We were recently asked several months ago to fill out a survey about what qualifications we thought a pastor should have for our. We are in the process of calling a new pastor. As I thought about it, I figured it would be good to consult the Word of God about the issue and see what God was looking for, and this is what I came up with:
What is a Biblical Pastor?
A Biblical Pastor is empowered with the Spirit of God to preach the Word of God, which is foolishness to those who are perishing, but is the Power of God to those of us who are being saved (1 Corinthians 1:18).
A Biblical Pastor does not preach on his own power, or by using wise and persuasive words full of worldly wisdom. He is, however, filled with the Spirit of God, so that our salvation is not based on the wisdom of the world, but rather, on the Power of God (1 Corinthians 2:1-5).
A Biblical Pastor should also be one who studies to show himself approved, a workman who needs not be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth (2 Timothy 2:15).
A Biblical Pastor is above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap (1 Timothy 3:1-7).
A Biblical Pastor has a high view of Scripture and holds to the inerrancy and
sufficiency of Scripture. He also affirms everything in the following passage:
“15and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:15-17)
· It is Scripture which makes us wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
· All Scripture is inspired by God and is, therefore, without error.
· Scripture Alone (sola scriptura) is sufficient for teaching, rebuking and
correcting false doctrine and immoral living, and training in righteousness to
equip the Church to do the will of God.
A Biblical Pastor Does not hold to godless myths and old wives tales, but instead, devotes his life to Scripture, to preaching and to teaching, and sets the example for the believers in speech, life, love, faith and purity (1 Timothy 4).
A Biblical Pastor will preach the Word faithfully, even if it is unpopular (2 Timothy 4). In my opinion, the best way to remain faithful to the Word of God is to hold to an expositional form of preaching which allows the Word of God to speak for itself and challenges the believers, through the internal testimony of the Holy Spirit to
yield their understanding of truth and reality to what Scripture teaches. It also challenges the pastor to stay away from their own human understanding, and to study to show themselves approved under the authority of the Holy Spirit working in their lives so that it remains God’s Word and not the Word of Man.
A Biblical pastor is a shepherd of God’s flock who is not greedy for money but eager to serve, not a tyrant, but an example (a servant leader as Jesus was), who always has the best interest of the Church in mind whether it be in his best interest or not. This man, as a result, will see the eternal results of his work in Heaven (1 Peter 5).
A Biblical Pastor loves, cares for, and ministers to those who are lost and downtrodden (James 1:27).
A Biblical Pastor understands and affirms the message of Romans 3:9-31):
No one is righteous and seeks God / Salvation is of God, not man (total depravity of mankind: vv. 9-17).
The law makes us conscience of our sin, condemns us of our sin, and convicts us of our sin (vv. 19-20).
While we were totally incapable of saving ourselves, God saved us through his grace. Salvation is, therefore, not of works, lest any man should boast, but completely the work of God (vv. 21-31).
A Biblical Pastor loves God, loves the Church, and loves the lost world and obeys God through obeying his commands (Deuteronomy 6:4-5;
Mark 12:28-31; Matthew 29:16-20; 1 John 2:3-6).
To me, it is more important what God wants for our Church than what we might want. I think God’s Word is a great place to look to find what qualifications God has for the pastor of his Church.
