February 6, 2009

Pools

More and more as the years roll along, I find my best energy for pastoral ministry wells up from two primary pools of labor. The first is the planning and leading of Lord’s Day worship, especially the preaching of scripture and the sharing of the sacraments--both with an eye toward empowering a congregation for Christ’s ministry in the world. The second pool is the ongoing development of leaders from among a church’s ranks--equipping the church for its ministry by equipping its officers to lead in that ministry. “Presbyterian” (led by elders) is a great way to be a church, precisely because it’s setup of pastors and officers leading together provides for a church’s growth and prevents it from becoming a one-person show or, worse, a cult of personality. We share in leadership just as we share in ministry--both, stoked and steered by the Holy Spirit.