“Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do His work and build up the church, the body of Christ.” Ephesians 4:12 (NLT)
A pastor’s primary role is to feed, nurture and equip the saints. So many pastors are way too busy doing things others should do! This isn’t a good or God thing! Some of this is because of the model of church they are operating under. Some of this is because they have come to believe that busyness is the way to success. Saints, all the blame for pastors’ busyness doesn’t fall on them. Saints need to rise up and follow Christ wholeheartedly, obeying what He said and continues to say. Saints need to rise up so that pastors can pastor, that is feed, nurture and equip the saints. The pastor’s role is not to do all the church administration stuff, or hospital visits, or even leading people to Christ. That is the body’s responsibility. The pastor needs to train and release the congregation to do these things. The first apostles had to deal this in the early church when they could not keep up with all the demands and expectations of the growing body of believers. They assigned others to do some of the work so they could “give their attention to prayer and the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:1-4). If your pastor is weary, stretched and burning out (which many are), pray for him, for others to rise up to surround him and for yourself about what can you do to play your part in your congregation.
So, pray specifically for your pastor to be more effective at feeding, nurturing and equipping the saints. Pray that the things he does that he doesn’t need to do, or should be doing, would be removed from his plate, and that if they are to be done, others would rise up and do them. Pray that your pastor would be freed to spend more time in prayer and in the word. Pray for a fresh fire to be ignited in your pastor’s heart and wisdom on how to lead, disciple and equip your congregation. Pray that more people would step up and serve. Pray that across our city we would stand together as the citywide body of Christ and surround our pastors with prayer and blessing.
