Write The Author
By Neal Griffin
Jesus, the Good Shepherd, demonstrated a concern for His sheep when He told Peter to, "feed my sheep". It is interesting that the verb, "feed", is translated "pastor". To pastor is to feed. Verbs have to do with action and, in this case, service (feeding)is the action. The Kingdom of Heaven has all to do with service. It has nothing to do with human offices or positions of authority. Matthew 20:20-26. Jesus went to great lengths to emphasize that the Kingdom attitude should be that of service and not the seeking of positions of authority. The pastors of Ezekiel were called into account for not feeding. The undeniable conclusion is that pastors should feed, and whoever it is who is doing the feeding is a pastor. A pastor by any other name is still a pastor. We may choose to call him "the minister", "evangelist", "preacher", or whatever, but he is still a pastor. That is, if he does the feeding.
Most denominated religious organizations consider it their first order of business to "hire" a "go-getter"pastor to be in charge and get the church moving. After this chore is done it is unthinkable that anyone else, besides the pastor, would ascend to the pulpit, on a regular basis, to feed the flock. This method of operation is despairingly, but correctly, referred to as the "pastor system".
We of the one true church are horrified with such a system. We renounce it to the bitter end. We argue that Jesus, in a few words, condemned the system in John l0:l2, all the while surrounding ourselves with all the trappings of a true pastor system. We "hire" a feeder (pastor) but we call him "the minister" or "the evangelist". Both terms are erroneous. "Minister" is what we all are. One individual should not be designated as "the" minister. What this minister is doing is feeding the flock for pay. He should be correctly identified as a paid pastor. "Evangelist" is the term for one sent. Paid pastors are rarely sent anywhere except to special meetings for which they receive extra pay from the hearers. Evangelists received financial aid, but from other churches. There is not one example of an evangelist being set up and kept by a localized group of Christians. In every case they were sent. Evangelists preached the Gospel to the unsaved. When they left pastors fed the saved. They taught men and women how saved ones should behave themselves. They taught doctrine. The Scriptural pattern that we have is of an evangelist who insisted on not being a burden. We have a pattern of a tentmaker evangelist who worked with his hands. Why is it that the pattern keeping preachers never use this pattern? Why is it that they never refer to the pattern given by Jesus when He sent out the apostles and the seventy? I'll tell you why they do not. It is because these patterns do not confirm their method of operation. One does not bite the hand that feeds him. However, it is not completely the fault of preachers that they are not freed up to go out into a world of lost sinners and preach the glad tidings of salvation. The fault is mainly with pew warmers who enjoy a good "sermon" (another unscriptural term) from the lips of a polished pulpiteer, a good sermon that assures them that they are in the right party and that their salvation is secure because of their membership in it. The fault is with pew warmers who require professional pampering, pew warmers who instead of ministering must be ministered unto. Yes, we are guilty participants in the pastor system and hypocrites for denying it. The question is, are we willing to do anything about it?
The congregation of Christians assembling at Second Avenue and W. Walnut, Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, l7745, are not guilty. Perhaps you would be interested in how they did it. I suppose that they would be happy to share with you. God bless you as you hunger and thirst for righteousness.
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