only by those titled pastor but by the elders together with the pastor. The wholehearted attentiveness of both teaching and ruling elders working in concert with one another is essential to healthy pastoral leadership and healthy churches.
7. For a book length treatment of the principles and practices of pastoral leadership see John Currie, The Pastor As Leader (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2024).
8. See John F. MacArthur Jr, Our Sufficiency in Christ (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 1991).
9. Herman J. Selderhuis, John Calvin: A Pilgrim’s Life (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2009), 112.
10. See Currie, The Pastor as Leader, 126; cf. Charles Haddon Spurgeon, C. H. Spurgeon Autobiography, vol. 1, The Early Years, 1834–1859 (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1985), v.
11 A. Alexander, “Suggestions in Vindication of Sunday Schools,” in Princeton and the Work of the Christian Ministry: A Collection of Addresses, Essays, and Articles by Faculty and Friends of Princeton Theological Seminary, ed. James M. Garretson, 2 vols. (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 2012), 1:345.
12. For further explanation of how these critical leadership functions are practiced through preaching see Currie, The Pastor as Leader, 87–106.
13 I. Howard Marshall and Philip H. Towner, A Critical Exegetical Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles, International Critical Commentary (London: T&T Clark, 2004), 561.
14. For a more detailed explanation of this interpretation of Eph. 4:12 see Currie The Pastor as Leader, 187–188.
15. See Harry L. Reeder III, 3-D Leadership, 13, 33–34.