How Did This Pastor Stuff Get Started

OK, so how did all of this pastor stuff get started? is it Biblical? In many ways we can look all throughout scripture and find numerous examples of various forms of the pastoral office. In the Old Testament one sees examples of this in men like Abraham, Joseph, Moses, and Aaron who have been called by God to serve a people by proclaiming the God’s Word to them and those around them. One sees God’s Word effect change in many hearts, we see repentance arising and whole nations preserved because of it.

As we move to the New Testament we see that in order to insure that His commands would be carried out beyond His ascension Jesus commissions His disciples several times in the Bible to special specific things in specific areas. His commissioning expands as they progress in faith. First to the Jews and then on to other people groups until He commissions them to minister to the whole world (Matthew 28). He breathes on His disciples in order to give them the authority that they would need in order to carry out the ministry assigned them (John 20:19ff). They went on telling the good news of the resurrection to all people preaching the Word and administering the sacraments just as He had commanded.

Early on in the church we see examples of how the disciples added people to do specialized ministry for the church. They used various procedures at different times for selecting and commissioning the right men. They fasted and prayed, cast lots, laid hands on them, appointed, sought approval from those already ministering (good repute), gave them a thorough training, etc. According to Theology And Practice of the “Divine Call” (CTCR) It seemed that the disciples “…were more concerned with the qualifications of the candidates for the ministry than they were with setting down a once-and-for-all procedure for selecting them.” emphasizing the fact the need to be sure that God had indeed placed them into the pastoral office himself.

Jonathan