What Your Job Is Not...And What It Is
Okay, you are a pastor.
That’s your title.
But what is your job?
My guess is that you were given an official job description when you were hired. It details what the expectations are of you and to whom you are responsible.
But at the end of the day…in a sentence…what are you supposed to be doing? What are you to be about?
We get a hint from the Apostle Paul. He made it very clear in his letter to the church at Ephesus that the task of leaders is to “equip the saints” (Eph. 4:12).
Equip the Saints
But to equip them for what? To learn how to modify their behavior? I suppose to some extent. It’s better that those deemed “saints” sin less.
To practice spiritual disciplines? Those are certainly helpful. That is, as long as they become a means to something rather than an end in themselves.
To live happier lives? Well, I guess there’s something to be said about that. The gospel is, after all, Good News.
But Paul continues on in Ephesians 4:12 to tease out this job description: “…to equip the saints for works of service.”
That is to say, followers of Christ were not only saved from something and to something but for something.
Followers of Christ are not only saved from something and to something but for something.
And that “something” is made very clear in the marching orders Jesus gave His followers shortly before He ascended to heaven:
“…Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you…”
(Matthew 28:19-20)
You’ll notice something here. Jesus didn’t say “make converts.” Apparently, to His way of thinking, conversion was a starting point, not an ending point.
To Jesus’ way of thinking, conversion was a starting point, not an ending point.
Nor did He say, “build the church.” On another occasion, the Lord bluntly said that He would build the church.
In fact, here’s an interesting statistic. The word “church” is used only two times in the gospels. The word “disciple” is used more than two hundred times.
Here’s a thought that can be difficult to wrap your mind around, but I think is oh, so true. Effective discipleship builds the church, not the other way around.
Build the Church or Make Disciples?
If you set out to build the church, there is no guarantee you will make disciples. In fact, it is far more likely that you will create consumers who depend on the spiritual goods and services the religious professionals provide.
If you set out to build the church, there is no guarantee you will make disciples. In fact, it is far more likely that you will create consumers who depend on the spiritual goods and services the religious professionals provide.
Tragically, many of us have totally focused on the “church” thing. We went to Bible college or seminary to learn how to build prevailing churches. We hire staff and we focus our budget on building a successful church.
And we can answer with some degree of satisfaction the three classic questions that dominate pastoral discussions:
How large is your Sunday attendance?
How many staff members do you have?
How big is your annual budget?
The thing is, the only number Jesus is counting is disciples. Not our attendance or staff or budget. He wants to know if we’re making disciples. Why? Because He knows that only as we make disciples do we extend the Kingdom.
The only number Jesus is counting is disciples. Not our attendance or staff or budget. He wants to know if we’re making disciples. Why? Because He knows that only as we make disciples do we extend the Kingdom.
What Business Are You In?
Business guru Peter Drucker said that there are two key questions every leader should ask on a regular basis. The first is, “What business are we in?” Unless this is crystal clear, there is no way to monitor success.
The second is, “How’s business?” If we know what we’re to be about, then we’ll be able to assess how we’re doing.
So, let me ask you, “What business are you in?” According to the New Testament, it’s the business of equipping the saints…of making disciples.
That being the case, “How’s business?” Is this what’s happening in your local setting? I mean really? Or is something else happening…something that may be far less than what was intended?
When you really grapple with this, it can be disconcerting if not downright discouraging as it relates to measuring success. But the upside is that you might just be on the threshold of a shift in thinking. And that shift can be the beginning of a breakthrough.
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