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Pastoral Ministry

Name: Pastoral Ministry
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The author has chosen to use the subtitle, “In the Eye of the Storm” for this text on Christian leadership. It is known that within the church there are many storms raging. The storms facing leadership are occurring at all times. The minister who accepts the call of God must be thoroughly trained in the theology of his or her particular calling in order to be able to weather the storms of life that are constantly battering against the efforts of the Christian Church.

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Pastoral Ministry (In The Eye Of The Storm ). I was once asked by a zealous Bible student, “How did you know that you were called of God?” After my initial internal retort (“Insolent young man!”), I answered the only way I could. “I just knew.”

During a Christian summer camp the same year I was born again, I felt the Lord’s “call” into full-time ministry. I was twelve years old. Though many years ago, that day remains fresh and precious in my memory. Most of you who read this book and/or complete the course that accompanies the text will recall similar times when Jesus warmed your hearts and pressed upon your spirit to serve him with all your heart.

The sureness of your call must be without question and tested through life experience. Your certainty must be absolute if you will fulfil your ministry as a spiritual leader.

Once assured of your call, preparation for the task should follow. I say “should,” because many a man or woman of God began Christian ministry without the assurance of training, which can, and often does lead to tragic results.

Finally, you will begin your shepherding ministry, the task of being a pastor or faithfully serving in another Five-Fold Ministry gifted office. As in most endeavours in life, you will begin with great enthusiasm, zeal and anticipation. Truly, the ministry of the preaching of the Gospel of Christ is the most exciting adventure ever designed by God. But it is not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach. The responsibilities and challenges can be burdensome at best.

For example, the responsibility of administration can be overwhelming, the counselling load seemingly endless. By God’s grace, power, and anointing, we can all fulfil his specific mandate upon our life. This book, written, to shepherds (or “becoming one's”) from a shepherd’s viewpoint, will hopefully help you avoid some of the problems and pitfalls of pastoral ministry and prepare you more fully for the great task at hand.

What To Expect

In this book, the reader will first encounter the primary relationships and functions that are inherent in ministry, and especially pastoral ministry. They will include:

The Pastor and his God
The Pastor and himself
The Pastor and his family
The pastor and his church
the pastor and his pulpit
the pastor and his friends
the pastor and his time

The second section of this book will survey in greater detail the pastoral role and function, and review some of the “nuts and bolts” of active ministry. Included in this section are: