The Duties of a Pastor

The pastor of a church has a number of duties, but they all revolve around the idea of shepherding the people who attend the church. The Bible has a lot to say about shepherding, which is the major role of elders, but says very little about pastors. Modern pastors have a number of duties, most notably preaching, teaching and counseling.

Biblical Basis

In most English translations of the Bible, the word "pastor" appears just once. The verse reads, "And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:11-12). You can see from this passage that the main role of the pastor is to help to build the church up so that they can go out and serve as well.

Elders

Many churches believe the office of a pastor is essentially the same as the office of an elder as described in the New Testament church. Elders, as outlined in the Bible, are men who are jointly responsible for overseeing the church, praying for the congregation, teaching, being a good example, and helping to resolve doctrinal and disciplinary issues. Churches often have a board of elders in addition to the pastor, but some smaller churches function with elders only, and larger churches can have multiple pastors, each functioning as an elder.

Shepherd

The Greek word translated into "pastor" more commonly means "shepherd," typically referring to a spiritual shepherd rather than a literal one. Just as Jesus was described as the good shepherd, the pastor's duties include shepherding his flock, or those who attend the church and live in the surrounding community. This is exemplified in 1 Peter 5:1-5, where Paul instructs elders to shepherd the flock of God among them, exercising oversight voluntarily and with eagerness. One of the major duties of a pastor is to shepherd the congregation, caring for them as with sheep.

Preaching

A major duty of the modern pastor is preaching and teaching, and most pastors of churches will spend more time preparing to teach than on any single other task. Pastors must study the Bible and develop sermons in addition to sometimes teaching Sunday school classes and evening Bible studies as well. Churches with large congregations will typically have multiple pastors to allow the pastor to do things other than weekly preaching.

Counseling

Another major duty of pastors is to counsel members of the congregation. It is often referred to as pastoral care, and counseling is not just for the mentally ill. Counseling can be as simple as meeting with people to see how they are doing and to answer questions about Christian life. Pastors will often offer pre-marital counseling for engaged couples for whom they will be performing the wedding ceremony.

References

• New American Standard Bible
• The Office of Pastor
• What are the pastor's duties to the church?