Thursday, October 09, 2008

What is a Pastor?

A pastor is a Biblical Scholar. A pastor has been trained in the art of not just interpreting the text, but of explaining it in relevant ways which lead a congregation to apply the truths within it. This is because the Biblical text is the DNA of the church; it is these ancient writings which explain who we are.

A pastor is a theologian. A pastor must be knowledgable about the theological truths that center the Christian community. This is because theology is the codification (which is just a fancy word for labeling and organizing) of the truths we learn from the text.

A pastor is an artist. It is through the arts that the pastor communicates to his people; whether the spoken, the written, or the musical. The pastors job is to engage the people entrusted to their care with the Truth, but must be cerative with how it is presented. If the pastor ceases to be an artist, the text will not be properly engaged.

A pastor is a lover. These actions are all done out of love. The pastor does not do anything for the goal of any reward; simply out of love. When a pastor stops loving, their calling dies out.

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