The Pastor: His Qualifications and DutiesHarvey, H. (Hezekiah)
Religion
The Pastor: His Qualifications and Duties
Harvey, H. (Hezekiah)
Pastoral theology
The word "teachers" is employed in the New Testament as the designation
of men in churches whose special work was public religious instruction.
It is so used 1 Cor. xii. 28--"God hath set some in the church, first
Apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers"--where the word,
while doubtless including evangelists and pastors, evidently extends to
all whose official work is Christian teaching. Probably, also, in Eph.
iv. 11--"He gave some, Apostles, some, prophets, some, evangelists, and
some, pastors and teachers"--the word has like breadth of meaning,
designating men not pastors who publicly taught the Word. There are
many endowed with teaching power whose gifts the churches, according to
New Testament example, utilize in positions other than the pastoral
office. They are called to various departments of work as secretaries
and agents of missionary and benevolent organizations, as instructors
in institutions of learning, as authors and editors engaged in creating
and diffusing a Christian literature, and as laborers in other
positions in which there is occasion for the exercise of ministerial
functions; and they are, therefore, often ordained to preach and
administer ordinances. On this class of ministers, we submit the
following remarks:
1. Teachers, like evangelists, have no official authority as governing
officers in the church. They are members with all the rights and duties
of membership and differ from others only as empowered to preach and to
administer ordinances. They are amenable, as others, to the discipline
of the church, except that those who have received ordination through
the action of a Council should not be divested of the ministerial
office except by another Council. They have no right to ignore the
ordinary obligations of church membership in pecuniary support,
attendance on meetings, and personal devotion to church-work, but
rather, from their conspicuous position, they are required to be in
these things examples and leaders in the church. 2. This class of
ministers in a church always stand in relations to the pastor of
peculiar delicacy. Though without official authority, their character
and gifts often give them great influence in the church and in society.
Much care, therefore, should be used to avoid any intrusion on the
prerogatives of the pastor. For example, in marriages and funerals
within the bounds of his own church it is ordinarily proper that the
pastor should officiate; only very unusual circumstances will justify a
minister in allowing himself to set aside the pastor in such services.
In the public and social worship of the church he should beware of
taking too prominent a place or of occupying too much time, or of
obtruding himself into the business and discipline of the church in
such manner as to embarrass the pastor. In all relations in the church
and in social life he should accord the pastor the just precedence
which belongs to his official position, and his influence should be
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