New Pastors: Advice for the New Pastors: The what "to do's" and not "to do's" on Day One

[Rev. Charles Moore]

I remeber my first comments on the BPN was under Min. Lockett discussion regarding "My First Sermon." At that time I was like him "An associate minister, faithful, patience, prayerful, hard working, and preparing for the day when God's will would allow me to pastor a church. You hear the discussion all the time, "When I am a Pastor, I will do this and that. We dont covete the position but we see ourselves preparing for the opportunity. Well, my season is here. After prayer/fasting/listening I recently accepted the Letter from a church to Psator. Words can't describe how I have been feeling. I'm careful to request to stay in God's mercy, remain humble, listen twice before speaking once, trying not to fix things that are not broken, (that is another discussion) learning names, praying frequently, and teaching/preaching. Every Pastor who I know has called, emailed, & texted congrats but I'm looking for advice from some of the experience members of BPN to begin a discussion of advice to new Pastors. I would rather learn from others mistakes than make them. School can prepare you but on day one, life experinces re-train you. by the way, all those ideas you had racing through your mind before you became a Pastor seem to exit on day one. I would like to hear your advice to New Pastors. I have always been one to recieve advice and learn from it.

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[Lahry Sibley]

The Pastor

By Lahry Sibley

Eph 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Eph 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Eph 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
Eph 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
Eph 4:16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Beginning with verse 11 above we see that God has given some incredible opportunities for church life and growth of it saints. He anoints ordinary man with some incredible gifts and abilities not seen in those who are without Christ.
It is not my place to judge anyone. It is my place as a Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to recognize that there are some in the church who go unrecognized and slip through our midst. What I’m talking about is that in most churches today, only the “pastor” is recognized as the “one” who is responsible for training up the saints for the work of the Ministry and the edifying the Body of Christ. This is a blight that simply cannot be overlooked; nor can it be deleted from Holy Scripture.
With that said, it is not my purpose in this writing to address this blight. In this paper I intend to focus on the Pastor placed in a Body of believers to shepherd them. There are certain characteristics of pastors that are common to all who lead by serving others. Then there are gifts given to certain men that empower them for the sacred office of being a Pastor in the Body of Christ.
The importance of the Pastor cannot be overstated. But it can and often does become misunderstood. I think the fact that there are few or no Apostles, Prophets, and not many Evangelists recognized in the church today that the Pastor is often expected and even demanded to lead in ways that He is not equipped to accommodate, regardless of education and biblical revelation he may possess, or the anointing bestowed upon Him by the Holy Spirit. One man teams are not teams at all.
Many, who are pastors for the wrong reason, attempt to be “all inclusive” and run their own personal kingdom or dynasty which is so unlike the Kingdom of God. Using the Bible as the only “measure” whereby we may bring to the light true Christian virtue and leadership, we can easily see that while these men can build large numbers, there is no true operations of the Holy Spirit in the midst. We can be certain of this as we look for “who” is the center of attention.
A “Spirit Filled” Church is a Church where Jesus Christ is the centerpiece of all. He said that when the “Holy Spirit comes, He will testify of Me”. Life in the Spirit Filled Church is not all about the Holy Spirit Who empowers it. Life in the Spirit Filled Church is all about the Lord Jesus Christ. It testifies of Him!
So a “spirit led” Pastor will keep pointing his flock to the Good Shepherd, the author and finisher of our faith.
The Pastor will hold the Lord’s Supper in its rightful place of worship and honor in each church service. Jesus said, “for as often as you come together”, not the 5th Sunday of the month evening service.
The God called Pastor will have to first and foremost “model” Christ before His people. Nothing he could ever say will equal what “he does”. What he says has little or no meaning, if he does not live it!
The Pastor in Christ’s Body must be able to hear the voice of God. That voice will ever be Biblical, but not always popular. God’s ways are not our ways, we walk not by understanding. We walk by faith and not by sight. The Pastor inspires others to reach up to life they have not experienced before. He is able to communicate vision and motivate others to follow his shepherding. Knowing the right way is not the same as walking the right way and leading others to do the same.
A good pastor proclaims God's words directly, faithfully, and he does not add, twist, or take away from God's word. He is not responsible to do all the preaching and teaching. He is responsible for all the preaching and teaching done in the church, that it follows the Bible accurately and presents God’s plan of Salvation through grace by faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ with simplicity.
(2 Cor 2:17 KJV) For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.
(2 Cor 4:2 KJV) But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
(1 Th 2:13 KJV) For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.
A good pastor does not discriminate or show false favoritism. For he loves all of his flock equally, without discrimination as to age, sex, financial status, education, or position.
(Acts 10:34 KJV) Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: 35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.

(James 2:1 KJV) My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. 2 For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; 3 And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: 4 Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? 5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? 6 But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? 7 Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called? 8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: 9 But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. 10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
The pastor of God is required by necessity to get to know all the saints in his flock. There are two basic approaches to this. First, he must be a home visitor. If a pastor is to be “partly” responsible for the training up of the saints for the work of the ministry, he must at some point know what part each individually is called by God to be in the Body of Christ. He will help them to discover their calling and the gifts given to them by the Holy Spirit to accomplish all that God has for them individually and collectively. He will train them, bless them, and empower them by the anointing of God placed upon him to do the work of the ministry. He helps them find their place in the body and enjoy their uniqueness as that part. He paints vision for the ministry of the Body as doers of the Word and not just hearers only. He does not himself try to be all things to all the saints. He delegates administrations of the gifts of the Holy Spirit as led by the Holy Spirit.
(John 21:16 KJV) He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
(Ezek 34:11 KJV) For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.12 As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.
(Prov 27:23 KJV) Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds.
(John 10:14 KJV) I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
(John 10:11 KJV) I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. 12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
(Rom 12:2 KJV) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
The Shepherd of the Body of Christ must be a man of prayer and personal time with God, no exceptions.
On a certain day in Jesus’ busy ministry, He was on His way to heal a certain child. While on the journey a woman with an issue of blood reached out to Him and through faith touched His tzitzit (tassels) and received her miraculous healing. Jesus felt the virtue (or anointing) leave Him as she received this healing. He asked, "Who touched me?"

In pastoral ministry, many people are going to pull strength from the man of God. Though Jesus was simply walking along the road on the way to heal a child, someone found a way to press through the crowd and pull it out of Him.

People will call on you nearly any time of day. They'll show up at your house when you least expect it. They will tell you their problems at the grocery store. If you show up early for assembly, there will often be someone there who feels it is their opportunity to "have your attention".

By the time you get up to preach you may find yourself without virtue from time to time. Preaching a message under the anointing will drain you and cause you to feel depleted of spiritual and physical energy and power.
Jesus Himself experienced times when He had to retreat from the crowd and even His close followers to get alone with the Father. This is where He found His virtue (anointing). There is no replacement for personal prayer and time alone with the Source of virtue. Prayer, fasting and constant communion are of absolute necessity if you desire to maintain your virtue. Jesus got His direction for what He was to say and do from the Father. The Father is also the director and source of the Pastor in the Body of Christ. Accept no substitutes.

A Pastor without virtue is like a mechanic without tools. He can tell you what is wrong, but he can't help you very much. Virtue is needed to minister to someone who has been attacked by Satan. Anointing is needed to lift them up and heal them of their physical and spiritual wounds.

Preaching without virtue is just oratory. It might be interesting to listen to, but if it does not heal, restore, or edify, it is of little use. It takes virtue to deliver souls from sin. It takes anointing to break the yoke of bondage in people's lives. Without a saturation of the Spirit on a message, it is little more than a lecture.

Finally, the measure of success. Personally, I would measure my own personal success as a Pastor by how all the saints in the Body exceeded me in ministry. That would be the ultimate. A Body that has all the parts working in their proper place and changing the world around them for Christ, able to share the truth of the Cross to whosoeverwill.
A Pastor is much like a conductor of an orchestra. Satisfaction for the orchestra conductor is to assemble an ensemble of master musicians who know how to play their individual part of the score before them. They get their passion from the conductor that causes their talents to be demonstrated into such a musical cohesion that the masterpiece takes on spirituality and soothes the heart of the listener. Ah, sweet music indeed, alive, and edifying.
The Pastor is not called to be a king, but a servant. If he is not a footwasher, he is nothing at all. However, being a footwasher does not make him a door mat! No one has the right to demand of the Pastor more than he is able to give. Only God can enable His called ones to go beyond the natural into the realm of the Spirit of God.
Of course we may not overlook the direction of the Apostle Paul given to Timothy…..
1Ti 3:1 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
1Ti 3:2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
1Ti 3:3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
1Ti 3:4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;
1Ti 3:5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)
1Ti 3:6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.
1Ti 3:7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

Finally, I’ll leave you with a quote from the great A.W. Tozer. He said, “No man of God should ever retire when hard work will kill him”. To God be the glory, now and forever amen.

[PASTOR CHARLES E BELL JR]

MY ADVISE TO YOU IS NEVER PREACH WHAT YOU CANT LIVE IF THESERMON IS NOT FROM GOD THEN DONT PREACH IT PREACH THE WORD ,LOVE GOD PEOPLE ,VISIT THE SICK,BE THERE FOR YOUR MEMBER. AND DONT ALLOW MONEY,FEELINGS, GET IN THE WAY OF DOING GOD WORK, LOVE YOUR WIFE AND CHILDERN. IF YOU LOVE GOD AND HIS PEOPLE THEN EVERY THING ELSE WILL WORK . IT EASY FOR PEOPLE WHO NEVER HAD ACHURCH TO GIVE ADVISE BUTLISTEN TO SOUND ADVISE

[PROPHET:J.L.BROWN]

NEVER COME @ THE PEPOLE DEMANDING ANYTHING FROM THEM.COME INHANCE THEM SO THAT BALANCE MY PREVAILE IN THE BODY OF CHRIST.

[Rev. Charles Moore]

Thanks to everyone who has given me insite, foresite, excite, and every other cite which I can possess. Together we have ministered to untold number of people through this discussion. All new Pastors can learn from this discussion board. Now as I approach the first anniv. @ The Summit, i would like to change the direction of the discussion: I would like Pastors to reflect on their first year in ministry and discuss what happen the first year and if you could give advice or reflections regarding year one.

Be Blessed
Pastor Charles Moore

[Derrick Miller]

Hello Pastor,
i am new to this site. i have been in the ministry for over 20 years. i have been pastoring 12 1/2 of those. My advice to you would be to love the people, to walk circumspectly, to study hard, don't show favoritism, don't change everything at once, master the art of visitation, be a great listener, and lastly never council females alone. These are just some of the things that i have found to be helpful in my ministry. Remember you are a gift to the church!!!

your brother in the Lord,
Rev. Derrick Miller
P.O. Box 544
Rome Ga 30162
706-266-9547

[Ricky Lee Crenshaw]

Hell and how are you. First giving God the glory for his ministry, for it is not ours but his for us to be caretakers in the vineyard. As a new Pastor the first thing to do is what you already know and i'm sure what others have told you PRAY, this is the most important thing any Pastor can do. When one has been called there is an annointing of the Holy Spirit that is upon you, and you must not let that fire diminish. Never let yourself inter the pulpit to preach the word lest is be from the Holy Spirit and it be not you but the Holy Spirit which speaks through you. Preach with all the passion and intensity that you have for the Lord and his word. My mother gave me very sound advice when I started preaching, "always stand unreproacheable, let no man accuse you and destroy this ministry, for you are a represenitive of God". Never let finances creep into the pulpit for it is there you preach the word of God not how much money you need or how much money the church needs to give. Anything that the church needs an abundance of that is lacking remember 1Cor3:17, So, then neither is he that planteth anything, neither ge that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Be not worried about building a temple to glorify God but build the Kingdom to glorify God. We have not been called for mans purpose but for God's purpose and will. May God keep you and lead you in all that you do, may your vision be always on the Lord, Psalm 121 is a good word for us as Ministers, preachers and Pastors to remember and live by in this ministry. God bless

[Rev. Dorothiea Roberts]

Was just out here reading and ran across this article, it seems in tune with this discussion, thought I would share. God Bless!


Lead on…

By James Smith

Casting a vision and leading people are not easy to do. Here are a few pointers when it comes to creating vision in the local church.

Don’t micromanage. Create a program or system for management then simply allow others to do their job. You may consider employing another person to do the managing. This would be someone who is close to you and knows how to follow your orders. Let them do the follow up, you cast the vision.

Admit mistakes. Being the leader does not mean you are going to right 100% of the time. There are going to be times you make mistakes. Admit them quickly and cast a new vision. Allowing yourself to make mistakes will show your congregation that you are human and will enable them to feel that you are approachable.

Lead without fear. Fear will cripple your potential. “We have not the spirit of fear.” Seek your churches direction from the Lord. While it is good to get other people’s opinion and counsel regarding the direction the church should be moving, God alone can give you Divine direction. Seek God’s face for His will. Once he gives you direction, move forward into it without fear of defeat or what others may think.

Gather allies. Surround yourself with others who think like you do. Especially if they compliment your vision. As you begin to share your passion and burden with them, they will want to get on board. After training and equipping them, get them on board with you ASAP.

Think what could be – not what has been. History does not always repeat itself and it should not. While history can teach us many things, it should not cause us to be fearful of moving forward. For instance, the average church that desires a Small Group ministry usually fails 3 times in starting that particular ministry before it is successfully launched.

Courage is attractive. Courage also establishes leadership. Without a leader who acts with courage, a congregation will lack the trust needed to follow him into God’s promises. David was willing to do battle with a giant whom other more seasoned men feared and as a result he won the hearts of the nation. No Pastor would ever need fear another taking his church if he is a Pastor who leads with courage.

Courage establishes leadership. A leader must have the courage to create needed change. The parable of the men with the talents tells us what becomes the person who would simply manage our Lords resources. Investing people takes courage. Investing in the lives of those who take pleasure in comfort takes courage to push them to places of the extreme. Should Moses have stopped at the obstacle that was the Red Sea, all would have been lost. However, he was willing to take people from a place of relative safety to a place of extreme promise. Do or die, all would be lost or all would be saved by his visionary genius and willingness to believe God for the impossible.

Believe God! Visionaries too often lose their hunger for growth and change when the congregations constant fear, doubt and resistance diminish the leaders own zeal. Are we so afraid of people that we would tell God “no”? Would we abstain from the zeal within our own hearts to sooth trepidation of the naysayer’s? Would our own passion be disquieted by those who would doubt God’s promises?

[Pastor Sylvester E.Brinson IV]

Pastor Moore God is going to give you strength and power to do his work for he has anointed you for this time and you shall be a pillar to many other ministers and elders in the Body of christ and be not this mayed because God is yet using you for his glory.

[Bishop Kirk L. DeVine]

Congratulations and God bless you on your new appointment pastor! Let me start by saying that one of the first things I would recommend to you as a new pastor is to look and listen... Look at what is/has been going on in the church and listen to what is being said, but more importantly what is NOT being said... Actions do speak louder than words and you can learn a lot just by watching and listening to your congregation. The second thing I would recommend is that you not try to re-invent the wheel too quickly; don't run in trying to change everything to 'your way' on the first day as people are generally resistant to change. You may have to take a slow, gradual process of implementing changes and they may have to come in the form of "suggestions" to/ through your leadership staff (or however your church may be set up). People will sometimes be more receptive to change if they feel like they have 'a stake' in what's being changed. Above all, be true to yourself, your family, your call, and to the Lord... Do not allow your members to put you in any situation where your integrity can be compromised. Hope these few nuggets help you as you go forward in your new assignment. To God be the glory and congratulations again!

Bishop KD

[Pastor Derrick Whitt]

Mazel Tov! Don't expect to have the congregants have the same value for Torah Yahweh because not everybody will in the fellowship your going. Always find those who are willing to allow the Word to govern their conduct, speech and thought in your presence in the congregation.

The second is: don't answer critics! Critics who are jealous, envious or affronted because their agenda is thwarted by your stand on the Word will take every opportunity to attack Yahweh by attacking you personally. Read Shmuel Aleph chapter 8 to understand the importance of being careful of dealing with critics or individuals who want to go on their way in defiance to Yahweh and His Word.

[Pastor Tami Robinson]

Bless the Lord Rev. Moore and welcome to the great mandate and call to REAL servanthood. One thing I would like to say to you as a new pastor is that you are definitely on the right track. It will take you remaining humble to see God at His best in your life in this season. As a woman in leadership, when God began to pull on my purse strings regarding Pastorate I fought with every fiber of my being this call. I had all the odds against me. The biggest challenge was the fact that I AM A WOMAN. I was born and raised in the Baptist Church, my father was a Baptist Preacher and Pastor for all of my life and most of his. Where I came from, women were not embraced in formative ministry, we were not even accepted as Pastor's, etc. So tradition fought me first. The second challenge was the fact that God began to speak LOUDLY to me after a very bitter divorce. I had always worked as a co-pastor in ministry with my spouse. But now God was laying this burden on my shoulders. How could He do this to me?! The third challenge was the fact that I had no cheerleaders, no following, how in the world was I going to do this? I knew how to run ministry with my eyes closed. Of course I could get on the phone make a few phone calls to advise people of what God was birthing in my life, but God said no, "I am doing this and I need your undivided attention." He gave me directives. The first thing He told me is that just as the baby in the womb of a mother has to be nourished and fed for 9 months before it can be birthed so does vision and ministry have to be nourished if you are to be effective. God told me, "You will have to make a decision whether you want to be BIG OR EFFECTIVE." So I chose effective and I began to follow his directives for me to prepare for ministry. I went back to school. I began to writie the vision in its entirety. I established the foundation and attended to all the legalities that needed to be in place; Incorporation, 501 (c)'s etc. This took atleast 1 year to do. However, the most important thing I remember God speaking to me during preparation is, "You must EMBRACE THE WARFARE!" So many times new Pastors are excited and embrace the call to the pastorate but never prepare for the WAREFARE of the pastorate. Rev. Moore, this spoke volumes to me. Why, because what it did was prepare me for the GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY of ministry.
At this time going into my 3rd year of the pastorate, I must say that God has been sooooooo good to me. I am still humbeled and in awe at how He saw fit to use me to birth such a major work in the body of Christ and be EFFECTIVE. He has given me a wonderful group of empowered and engaged people. And yes, some of them, well a lot of them (smile) are a mess sometimes. But they love God and the vision. And I love them with the love of the Lord. I went into ministry with my eyes wide open and I have been able to jump through hurdles, put square pegs into round wholes and most of all EMBRACE THE WARFARE. I hope that this advise helps you and others as it helped me. We here in Tampa, FL at Well Pavilion Ministries will be praying for you and the awesome work that you have been called into. Pastor Tami Robinson, Well Pavilion Ministries, Inc. www.wellpavilion.org