Oct
07
2009
Ray Van Neste: Pastoral Ministry in SBC Life
SESSION 6
SPEAKER: Ray Van Neste, Associate Professor of Christian Studies at Union University
TITLE: Oversight of Souls – Pastoral Ministry in Southern Baptist and Evangelical Life (Audio here)
THE GIST: If pastoral ministry is going to thrive in our churches, we need to recover the idea of overseeing souls. For many, management is the central aspect, or preaching. But the heart of pastoral ministry is shepherding souls.
BRIEF OUTLINE:
Pastoral Ministry as Oversight of Souls is Biblical
- Jesus as Great Shepherd (John 10)
- Pastors are to keep watch over the souls of their people (Heb. 13:17)
- Pastors are to exercise oversight over the flock of God (1 Peter 5:1)
- Oversight of souls includes both public and private ministry. (Acts 20)
- The people should be the pastor’s hope and joy. (1 Thess. 2)
- The goal of pastoral ministry is to present everyone mature in Christ. (Col. 1:24-29)
Pastoral Ministry as Oversight of Souls is Affirmed by Church History
- John Chrysostom – Leading the church… giving one’s life for the sheep.
- Alexander Maclaren – To the stranger, all the sheep are a like. The shepherd knows them apart.
- John Owen – The work and design of these pastors is solely to take care of your souls…
- Martin Bucer – “Concerning the True Care of Souls”
- Westminster Directory of Public Worship – Ministers should teach in public and private
- Richard Baxter – “I fear most those ministers who preach well, and who are unsuited to the private nurture of their members.”
- Martin Luther – “Ministers should have the heart of a mother toward the church.”
- Baptists in Amsterdam (1611) – “The elders ought to know the whole flock…”
- W.A. Criswell – “The example of the great pastors of the world is always one of personal contact with the people.”
MEMORABLE QUOTES:
We do not guard souls in order to preach; we preach in order to guard souls.
We must admit that simply knowing the contents of the Bible is not a sure route to spiritual growth. – Larry Crabb
Pastors should minister in ways shaped by their understanding that God will hold them accountable for the people they serve.
Pastors should say to their church members: “We will love you enough to chase you down should you choose to wander away. You can choose to break fellowship with us, but you will never just slip away and be forgotten.”
Rebuke ought not be delivered if it is too easy. It is the wounds of a friend that are faithful, not the cool correction of a hired hand.