I was thrilled to read this book besides how it is titled, but on the ground to discover the promises of my pastoral calling and to confirm my struggles in ministry as youth pastor. I am awestruck to find out its profound introduction “love your people to greatness”. Without question or reservation, I am eager to learn how to love them more!
God’s commandments are summed up by Jesus in his Greatest Commandments. It is all about love- loving God and loving people. This highest directive is given to pastors as Christ’s agents of love in the church and to the world. Unfortunately, those who have failed to genuinely act upon their holy mandate have brought staggering image which caused some to wander in their faith, unbelievers who have doubted the Church mission, and stained the minister’s high reputation.
This book offers celebration and anticipation to this God-ordained office. It guides every pastor to enjoy the title “pastor” and to love his congregation the way Jesus loves the Church. H.B. grew to love the title and joyfully respond to it to this day. “It made me feel special when they called me pastor” (cf. 11). Pastors must love those they serve in greatness, that’s the message of this book!
The Shepherd who loves and leaves a legacy
A pastor cannot be promoted from the pastorate even if he is called to do another kind of ministry. Perhaps it is apparently the highest office inside the Christ-established holy organization. But the love between the pastor and the parishioners is worth cherishing. Pastor must communicate his genuine love for his congregation in different and remarkable ways. He can leave a permanent mark that they could treasure forever.
The word ‘pastor’ has beautiful sense and it represents a unique relationship. But it is more than a fulfilling job; it is a way of life (cf. 21). There will be instances when a pastor cannot do anything to ease the pain of his people, but his “holy” presence is enough to show how much he loves and cares for them. He may feel restless because of his limitation, yet the people he has joined with in their suffering will remember how much they were valued by their pastor.
Every pastor is willing to die just to make a significant impact in the lives of his people. Often times he would introduce change to the congregation. While change is necessary for growth, he must only insinuate change far beyond the sake of change. Change can be scary.
A strong opposition can be an alarming signal on their distrust or lack of confidence to the pastor. He must be determined to clear the clouds and win their trust. They are willing to change if they trust their pastor. Great opportunities lies for the church in furthering the gospel when trust between the pastor and people has been established. A less effort is necessary to motivate the church to make a great impact beyond their comfort zone to the place of the unknown.
The Counselor who cares and confronts
People are the reason for church’s being. Every aspect of church ministry is designed for the people we serve. Without them the church won’t exist. The pastor must understand that he ministers to them in the name of love. He must accept their flaws and challenge them to become genuine followers of Christ. Steadfastly, a pastor will discover also the treasure in the broken vessels of his people. If he shows how much he cares regardless of the failures or troubles his member got involved in, the Spirit of God can transform the person and become one of his lasting ministry rewards.
What seemed to be a deadwood is not really dead. Members who have gone for a long time, or those who have wandered in faith, for whatever reason, can also be a good target for ministry. His love for people extends as he endeavors to reach them out and the church attempts to reconcile with them. It could be the best time to apply forgiveness though; it necessarily lived out all the time. While forgiveness is more easily preached than lived, it stands at the center of the Christian faith. He can be humbled by his great love for people. “Sometimes the pastor needs to stand before the congregation and say, I am sorry” (cf. 85,86).
A pastor may have in mind that conflict always comes from his people. So with all the necessary efforts he tries to become a peacemaker. He may not be aware all the time, but to be candid about it, sometimes the pastor inflicts conflict between him and his congregants. In the name Christ, he must commit himself to offer a truce and be a peacemaker regardless how difficult it is.
Counseling is one of the privileges that the pastor can give his congregation. But with the pressing needs in different areas of pastoral ministry, he could make it to one while neglecting the others. It would be wise to refer some counseling sessions to Christian counselors, specialists of a kind in various needs of humankind.
The Leader who trust through triumph and tragedies
It is said that the greatest lesson we could learn can be taught by our triumphal tragedy. Perhaps it’s the remarkable event that makes everything so clearly vivid in our memory. More than that, it’s our faith in God that gives us a victorious walk throughout the valleys of life and ministry. Not everything can be explained by a pastor, but God expects a pastor to be with the victims to help them find light again during their darkest situations. It is his mandate to assure them of the love of God and help them find a new way back to their faith in Him.
In ministry, obstacles are what mostly frustrate some pastors and impede the church for its growth. But pastor, as agent of transformation must turn obstacles into opportunities to further the cause of Christ. A prayer of desperation causes his eyes to be widely open in order to see new opportunities for ministry.
In today’s moral filth easily thrown to anyone, by whom the pastor is no exception, the character matters a lot. A pastor must be proactive in protecting his marriage while actively carrying out his pastoral ministry. However, he must develop a deeper sensitive stance in voicing out against sin without necessarily condemning the sinners. Jesus hated sin but he showed his love and compassion for the sinners.
Sadly, there are also leaders who become hungry for power. They want to be in control. This kind of attitude can cloud the clear direction of the church towards growth. Any pastor can avoid this tendency by realizing the Spirit of God is the one in control. In times of turmoil, the pastor can show how much he trusts God in his calmness and sobriety. God is always at work and His will always prevail.
The Minister who loves at home
There are ministers who have thought already how they’re going to leave a legacy in ministry. Unfortunately, their family became a sacrificial lamb in this pursuit. But it shouldn’t be anymore. We can learn from history, that healthy ministry begins at home. A pastor must communicate and show love to his family before bringing it out to the congregation. No amount of success can compensate for failed marriage or dysfunctional family. The pastor’s family must be assured that they are the most important people in his life. His marriage, family and ministry will leave a significant imprint that can be passed on to the next generation.
In partnership with the Father
I believe a vibrant church has a lot of dreams and they never stop dreaming. If the pastor believes God can do everything in accordance with his will and purpose, then he must not to stop from dreaming. He can only make a significant change after he has dreamed and prayed about it. Dreams give us hope and the possibility of new outcomes. It reminds us to continually depend on God.
Sometimes we bring to God the general things and leave the specific details in our hands. A pastor may think of something, work for it, then later he would discover it is not what God wants. But that’s okay. The important thing is that he discovered God wants to be involved not only in general but also in specific details of the plan.
Observing the Sabbath is important for every minister because it makes us in tune with the Father. It is the best opportunity for pastor to reflect, seek the will of the Father, and purify his thoughts, just being alone with God.
Growing the church the God way points the pastor to complete reverence and total dependence to the leading of the Spirit. In addition, Christ attracts. Christ-likeness becomes a magnet for unbelievers. They thrived in churches that depict the image of Christ in their lives. Had it be the case in every church across the world, the advancement of the gospel could be fulfilled soon. It is a challenge for pastor to disciple his people and to remain faithful to the work of Spirit.
Pastor’s integrity is also validated by his personal holiness. Ministers who had fallen from grace have separated their personal life from their ministry. Many have suffered the consequence greater than the cause. The desire for holiness must be the pastor’s ultimate goal because he serves the God who cannot tolerate sin. Irvin Busenitz says “The focal point of any ministry is godliness. Ministry is, and always must be, an overflow of a godly life.”
Personal Reflection
Despite the authors target the married senior pastor, I know I have gathered some significant principles that I could apply to my ministry as youth pastor. I need not be married yet to love my young people in greatness. Though I am still hesitant to be called as youth pastor, it makes me feel good to be identified as a person who serves God and his people and to be called as God’s agent of love. It dawns me that I doing a noble task of reconciling the youth generation to the loving arms of the Father. And in doing so, I must learn to love them the way the Father loves them. I have to understand the heart and the mind of God as I pour out my life to them.
Being a novice youth pastor, I always find myself struggling in many areas of my life. One of which is in the pursuit for holiness. There’s a part in my mind that harbors fear every time I have committed sin. But in the same space I also find a broken spirit eager to surrender and ask for His forgiveness and cleansing once again. I know I am still far from being perfect and I am only as good as my relationship with God.
In my early years as youth minister, I was quick to apply changes in our youth ministry based on new ideas I have borrowed from others. I was tough to face significant oppositions that I would end up frustrated and devastated. I would like to think that because of this struggle, I could not sense any tangible results in youth ministry.
As I continue to study the Scripture, I realized there are lessons that I had to learn the hard way. God has shown his unconditional love and abounding grace despite of my failures and shortcomings. The painful experiences I had gone through made me a better minister. I am encouraged to follow Christ in my life and ministry and to cultivate a genuine love for my young people.
This formative season in seminary has also shaped my perspective in ministry. I am learning to understand the perspective of God in doing ministry. Every academic requirement draws me closer to the Father in order to seek for knowledge and wisdom. It excites me to apply the principles I’ve learned from the class and colleagues to my own youth ministry in a slowly-but-surely way.
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