Friday, May 25, 2007 at 12:12am
What kind of pastor will I be?
Column: For His Glory
Have you ever peered into the future and wondered if you will meet its expectations? Are you what you thought you would be when you first entered your career? When you first graduated college, you had dreams and aspirations you wanted to fulfill. Have you fulfilled them? Or has reality somehow robbed you of your dreams? Maybe you set out unrealistic dreams, and now realize you were living in an idealized world never to be fulfilled. What robs people of their future? What will you do to prevent faded dreams from becoming your reality?
As I peer forward to January 2008, I try to envision what kind of pastor I will become. Having never been a pastor before, I realize that to define my role I have to go to the Bible and see what words of counsel I can find. Hence I began to read the letters Paul wrote to Timothy found in the Bible. There is enough practical advice to last a lifetime. We sometimes complicate things in the ministry and divide our attention among too many programs and begin to neglect the things that are truly important. We can get stuck in our past successes and forget that the present needs more of us. Circumstances change, and what worked in the past or in a different state might not work in a new location. Therefore, when I find myself in a rut, I go back to basics, and that means back to the Bible.
What does Paul says is the first duty of a man of God? "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone" (1 Timothy 2:1). When studied closely, you can tell that there are four types of prayers Paul urges us to make.
The first of these is personal request. As a future pastor, I must get close to my leaders and members in order to understand what it is they desire that God may do in their lives. I must be ready to listen to their needs and train my leaders to do the same, realizing that building relationships will take time and personal effort but I must "feed His sheep."
The second type of prayer is general prayer request. We all have big and small things we pray about, and these are no less important than personal ones. We pray for world hunger, the health of our church, locally and globally. We pray for safety, for ourselves and for church members. We pray for our government leaders. This type of prayers is needed to keep our perspective on the big picture, that God cares and loves everyone.
The third type of prayer is intercession, when we intercede for the salvation of others. We may have family members who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and hence we spend time specifically praying for their walk with Christ. I know that in every congregation there are people struggling with day-to-day issues. I want to be able to pour my heart out in prayer on their behalf. They may feel discouraged and about to give up on Christianity; yet I can intercede on their behalf so that they may realize that someone cares for them and continue to fight. What a privilege to be able to intercede on behalf of another.
Then finally there are prayers of thanksgiving, in which I can come alongside a member and praise our loving God for the victories He alone can give. Thanksgiving that will make us laugh and weep, knowing that we are not alone in the universe and someone cares for us so deeply He was willing to die. That is something to continually give thanks for.
Therefore as I look toward the future and try to learn what type of pastor the Bible calls me to be, I realize it must start with prayer. Hence I must have a deep personal prayer life and also pray with my people and let them know I am praying for them. A deep intimate prayer life is the key to being a successful pastor.
"Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension" (1 Timothy 2:8)
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Gio Marin is an author, currently working on a master of divinity degree at Andrews Seventh-Day Adventist Theological Seminary, with a dual emphasis on systematic theology and church growth & evangelism. Visit For His Glory, the blog, and send an email to {email GioMarinColumn@aol.com}GioMarinColumn@aol.com{/email}. © copyright 2007 by Gio Marin
As I peer forward to January 2008, I try to envision what kind of pastor I will become. Having never been a pastor before, I realize that to define my role I have to go to the Bible and see what words of counsel I can find. Hence I began to read the letters Paul wrote to Timothy found in the Bible. There is enough practical advice to last a lifetime. We sometimes complicate things in the ministry and divide our attention among too many programs and begin to neglect the things that are truly important. We can get stuck in our past successes and forget that the present needs more of us. Circumstances change, and what worked in the past or in a different state might not work in a new location. Therefore, when I find myself in a rut, I go back to basics, and that means back to the Bible.
What does Paul says is the first duty of a man of God? "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone" (1 Timothy 2:1). When studied closely, you can tell that there are four types of prayers Paul urges us to make.
The first of these is personal request. As a future pastor, I must get close to my leaders and members in order to understand what it is they desire that God may do in their lives. I must be ready to listen to their needs and train my leaders to do the same, realizing that building relationships will take time and personal effort but I must "feed His sheep."
The second type of prayer is general prayer request. We all have big and small things we pray about, and these are no less important than personal ones. We pray for world hunger, the health of our church, locally and globally. We pray for safety, for ourselves and for church members. We pray for our government leaders. This type of prayers is needed to keep our perspective on the big picture, that God cares and loves everyone.
The third type of prayer is intercession, when we intercede for the salvation of others. We may have family members who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and hence we spend time specifically praying for their walk with Christ. I know that in every congregation there are people struggling with day-to-day issues. I want to be able to pour my heart out in prayer on their behalf. They may feel discouraged and about to give up on Christianity; yet I can intercede on their behalf so that they may realize that someone cares for them and continue to fight. What a privilege to be able to intercede on behalf of another.
Then finally there are prayers of thanksgiving, in which I can come alongside a member and praise our loving God for the victories He alone can give. Thanksgiving that will make us laugh and weep, knowing that we are not alone in the universe and someone cares for us so deeply He was willing to die. That is something to continually give thanks for.
Therefore as I look toward the future and try to learn what type of pastor the Bible calls me to be, I realize it must start with prayer. Hence I must have a deep personal prayer life and also pray with my people and let them know I am praying for them. A deep intimate prayer life is the key to being a successful pastor.
"Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension" (1 Timothy 2:8)
— — —
Gio Marin is an author, currently working on a master of divinity degree at Andrews Seventh-Day Adventist Theological Seminary, with a dual emphasis on systematic theology and church growth & evangelism. Visit For His Glory, the blog, and send an email to {email GioMarinColumn@aol.com}GioMarinColumn@aol.com{/email}. © copyright 2007 by Gio Marin