Pastoral Extent and Limitation⤒🔗

A minister is not only a preacher, but he is also a pastor. His core task — being a servant of God's word — materializes in his pastoral work in the congregation. His pastoral work serves the alignment of God's Word with the faith of the hearer. From this point of view, in my own pastorate, I will begin to put in practice the tasks I discussed in my first article "The Preacher." This new start will give me an opportunity to identify a variety of multi-coloured pastoral cares and duties that came at me. Within the church council, we made agreements about my pastoral task in the congregation: (1) to streamline my pastoral care and (2) to prevent the overall workload from being too challenging and demanding. Agreements have been reached after consultation with all the twelve district teams: the district elders, the district deacons, and the diaconal female assistant. Each team has indicated with increasing intensity to be united in their efforts in taking care of the various needs in the congregation.

This discussion in the church council resulted in outlining my pastoral tasks as follows:

1. equipping the members of the church council in their work of pastoral care and diaconal care,
2. assisting the members of a pastoral team who give guidance to families and individual members of the congregation who have major difficulties and worries,
3. giving counsel to those who visit the chronically ill and other sick people in nursing homes and care centres, in consultation with the ward team;
4. visits to couples who had a baby in connection with the baptism of their infant,
5. marriage counselling, together with my wife,
6. congratulatory visits to wedding anniversaries such as golden jubilees (50 years of marriage). The church council has explained my various tasks in these fields to the congregation.

Providing information to the congregation develops interaction between the church council and the congregation and promotes the involvement and understanding of the work of a minister. This stimulates the spiritual climate between the council and the congregation and neutralises feelings of frustration, especially on the part of the minister. In all the hustle and bustle in the church council's work, arrangements can be made to promote togetherness and a common responsibility for spiritual leadership in the congregation.

The Pastoral Congregation←⤒🔗

It is fair to say that in our council the call became louder and louder: Put the work of pastoral labour in the congregation on "multiple shoulders". This sort of signal depends on the available energy, mental strength, and time that is left after my daily work is done and the responsibility of our marriage and family commitments in our household. I am thinking here of a single brother in the office of pastor, and of us as a pastoral congregation, how the mutual responsibility between each other functions. We recognize this in Paul's vision of a congregation as a body of Christ, under the direction of the Head of the church, Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-27).   She is a community of saints and a faith-related fabric of Christ! She is called to have communion with Christ and with each other by faith in him:

so those who received his word were baptized, and they were added that day about three thousand souls. Acts. 2:41

God is faithful, by whom you were called into fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.1 Corinthians 1:9

The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.,1 Corinthians 10:16-17

The mutual pastorate in the congregation can therefore be a “circulatory system” of the church. In other words, we are a hand and a foot to each other, the biblical interpretation of the office of all believers. It stimulates a healthy and firm community life in joy and grief! In all this, the preacher functions as a pastor and as a preacher in a role of his own. He proclaims Christ. He guides the congregation in the workshop of the mutual pastorate. He himself practices the rules of his office according to the agreements made.

The Identity of a Pastor←⤒🔗

It is necessary for a pastor and his meaningful pastoral functioning to regularly look at the picture of his own pastoral identity: the relationship between his religious humanity, his life history and spirituality and his role as a pastor. If the pastor is spiritually mature, his pastoral identity is characterized by integrity, by developing a professional attitude, and by a sincere but careful involvement in his private dealings with people to prevent sexual harassment. If the closeness and proximity becomes too great, temptations may set in. He must be firm in situations of disciplinary action, as described in Lord's Day 31 of the Heidelberg Catechism. He has an office of confidentiality that must be handled with the utmost care. He must ensure that he does not become a plaything between contentious parties in the congregation. It belongs to his pastoral competence that he knows when to remain silent or to speak. This seems obvious, but he must use a lot of wisdom, especially in touchy pastoral matters.

A genuine pastor is trustworthy: "Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy" (1 Corinthians 4:2); "and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also" (2 Timothy 2:2). He must be able to equip the congregation to assist each other: "to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:12). He must use wisdom to teach the congregation in the Holy Scriptures: (2 Timothy 2:2; see also 1 Thessalonians 5:12; 1 Timothy 3:1-16; 1 Peter 5:1-3). He must be a man with a warm heart, who is able to provide a shepherd's care to fellow human beings on their path of life in faith. All these aspects of a pastor's work will work together and be stimulating, but it also requires care and modesty in his performance. The pastor must realize that he is at best a travel companion with the Book for Life in his hand. By himself, he does not determine which way to go; he is walking with the council and the congregation.

 What is a Ppastorate?←⤒🔗

For me, all this depends on the question of what a pastorate is. It is derived from the word pastor, a shepherd. A pastorate is the office of a shepherd who takes care of believers in a responsible way by following the Saviour, the good Shepherd: "And you, o Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel" (Mathew 2:6; see also Ezekiel 34; John 10:11-18). He is the great shepherd of the sheep — "Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep" (Hebrews 13:20) — and the chief shepherd: "And when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory" (1 Peter 5:4). Jesus uses the shepherd metaphor to indicate the mission given to him by his Father:

I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel  Matthew 15:24;

But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep…. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So, there will be one flock, one shepherd. John 10:2, 16

Jesus also calls himself a shepherd to show the meaning of his suffering and dying:

You will all fall away, for it is written 'I will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered.'Mark. 14:27

You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered' Matthew 26:31

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep…. Just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep.John 10:11, 15

The pastor labours in his flock, the congregation, with compassion, love, and care. He gives leadership, shows abundant love, and promotes endurance in the faith. He provides spiritual food that is necessary for her well-being. He protects her and promotes unity in the church. After his ascension, the Lord Jesus did not leave his work unfinished, but he placed the leadership of his church in the hands of the office-bearers, who are required to take care of the congregation. The pastorate is and remains the foundation for the pastoral care in the congregation. It is the care for the people and by people before God's face! That care requires a loving eye and an open ear. God's Word is connected and tailored to the "care demand" of a unique person who is called to be the pastor. He is placed in that special calling to help and support the people in their life of faith. However, the pastor is not the only pastor or shepherd in the church. The elders are co-workers along with the pastor and thus under-shepherds. To be more precise, the pastor is also an elder, but a teaching elder. He has a special calling to teach, preach, and clarify God's Word. Perhaps it would be good to discuss this again in the church council. The workload of the minister could be reduced as a result.

The Preacher as a Pastor←⤒🔗

The pastor is convinced in his heart that God has called him to the service of preaching, teaching, and pastoral duties. Along with the consistory, he gives divine guidance to the congregation to promote its spiritual growth towards Christ, its Head, and to encourage love for each other within the communion of saints: "Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ" (Ephesians 4:15). The management in the church has administrative aspects, but he is not a manager. His guidance is in the service of Christ and his church and he delivers spiritual care to the congregation in his special office. His caring persona is linked to his identity and his personal development throughout his life and his practical experience.

The pastorate is first and foremost providing spiritual care to God's people. A pastor accompanies the members of the congregation on their path of life and faith and guides them with God's Word. He listens carefully and affectionately to their spiritual needs to see when, and in which way, he can help God's people in their situation. The pastor realizes that at those times he represents Christ, the Truth, and the living Word. Christ's Word is comforting, admonishing, and encouraging. His Word breaks critically into a person's life, exposes disbelief, exposes deep hidden sins, reveals guilt, and calls for faith and repentance.

In this multi-coloured way of giving special care for God's people, the pastor searches for words to give thanks to God, to confess his guilt before him, to ask for forgiveness, be committed to give ear to God's voice and to call on him for mercy. He is quiet when there are no words to express his sorrow, loneliness, and concerns. That silence before God's face speaks its own language. Sometimes, just then, he will experience the loving care of the real Pastor and will then express his trust in him alone: "even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death (or darkness), I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and staff, they comfort me" (Psalm 23:4).

Thus, the preacher-pastor goes on his way in full dependence on his Sender and awareness of his responsibility towards Christ's church.