Journal of Contemporary Ministry

Stevens, Kerrie

Theses/Dissertation Listing - 2015

Groza, Andrew A.

With the Curiosity of an Oddity from a Bygone Era: The GOCN Conversation and its contribution to mission to the West

Theses/Dissertation Listing - 2014

English

Book Reviews

Newton, Jon K.

 
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Editorial 
Dr Jon K. Newton 
PhD(Deakin); MATheol(ACT); BA(Hons)(ICI); BA(Sydney); DipEd(Sydney)                  
Head of Research & Dean of Postgraduate Studies, Harvest Bible College                 
Contact: jnewton@harvest.edu.au 
Editor 
 
I’m a Christian minister as well as a lecturer. As a pastor of a small suburban 
church, I’m always looking for answers. I want to know what’s going on in the world. 
Specifically, what’s going on that affects my life as a Christian and my work as a 
Christian minister? Where do I find out what God is doing today or about how His 
servants are “kicking goals” that we can all learn from? More importantly, where do I go 
to find out whether or not the events, achievements and projects I hear about constantly 
online, on Facebook or just “on the grapevine” are really as good as they are reported to 
be, and if so, why are they achieving good things in our world? How can I apply the 
lessons drawn from such analysis to my life and ministry? Where can I find stimulating 
responses from my peers about the issues I face? And how do I find the informed and 
grounded thinking I need to get out of the rut I sometimes find myself in as a Christian 
leader? 
Busy pastors get news about the latest trends, ideas and methods largely 
anecdotally or from conferences. When it comes to assessing why some churches and 
ministries are growing and succeeding and others are failing or declining, we often tend 
to fall back on one or more of these sources:  
• The minister’s own interpretation of what’s happening: “my church has 
grown from 200 to 800 in one year because we introduced the … program 
from…” 
• Denominational traditions: “our movement is growing steadily because we 
have the right interpretations of Scripture.” 
• Anecdotal accounts: “this mission is doing great things because the leader 
spends four hours in prayer every day. That’s what I heard.” 
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• Second-hand theories: “every minister that God is using today has embraced 
a missional approach to church life.” 
• Theological rationalisations: “my church split and has never recovered 
because I made a stand for the Truth and people don’t want to hear it.” 
• Historical ignorance: “we’d see great revival today if only we followed the 
ways of the Puritans.” 
• Prejudice: “the only reason that church is growing is because they 
compromise on the gospel.” 
• Psychological copouts: “their church is growing because they have a level of 
ability or personality I could never reach.” 
• Generalized accepted wisdom: “Christianity is in decline. Everyone knows 
that.”  
Now of course no one reading this would ever base their ideas on such shallow 
foundations. But ask yourself, how do I assess ministry performance or church health? 
For example, to what do you attribute the incredible growth of the Hillsong 
phenomenon? Check to see if your immediate answer doesn’t fall into one of these 
categories.  
Of course, all the reasons given above may be right, at least sometimes. But how 
would we ever know? How much research is done to find out? 
In Kevin Ward’s stimulating book Losing Our Religion? (reviewed in this journal), 
he reports how data from late in the twentieth century challenged the “accepted 
wisdom” that secularism would inevitably displace religion in the modern world (Ward 
2014, p. ix). He also probes the consensus in some circles that conservative churches are 
growing whereas “liberal” ones are declining, with a study of four different churches in 
New Zealand. We need to do the hard work in research (quantitative, qualitative, 
historical, theological, etc) if we want to help ministers, churches and other Christian 
organisation make well-informed decisions. 
In some ways, our challenge is like that of the early empirical scientists. Breaking 
out from the traditional explanations of the natural world based on Aristotle, Ptolemy or 
even unreflective readings of Scripture, they went out into the natural world to find out 
for themselves how it worked. Christian researchers need to have the courage to do the 
same:  to break out of the old paradigms, ask the hard questions, and thus develop new 
ministry models for the 21st Century.  
Harvest Bible College in Australia is highly focused on preparing people for 
Christian ministry, as reflected in our mission statement “Training Effective Ministry 
Worldwide to Serve Local Churches.”  The College has always insisted on maintaining 
this ministry focus in its degree programs. At Harvest, we’ve also been steadily building 
a research culture as we move increasingly into postgraduate courses. We’ve 
successfully run a Master of Arts in Ministry for 15 years. We’ve hosted a successful 
ministry research conference for several years. Now we’ve launched a Doctor of 
Ministry program, fully accredited through the Australian government’s tertiary 
education agency, TEQSA. 
Because of this, I was trawling through the internet and other sources looking for 
new journals to add to our library, to support the doctoral students as they investigate 
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questions about real ministry today, and I discovered a real dearth. There are some 
good journals on Christian Ministry as a broad field, or on the related field of Practical 
Theology. There are journals with a great historical base. There are some broad-based, 
interdisciplinary, journals in which great individual articles on contemporary ministry 
have appeared. There are some good journals on highly specialized forms of ministry 
such as pastoral care. And of course, there are any number of great journals on theology 
and biblical studies. But there doesn’t appear to be a journal focused primarily on the 
field of contemporary ministry. Until now, that is. 
This new journal seeks to go some way towards filling that gap. It builds on the 
presentations given at the Harvest Research conferences (though not exclusively) and 
hopefully provides a new avenue for research on contemporary ministry to be 
facilitated and broadcast to a wider audience.  
Let me unpack what I as the Editor, and our editorial board and team, hope this 
journal will achieve. 
1. We hope it will stimulate and report on solid research into aspects of 
Christian ministry. We are particularly focusing on the practice of ministry, 
though not neglecting its theological foundations and implications. We will 
interpret the word “ministry” fairly broadly but normally avoid ministry 
areas covered by their own specialist journals, such as school education and 
counselling. We will especially promote various kinds of empirical research 
on ministry. 
2. We aim to focus on “contemporary” ministry. We define that not as a 
particular stream or style of ministry (cool, trendy, emerging, etc) but 
ministry as it looks and works NOW in whatever contexts or traditions it is 
found. We want to find out what Christian ministries are doing today for the 
Kingdom of God, and what they might do even more with the right analysis of 
their context and methods. I hope this will uncover some aspects of current 
ministry that are creative, innovative, impacting, unusual, Spirit-inspired 
and/or effective. We will sometimes explore what hasn’t worked (or is 
somehow flawed) and why, and how it might have been done better, but we 
aim to have a positive tone throughout.  
3. We hope it will encourage more people to do research and report on it in 
a friendly setting. We will include contributions from serious researchers 
but also serving ministers and postgraduate students. I hope that these 
reports and articles will be widely read and will stimulate more thought and 
more research. I hope that this research will lead to positive changes in how 
we do ministry. 
4. We hope it will help create a new kind of discussion about ministry that is 
biblically-informed, theologically sharp, spiritually alive and empirically 
grounded. A discussion that helps pastors and others break out of the lazy, 
shallow patterns of thought I listed above. As a result, I hope we will see a 
new generation of ministers rise up who have sharp minds, good research 
skills, an openness to new ideas and Spirit-filled hearts. 
5. As a result, we aim to provide an excellent resource for practicing 
ministers as well as other researchers. 
 
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In order to achieve its goals, each issue of this journal will contain: 
• Four strongly researched articles that have been through a process of 
“double blind” peer review. 
• A pastoral reflection by an active Christian minister, one which will be 
thought-provoking and well informed by reading and praxis. 
• A stand-out essay by one of our Harvest postgraduate students. 
• A great collection of book reviews. This journal aims to be the go-to place for 
anyone looking for books that reflect the latest good thinking and praxis in 
contemporary ministry.  
• A list of recent theses in the field of contemporary ministry. 
• And maybe something else surprising or unusual. 
The material we invite will cover such topics as: 
1. Results of empirical research into aspects of contemporary Christian 
ministry, such as youth ministry, children’s ministry, pastoral leadership, 
church planting, intercultural ministry, workplace ministry and healing 
ministries, just to name a few. 
2. Theological and biblical reflection on issues that have arisen from the 
practices of contemporary Christian churches and ministries; for example, 
manifestations of the Spirit, worship styles, leadership culture, interfaith 
matters, political and social engagement, and so on. 
3. Underlying theological questions that lie behind Christian ministry issues, 
such as the role of women’s ministry in local churches, ethnic identity, 
ordination, apostleship and others.  
4. Proposals for new expressions or forms of Christian ministry based on social 
analysis, such as how to reach specific sub-cultures. 
We have successfully recruited some great researchers to our Editorial Board, as 
you can see in ‘About This Journal’. We have also formed an active and enthusiastic 
working team that is responsible for the production of each issue. More important are 
those who write for the journal. 
This issue’s four leading articles all relate to the question of how the 
contemporary church operates in the era we now find ourselves in, at least in countries 
like Australia,  an era which is somewhat postmodern, post-Christian, but also post-
secular.  
Here is a brief introduction to the authors: 
Dr Philip Hughes is the senior researcher with the Christian Research 
Association in Australia and now also the Chief Supervisor for Postgraduate Research at 
Harvest. He is one of the most experienced researchers on Australian Christianity and 
its social and cultural context. He is the author of several books and editor of Pointers, a 
regular bulletin on research findings from the work of CRA. Philip’s article explores the 
connections between the culture of churches and the surrounding social context, both 
as they are and as they should be. This will help ministers think about how much they 
should resist and/or embrace the changing culture we find ourselves in. 
Dr Juhani Tuovinen is Director of Teaching and Learning and Senior Research 
Fellow at Graeme Clark Research Institute, Tabor College, Adelaide, Australia. His article 
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on different ways and understandings of coming to faith draws on two important 
research data bases associated with the National Church Life Survey. It’s a great 
contribution to an understanding of faith journeys and a good model of research based 
on existing data. Pastors will find suggestive thoughts about how they might seek to 
stimulate faith in their own context. 
Pastor Graeme Flett is currently a member of the academic staff of Laidlaw 
College (Auckland campus), New Zealand, involved primarily with the development and 
implementation of the ministry internship program within their undergraduate 
degrees. He is studying towards a PhD through Otago University and is a credentialed 
Pastor with the Elim Churches of New Zealand. His article on “Visual Technologies 
within a Consumerist Culture” probes behind the image of the “happening” church to 
investigate how these images are produced. For a pastor, this article raises disturbing 
questions about how our love of new technologies may have unwanted side-effects.  
Pastor Andrew Groza has been a youth and young adults pastor at a large 
Pentecostal church in Melbourne and is now a VET Trainer and Online Coordinator at 
Harvest Bible College, Melbourne, with a passion for reaching the younger generations 
with a relevant Christian message. His article “With the curiosity of a bygone era,” 
explores the work of the Gospel and Our Culture Network (GOCN) in the light of the 
post-Christian context the western church finds itself in. There are some useful thoughts 
here for pastors as we try to manage the interaction between the gospel and our current 
cultural settings in the context of the local church. 
This Issue’s pastoral reflection comes from Pastor Jeremy Weetman, who is the 
pastor of Eikon Community on the Gold Coast, Queensland and currently a DMin student 
and adjunct lecturer with Harvest. It’s a very encouraging appreciation of the work of 
pastors. 
The student essay has been written by Asanga De Costa, who recently 
completed the MA at Harvest and is now back in ministry in Sri Lanka, pastoring a local 
church and pioneering some new forms of Christian ministry. In his essay, he explores 
leadership and authority models in Sri Lanka from a cultural and biblical perspective. 
This essay raises important questions that all Christian leaders should consider. 
I commend these articles and the other material in issue Number 1 to you and 
welcome your feedback via our Journal of Contemporary Ministry forum -    
http://journalofcontemporaryministry.blogspot.com.au/  
I would also like to encourage you write for the journal and to present papers at 
this year’s Harvest Research Conference around the theme “Church and Ministry: a 
Contemporary Voice.” You’ll find the call for papers in this journal and here is a link to a 
presentation by Dr Ian Grant on “How to craft your Master’s Degree essays into a  
brilliant conference presentation!”                                                                                                
Part 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyf3LGIWJyQ                                                                             
Part 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zc5_-zlf3Qg 
 
Enjoy the journey with us into contemporary ministry research! 
 


Editorial

De Costa, Asanga

What is the preferred/dominant leadership/authority style that can be used as a tool that is both culturally appropriate and biblically justifiable, to identify and develop emerging leadership of Sri Lankan Pentecostal/modern church?

Theses/Dissertation Listing - 2013

Hughes, Philip

 
ISSN 2205-0442                                                                                                                              JCMin Number 1 (May 2015) 
  
The Multi-Dimensional Issue of Culture and Christian 
Ministry. 
Rev Dr Philip Hughes 
MA(University of Melbourne), MEd(University of Melbourne), BD(Hons)(Melbourne 
College of Divinity), DTheol(South East Asia Graduate School of Theology                     
Chief Supervisor for Postgraduate Research, Harvest Bible College 
Contact: phughes@harvest.edu.au 
 
Abstract 
The categories of the theology of culture developed by H. Richard Neibuhr in Christ and 
Culture can be applied to approaches to ministry. Empirical studies of the church in 
northern Thailand demonstrated that in terms of architecture, the forms of service and 
other observable forms, the churches were often 'counter-cultural'. However, in other 
ways, such as in the themes of sermons and how they were developed, there was a 
strong Thai cultural flavour. Observations show that many mainstream Australian 
churches express themselves in ways which are counter to contemporary culture, for 
example in their architecture and forms of music, although their values and emphases 
often reflect contemporary culture. Charismatic churches more frequently use 
contemporary forms of architecture and music, but are counter-cultural, for example, in 
their teaching on many aspects of life, such as pre-marital sexuality. Heelas and 
Woodhead argue that charismatic churches are closer to contemporary culture in the 
ways they are open to the 'subjectivity' of formation of the self in contemporary 
Western societies, and suggest that may explain their greater appeal to many younger 
people than the appeal of the mainstream churches. There are several dimensions to 
ministry, including, for example, contextual, substantive and essential, which may all 
relate to culture in different ways. The challenge for theology is to work out in which 
dimensions ministry should be cultural, in which it should be 'counter-cultural', and in 
which it should be seeking to transform the culture. 
 
 


The Multi-Dimensional Issue of Culture and Christian Ministry

Complete Issue

Weetman, Jeremy

 
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Pastoral Reflection 
Ps Astrid Staley 
DMinCand(MST); MAMin(HBC); BAMin(HBC)                                                                          
Contact: astaley@harvest.edu.au 
Pastoral Reflections Editor  
 
In Praise of Pastors 
Ps Jeremy Weetman 
Jeremy Weetman has been in pastoral ministry for over twenty years. He 
and his wife planted the church they lead on the Gold Coast, Eikon 
Community, in 2006 and transitioned the congregation into a missional 
expression of church over the past two years. He has served on various 
denominational committees and is a sessional lecturer for Harvest Bible 
College, where he is also studying towards a Doctor of Ministry. 
 
To an eleven year old Pastor Griffiths was a big man, with the commanding 
presence you would expect from an ex-sergeant major in the British army. He had 
answered the door when I arrived to collect the prize my RE teacher (his wife) had 
promised when I learned the 23rd Psalm off by heart.  Somehow I think I managed to 
explain this to him, but you’ll understand my response when he looked meaningfully at 
me and said, “I expect to see you in Sunday school this week young man.”  So my story, 
from RE class to Sunday school to meeting Jesus was largely framed by being confronted 
with the imposing presence of Pastor Griffiths. 
He was always ‘Pastor Griffiths,’ never ‘Pastor Joe,’ although he became that to 
later congregations. To me he was always addressed by his surname, it was just ‘right.’ 
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He was my first pastor, and the man who taught me that to be a pastor was a calling, a 
vocation, a laying down of one’s life for the sheep. Pastor Griffiths never had a church 
that numbered in the thousands, I don’t even think in the hundreds, and yet over the 
years over a dozen full-time ministers came from churches he pastored. 
As a boy I was a little scared of Pastor Griffiths, I think it was that commanding 
presence, but he was one of the most genuinely caring people I have known. My mum 
didn’t drive, so he and his wife would call in to take her shopping each week and assist 
whenever and wherever they could. He was full of compassion and his eyes could carry 
a softness and warmth that would make anyone feel welcome and important. 
To be a pastor is to be entrusted by Jesus with the care of his sheep, his people, 
his local gathering of disciples. We talk, preach, teach and research a lot about 
leadership, and thank God for it, but the New Testament only mentions leader to 
identify the leader of a synagogue in the gospel narratives, and the call or gift to lead is 
only noted in Romans 12 along with generosity, serving and encouragement. I'm not 
trying to diminish the need for solid leadership - goodness knows I need to strengthen 
that area of my calling - but I am suggesting we are missing the more necessary call to 
pastor. 
The need for pastors is reflected in Eugene Peterson’s memoir where he calls for 
a re-evaluation of the pastoral vocation as it is commonly practiced today as he seeks to 
answer the question, “What does it mean to be a pastor?” This can be a difficult question 
to find an answer to in a society where pastors are leaders, and managers, and often 
entrepreneurs, and even sometimes drovers, but in its simplest form a pastor is a 
shepherd. 
The word pastor is only mentioned once in the New Testament, in Ephesians 
4:11, however the concept of being a shepherd (or of caring for the sheep/people of 
God) is a major New Testament theme. Jesus called himself the Good Shepherd in John 
10; in Hebrews he is called the Great Shepherd; 1 Peter 2 refers to Jesus as the 
'Shepherd and Overseer of our souls', in chapter 5 as the Chief Shepherd; and in 
Revelation 7 the Lamb (Jesus) is the one who will shepherd the martyred believers. 
Certainly a shepherd must lead, but a shepherd is one who leads by virtue of close 
relationship with the sheep (implied in Jn. 10:4-5 since the sheep know his voice) and 
'lays down his life' for the sheep. 
The apostle Paul chose an interesting word to describe how he understood what 
he and his fellow ministers did, one that implies the ‘laying down’ of one’s life, the word 
diakonos. It primarily referred to servants who waited on tables, and in the Greco-
Roman culture, “…was thought to be appropriate only for the low-born, women, or 
slaves” (Giles 1989, pp. 50-51), but in the upside-down world of the kingdom of God 
servanthood is to be embraced as done in the service of Christ, through the Spirit of 
Christ, for the body of Christ, by the people of Christ, servants of the servant-King. 
In the most common instances where Paul refers to ‘gifts’ – including that of 
Pastor – in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, and Ephesians 4 the gifts are for the service, 
for ministry, for the benefit of the body of believers. In fact the ministry gifts of 
Ephesians 4 are to equip the body for, “works of service (diakonia)”. This view of 
Christian ministry might explain why Paul prefaces his teaching in Romans 12 with the 
need to renew the mind and not allow the prejudices and social expectations of culture 
to influence how Christian ministry, to which all believers are called, is practiced. 
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Such an understanding conforms to Paul’s description of Jesus in Philippians 2 
where the believers are urged to ‘not look to your own interests but the interests of 
others,’ so that they might have ‘the same mind that was in Christ Jesus’ who ‘took the 
form of a slave…humbled himself…became obedient.’ Although Paul uses the term 
‘slave’ (doulos) to characterise the extreme descent of Christ, it was the attitude of 
humility, common to slaves and servants, that was being commended here. So 
immersed in this aspect of service, of his calling as a diakonos, was Paul that he can 
confidently demand of the Corinthians who are becoming prideful that, rather, they 
should imitate Paul’s humility (1 Cor. 4:16) and later, in desiring the good of many 
rather than just themselves, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (11:1). 
My memories of Pastor Griffiths are of a man who demonstrated this kind of 
ministry. He could preach, but he wasn’t great; he could teach, but he wasn’t great; he 
could lead worship, but he wasn’t great; he had Godly wisdom, but wasn’t a qualified 
counsellor. In my forty years as a Christian I have come across many people who were 
far more accomplished in these areas than Pastor Griffiths, but I have only met a few 
who have loved their congregation like he did. Although he worked full-time in secular 
employment he took seriously the mandate of Christ to care for the people with whom 
he had been entrusted. 
Pastor Griffiths’ evenings and weekends were taken up with meetings and Bible 
studies and prayer meetings and that most old-fashioned of pastoral duties – visitation. 
I sat in a class of experienced ministers recently as we discussed the nature of ministry, 
and the lecturer made reference to the classic book The Reformed Pastor by Richard 
Baxter. In it Baxter describes how he converted the town of Kidderminster by visiting 
the homes of the inhabitants and catchechizing them. We discussed how times had 
changed and how pastors no longer visited people in their homes and, in our time and 
culture, how many people prefer it that way. And yet, I thought of the sick, the elderly, 
the struggling families that I continue to visit because that is what Pastor Griffiths 
modelled for me, and that is what helps my congregation to feel loved and cared for and 
connected. Pastor Griffiths taught me that a pastor walks with his followers and lovingly 
and carefully (and sometimes sternly) leads them by giving his life to them and the 
journey they travel together. 
Not everyone can do that. I only have a small church, and if I had hundreds, or 
thousands, there is no way I could visit people. I understand that this is why we have 
pastoral care teams or small-group leaders, and yet I also have the words of more than 
one follower of Jesus echoing in my mind that it is easier to get an appointment with 
their local member of parliament than their senior pastor. Not everyone can visit, not 
everyone wants to be visited, but I wonder what message would be sent and received if 
every now and then the senior leader visited the shut-in, the sick or the lonely? 
Pastors are gifts to the body of Christ, and irrespective of whether they have a 
title or official role they will care for the people around them. Often leaders, preachers 
and teachers are remembered because of their level of influence, their writing or the 
recording of their talks. Not so much pastors. To be a pastor is a humble vocation where 
prayer, encouragement, shared sorrow and joy, and a deep care for those God connects 
you with is remembered only by those who journey with you. Pastors aren't always up-
front leaders, on a platform, or recognised as such. Often they are people in any 
congregation or group who give care and support to those around them. Without these 
people our churches, our communities, our social groups and our world would be a far 
more damaged, hurting and fragmented place. 
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Caring for our congregations as servant-shepherds reminds us of our humanity 
and helps to keep us humble. When we are involved with the very human weaknesses, 
failings and struggles of ordinary people in their ordinary lives we are often confronted 
with our own weaknesses, failings and struggles. Along with his description of his 
vocation as that of a servant, Paul’s favoured descriptor in addressing his letters is that 
of apostle (note that it is always, “Paul, an apostle,” or similar, rather than Apostle Paul), 
which is often regarded by him as a ministry of weakness rather than one of status and 
grace (Clarke 2000, loc. 2107). 
You would think that a seventeen year old would understand that his pastor was 
wiser than him, but I didn’t. We had a situation in our church that ultimately decimated 
the congregation. I’m not sure what Pastor Griffiths could have done differently, and feel 
that through all the pain God was working his purposes for his church, but at the time I 
felt that it had all been handled wrongly and in the ignorance and arrogance of youth 
told my pastor so! 
He was gracious, and though I could see the anger and hurt in his eyes, he said he 
understood my perspective even though he didn’t agree, and urged me to pray for the 
church and the situation. So I did, and in that way that God has of revealing our own 
hearts, the Holy Spirit showed me that my reaction was born of my anger and my hurt 
and that rather than blaming my pastor I should pray for and with him. 
I knew what I had to do, so with reluctance and embarrassment I went to his 
house and asked him to forgive me both my words and my attitude. He looked at me 
with gentle eyes, assured me that of course I was forgiven, and asked if I would pray 
with him. For the rest of the time I knew him, whether as my pastor or when we 
spasmodically met over the next few decades, he was never less than loving, gracious, 
encouraging and, at times, gently correcting. 
My apology was accepted; our relationship remained strong. 
I’m not suggesting that every situation should be handled in exactly the same 
manner, my point is that Pastor Griffiths knew me and responded in a way that provided 
for the greatest growth in my life and the healthiest outcome for our relationship. 
Pastors don’t manage their congregations, they exegete them. 
When describing himself as the Good Shepherd, Jesus says that he knows his 
sheep and they know him, and then makes a stunning statement to describe the depth 
of that relationship, “Just as the Father knows me and I know the Father” (Jn. 10:15). 
The intimacy of the Trinitarian fellowship is the relationship Jesus has with his sheep. 
Obviously a pastor doesn’t have that depth of relationship with his congregation, or 
even some of them, but the example set by the Shepherd is that those who are called as 
his under-shepherds will know the people with whom they are entrusted and will thus 
ensure the greatest care and journey of discipleship for them. 
The leaders of local churches in the first century were charged by Paul to 
‘manage’ (proistemi) his family - lead, direct, protect, guard - and ‘care for’ 
(epimeleomai) the congregation (1 Tim.3:4-5) - implying forethought and provision1 
(Vine 1997, p. 161) - which I would suggest seems to indicate more watching over God’s 
church. This is an important distinction when we consider that Paul also calls these 
leaders ‘stewards’ (oikonomos) in Titus 1:7. The term steward was used of free men or 
                                                      
1 Vine’s notes: “the direction of mind towards the object cared for,” and gives the example of the word 
as used in the story of the Good Samaritan. 
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ex-slaves, or more often of slaves who performed this role for their master (Young 1994, 
p. 102-103). This fits well with Paul’s concept of gifted service and vocational 
disposition, since this overseer/steward’s duties included, “…administer God’s 
household…oversee the behaviour of the members…ensure sound teaching is 
promulgated…proper order is maintained…and respectful, orderly interaction between 
members of the household community” (Young 1994, p. 103). Such a role required both 
the gifting to fulfil the duties and the character to serve with humility and set the moral 
tone both within the community and, in this honour/shame conscious society, in the 
wider community as well. 
The challenge of knowing the congregation, of caring for God’s church as 
competent stewards, isn’t necessarily dependent on the size of the local church but on 
the application and attitude of the pastor. Different sizes, different structures, different 
models and different cultures simply require a variety of approaches to the same end – 
knowing the people. What inhibits this outcome is organisational distance or isolation 
on the part of the pastor. As much as the biblical ideal is of a faith community of engaged 
disciples, this is also true of its leadership.  
Whether Ephesians 4 refers to specific individuals whose vocational gift to the 
body is being described, or the ‘ministry gifts’ are each representative of a group of 
people so gifted within each local church community, there is no doubt that they are, 
indeed, gifts. Gordon Fee observes that the various lists of gifts we find in the Pauline 
epistles aren’t exhaustive, but are representative of the diversity of the operation of the 
Spirit in the life of the church (Fee 1994, p. 161). Giles adds the insightful thought that 
Paul’s description of these varied gifts ultimately excludes any separation between 
natural and supernatural ministries in the church and sees these gifts as whatever the 
Spirit presses into service for the growth and health of the church (Giles 1989, p. 16). 
Pastors are gifts given by Christ and empowered by the Spirit for the building up 
of the body of Christ. To be a pastor, particularly one who has embraced a vocation as 
such, is often a difficult endeavour. We live in an often messy, always complicated and 
busy world. We live in a culture that is arguably more connected and less connected at 
the same time. This is the world in which pastors are charged by Jesus to shepherd the 
sheep, care for them, watch over them, and equip them for growth and maturity. 
I remember sitting in Bible College during my final year, as a graduate of the 
college came to teach our pastoral ministry class. He looked at all of us eager young 
world-changers and began with words I have never forgotten, “Being a pastor is the 
worst job in the whole world…except for all the others.” 
Often that is our experience. People are thoughtless, and fickle, and take offense, 
and gossip, and criticise, and take pastors for granted. They are also kind, and generous, 
and supportive, and encouraging, and forgiving, and love their pastors more than we 
deserve. Pastors are flawed, messy and yet hopeful people who are seeking to shepherd 
other flawed, messy and yet hopeful people. 
Pastor Griffiths taught me that loving God means loving his people as well, even 
when it is difficult and inconvenient and costly. He taught me that people are valuable 
because they are loved and valued by God. 
 
And isn't that the Christian message? 
 
ISSN 2205-0442                                                                                                                               JCMin Number 1 (May 2015) 
 65 
Bibliography 
Clarke, A. D. (2000). Serve the Community of the Church. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans. 
Fee, G. D. (1994). God’s Empowering Presence. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson. 
Giles, K. (1989). Patterns of Ministry Among the First Christians. North Blackburn, VIC: 
Collins Dove. 
Peterson, E. H. (2011), The Pastor: A Memoir. New York, NY: Harper Collins. 
Vine, W. E. (1997). Vines’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. 
Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson. 
Young, F. M. (1994). The Theology of the Pastoral Letters. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge 
University Press. 


In Praise of Pastors

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