As we are getting up from the fall, God will send his called physicians along side us to assist in the recovery. They will not be dressed in scrubs and have a stethoscope attached to their neck, but they will be power players in the Kingdom. They will be the one quoting the scriptures that bring healing to the brokenhearted and restoration to the fallen saint of God. The church has been given everything she needs to minister to those who fall victim to the enemy’s use. We have the ultimate power residing in our hearts enabling all saints to get up from the fall. We have elaborated about the individual with the assumption this unidentified person is not in church leadership, but what if they are. Who comes along and serves the struggling …show more content…
leaders during their season of despair? The following statistics are staggering regarding church leadership, and prove the ministry of restoration is needed more today than any other time in American history. Our armor bearers, those serving church leadership, have much work ahead of them in the days to come. Our battlefield warrior will be the ones who have overcome such temptations to encourage our leadership. Even if you have fallen into the pit of despair, God can use you to help others. Often times, your testimony and life will be just what the Great Physician ordered. The Old Testament is filled with examples of men who were armor bearers to some of God’s greatest kings and leaders.
One of the most amazing aspects of these armor bearers is the roll they filled following their service and obedience to their master. Elisha, David, and Joshua are a few armor bearers that became prominent leaders after fulfilling their ordained ministry to Elijah, Saul, and Moses. We applaud their dedication but the question arises within us, is there an immediate need for armor bearers? To grasp a full understanding of the question at hand, we need a true definition of today’s armor bearer. “A modern day armor bearer is one called by God to serve and help his assigned leader in life, ministry, and especially in the fight of faith. In essence, an armor bearer is called to attend to, minister to, care for, help, be of use, assist, benefit, promote, support, make easy for, nourish, and encourage their leader” (ministrydescriptions.oracion). This detailed explanation alludes to the rationale that armor bearers are very much needed in today’s church. “It’s been reported that about 75% of pastors go through a period of stress so great that they consider quitting and that the incidents of mental breakdowns are so high that insurance companies charge about 4% extra to cover church staff members when compared to employees in other businesses” (armorbearertraining.org). What is the pastoral turn-over rate and what are contributing factors to this staggering number? Can we surmise the spirit of the armor bearer has left the building and the days of Barnabas have ceased to exist? “More than 1,700 pastors leave the ministry every month. To prevent the continued flight of our pastors, we need to understand the cause of the problem” (churchleaders.com). “On average, a pastor is leaving the ministry every 30 minutes. The third most stressful job in the United States of America is that of a pastor”
(Cutshall). How do we come alongside our church leaders and take on the identity of an armor bearer? How do we bear the weight of the leader’s armor? We do not physically carry a shield or a sword as the Ancient of Days portrayed in the pages of His Word. “In biblical days, an armor bearer was one who held a sword and shield and who stood beside their leader offering protection from any enemy that rose up against them. They would be willing to sacrifice their life to save their leader if it became necessary. Today, he’s still a protector in a sense because he stands beside his spiritual leader performing a number of duties designed to protect and support him” (jobduties.net). The role of the armor bearer contains approximately 45 functions ranging from security to prayer warrior. “Today's pastor or church leader faces a host of dangers, both physical and spiritual, that can destroy ministries, families, and even take the very life of the leader” (Cutshall). How many times have the lives of our pastors been threatened with death, destruction, and defeat? The enemy has been a wreaking havoc since his fall from Heaven. 1 Peter 5:8 warns us, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” Since we can see the top ten reasons our pastors are devoured and walk away from the ministry, our question should be, “What can I do to assist my pastor?” “The number one reason pastors quit too soon is discouragement” (Peters). Barnabas, whose name means son of encouragement, was one of the best examples we have in God’s Word to emulate. We can all be an encourager from time to time. The human nature can be negative and our tongue has to power to heal or kill (Proverbs 18:21). If we are complimented 10 times and criticized once, the criticism will stick. Why must we have acceptance from everyone? Jesus was perfect and not everyone accepted him. We can verbally state that criticism is not hurtful and if given in the right spirit, it can be constructive. One professor’s research has concluded, “The brain handles positive and negative information in different hemispheres,” said Professor Nass. Negative emotions generally involve more thinking, and the information is processed more thoroughly than positive ones, he said. Thus, we tend to ruminate more about unpleasant events — and use stronger words to describe them — than happy ones” (Tugend). Encouragement should never be to puff up the leader, but sincere and real. If you cannot find a good word to say, then by all means, keep your mouth shut and do not lie to be an encourager. When is the last time you took a moment to let your pastors know that you appreciated their service? Too many times God has used our pastoral leaders to minister to us with the Word or a song from the heart and we walk away changed, but keep the blessing hidden from others. How does the ministry of helps differ from an armor bearer? To minister in any capacity, we must have the heart of a servant. The Word of God contains numerous scriptures pertaining to servitude. The last shall be first, well done my good and faithful servant, and even the purpose of the Lord’s Christ, to serve and give his life a ransom for many. At one point in time or another, we have all had the opportunity to minister to our pastoral leaders. While the ministry of helps takes on the shotgun approach to serving, the armor bearer’s heart is the rifle in the warrior’s hand. It allows the entrusted to further the kingdom of God by uplifting and supporting the pastoral leadership. Both are vital to the effectiveness and widespread growth of the gospel. With the stats are not in favor of the gospel, we must make a conscious effort to choose to remain a warrior in the Lord’s Army. Our leaders are men and women on the front line, assuming the position. We must have their backs with prayer as they take a stand for Christ. Once we have the wisdom and knowledge of the turnover and burnout rate found in church leadership, we become more responsible to the armor bearer “unassigned” position. ‘To whom much is given, much is required’ (Luke 12:48). “A recent journal article showcased a number of different reputable studies that researched the attrition rates among pastors, that is, how long a pastor survives in the ministry. The article reveals the following”: 85% of seminary graduates leave the ministry within five years and 90% of pastors do not remain in ministry until retirement; In one southern state pastor attrition was as high as 90% among those who have served 20 years or more; In another study, evidence showed that 50% of ministers leave the pastorate within the first five years and never return to the church, ever” (Wscal.edu). We are seeing casualties of war and the results are devastating. If we have the power to see our pastoral teams grow instead of throwing in the towel, why would sit
N.T. Wright: During my first semester at Northwestern College, I was assigned the book, “The Challenge of Jesus” by N.T. Wright for one of my Biblical Studies courses. This book and every other book Tom Wright has written has dramatically impacted my Christian faith. Dr. Wright has not only defended the basic tenants of the Christian faith, but also has shown how an academically-minded pastor ought to love and care for his or her congregants. N.T. Wright was previously the Bishop of Durham and pastored some of the poorest in the United Kingdom. His pastoral ministry has helped shape his understanding of God’s kingdom-vision which he is diagramming within his magnum opus “Christian Origins and the Question of God”. This series has instructed myself and countless other pastors to be for God’s kingdom as we eagerly await Christ’s return. Additionally, I have had the privilege of meeting with N.T. Wright one-on-one on numerous occasions to discuss faith, the Church, and his research. I firmly believe Tom Wright is the greatest New Testament scholar of our generation and he is the primary reason why I feel called into ministry.
Whenever there is an opportunity, this bishop chooses to be benevolent. The hospital is overcrowded at the time of the bishop’s ordination. There are twenty-six patients but only enough room for
As with any ministry, it takes a person who to be selfless and willing to make the sacrifices that have to be made daily as Ms. Lamb does. For example, she quit a f...
... common problem of theodicy. If God is good, why would he not help his own followers and prevent them from being led astray? The act of calling in a surgeon implies that religion is not “good” or “powerful” enough which calls into question the order of things within the priory and even the plausibility structure that has been securely established for so long.
...se they do carry a great responsibility to care for others. As the author declares it, they are the ones who keep watch over the souls of the believers in the faith community, exercise leadership in light of the final Day and will give an account to the Lord for their shepherding. Also, they will be unprofitable, if they do not do it with the joy of the Lord. Rhee as well as the author of this article wants us to see the full responsibility of a leader over a faith community and the qualities he or she must carry in order to lead others to Christ and to the final day of our Lord’s return.
The case studies on Willow Creek discussed several issues that were addressed by the leadership. Those issues included burnout of the leadership, overloaded ministries, and the need to expand the buildings for a growing membership. Willow Creek tackled the leadership burnout issue by sharing the teaching duties among several teaching pastors. The explosive growth of the church brought about additional issues such as overloaded ministries and a need for more physical space. The overstressed ministries were relieved by restructuring the leadership over the ministries. This restructuring brought about a means of organically producing additional leaders within the ministries themselves.
“The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me: he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Isaiah 61:1-2 NRSV. This is the call to all Christians and particularly those ordained or authorized for ministry by the church. Traditionally chaplains have been viewed as religious experts, the ones with the knowledge of the Bible, the ability to perform specific religious functions, the “hotline” in prayer, the ones to call in the face of ethical issues, a confidential ear in all circumstances. As religious experts chaplains are expected to have a more intimate awareness of the Bible and of God’s saving plan for humanity, of God’s love, healing and promises, of answers fo...
Many pastors had been reported committing sexual abuse and many immoral conducts. Morality of the church leader is doubted today. It is important for church leaders to restore the credibility from people, so they can start influencing people’s life again by God’s word. One of the way that they can rebuild the credibility is slowly building a relationship with people. Older people in the church should show young people that they have a right mindset and want to help young people to have a right worldview. It will take a time, but when they come with all their hearts; then young people will also slowly open up their heart. When a true relationship is built, the wall between two different generations can be broken
The church should also have other people in the church, besides the senior/lead pastor, who can help with the needs of the people. The work of helping people along with teaching the Scriptures can be too much for one man to handle. The church should have leaders in the church to help take care of issues that do not directly need the pastor’s attention.
Today as I write my column I am so filled with an outpouring of emotion from our latest Bible study, The Armor of God by Priscilla Shirer. I wish I could start at Day 1 and do it again. The Women’s Ministry prayerfully selects these studies and they are all wonderful, but this one I feel really spoke to us as Christians facing an unsaved world. The study is based on Eph.6:10-19; Vs. 11, Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. The author took us weekly through the armor that we have been given as our heritage from God, the Belt of Truth, the Breastplate of Righteousness, the Shoes of Peace, the Shield of Faith, the Helmet of Salvation, the Sword of the Spirit and Prayer. We can
Spurgeon believed that not all gifts of the office of pastor was given to all men. Because of this it is believed that only those whom God has called can be equipped for this office. A pastor must possess special gifts to be able to fulfil God’s desire for the under-shepherd. On the other hand, it is of great importance that the men who are called, focus their lives for the office of overseer. The calling of the Lord on the lives of the pastor put shines a light on the life of a pastor in a way that exposes him to all that see him. A pastor that has been called must live a life that honors God. Living an honorable life must consume the life of the
Fischer goes on to point out that while servant leadership has noble tenets, challenges exist because man’s fallen nature can incapacitate the humanistic model that Greenleaf promotes (Fischer, 2017B). The need for recognition, making your career your idol, and becoming a workaholic and thinking that everyone else’s ideas are beneath your own are all dangerous avenues of thought that deter servant leadership according to Dr. Fischer (Fischer, 2017B). One of the major differences between Greenleaf’s servant leadership model and a biblical perspective is the focus on who is being served (Duby, 2009). The servant leader perspective has to change from performing a job for their employer to fulfilling their calling from Christ (Morris, 2007). Dr. David Duby of Liberty University contends in his article that the Greatest Commandment from the Lord Jesus is “to love the Lord with all of your heart, mind, and soul, and to love your neighbor as yourself” which is the basis for servant leadership (Duby, 2009). Blanchard and Hodges define the EGO for the operation of
Young, D. S. (1999). Servant Leadership for Church Renewal: Sheperds By the Living Springs. Scottdale: Herald Press.
Throughout much of recorded history, warfare, sumptuary laws, and class status have incorporated the use of arms and armor into their typical fashion. The Arms and Armor exhibit, which includes the Emma and Georgina Bloomberg Arms and Armor Court showcase, is located on the first floor of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, and it features various types and styles of armor and its related costumes throughout many periods and regions. Although I have seen photographs and illustrations of many of the costumes I observed, the experience of seeing numerous examples of armor in person was very informative and incredible. The minute and intricate detail, the diverse functions, and the worldly outlook made the experience one I would definitely repeat.
The idea of leadership, and particularly the idea of servant leadership is one that I’ve had vested interest in. Servant leadership is discussed frequently in Christian theology, being held in high regard. It often described in the form of certain morals while in a leadership position. A good definition could be: to take on a servant mindset while a leader. However, my main experience with leadership, and thus this idea, is not with the church but with the boy scouts.