The Relationship Between A Pastor And Christ's Church
I've always been fascinated (maybe "mystified" is a better word for it) by the unique relationship between a Pastor and Christ's Church. It's not just a "job" but a God-given "vocation" and a "divine call" really.
I mean, the Office of the Holy Ministry is so unique all on its own based on what God intends for it to be and how He intends to deliver His gifts through it to His people.
What the Word of God has to say about what qualifies a man for that high-calling and vocation is also something that's quite special.
As someone who even took the first step in answering what I believed to be the call to obtain an education at the local Seminary, I always enjoy hearing and reading what former Pastors and current Pastors have to say about all of this.
Rev. Robert Krestick shared his insights with the students of Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary in April 2017 in a special convocation that reflected upon the similarities between marriage and the pastor's relationship with his congregation (this presentation was first delivered at Concordia Lutheran Seminary, Edmonton, for their Timothy Lecture in February 2016).
That right there is some good marriage advice for sure, but his ability to connect each "Marriage Axiom" specifically to the "Office of the Holy Ministry" and the relationship between a Pastor and Christ's Church is such a beautiful blessing!
Yes, they're all important, but is there one that you feel is more important than the others perhaps? If so, then why exactly?
I'm curious to see what other Pastors have to say about this too so please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.
Personally, I think that this is a very helpful presentation to prayerfully consider for anyone who believes that God may be calling them to Pastoral Ministry someday.
In a Lutheran layman's terms, this is also precisely why we must honor and respect the Lord's institution of the Office of the Holy Ministry and always keep our Pastors and Seminarians in our prayers for theirs is a truly difficult (though never hopeless or impossible with God's help), honorable, and rewarding vocation.
NOTE: Please understand that I'm not a called and ordained minister of God's Word and Sacraments. I'm a layman or just your average everyday Christian, Corporate Recruiter, Husband, Father, Friend who lives in the "City of Good Neighbors" here on the East Coast. As another Christian Blogger once wrote, "Please do not see this blog as me attempting to 'publicly teach' the faith, but view it as an informal Public Journal of sorts about my own experiences and journey, and if any of my notes here help you in any way at all, then I say, 'Praise the Lord!' but please do double check them against the Word of God and with your own Pastor." To be more specific, and relevant to the point I want to make with this disclaimer/note, please understand that I'm a relatively new convert to "Confessional Lutheranism" and one who recently escaped an American-Evangelical-Non-Denominational mindset a little more than 6 years ago now despite being a Christian my whole life. That being said, please contact me ASAP if you believe that any of my "old beliefs" seem to have crept their way back into any of the material you see published here, and especially if any of the content is inconsistent with the Bible, our Confessions, and Lutheran doctrine in general (in other words, if it's not consistent with God's Word, which our Confessions merely summarize and repeatedly point us back to over and over again) so that I can not only correct those errors immediately and not lead any of His little ones astray (James 3:1), but repent of my sin and learn the whole truth myself. With that in mind, please be aware that you might also discover that some of the earlier/older pieces I wrote for this blog back in 2013 definitely fall into that "Old Evangelical Adam" category (and they don't have a disclaimer like this) since I was a "Lutheran-In-Name-Only" at the time and was completely oblivious to the fact that a Christian "Book of Concord" even existed (Small/Large Catechism? What's that!?!). This knowledge of the Lutheran basics was completely foreign to me even though I was baptized, confirmed, and married in an LCMS church! So, there are some entries that are a little "out there" so-to-speak since the subject matter was also heavily influenced by those old beliefs of mine. I know that now and I'm still learning. Anyway, I decided to leave those published posts up on this website and in cyberspace only because they are not blasphemous/heretical, because I now have this disclaimer, and only to demonstrate the continuing work of Christ and the Holy Spirit in my life (Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 1:6). Most importantly, please know that any time I engage in commenting on and/or interpreting a specific portion of the holy Scriptures, it will always closely follow the verse-by-verse footnotes from my Lutheran Study Bible and/or include references to the Book of Concord unless otherwise noted. Typically, I will defer to what other Lutheran Pastors both past and present have already preached and taught about such passages since they are the called and ordained under-shepherds of our souls here on earth. Finally, I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the length of most entries (this disclaimer/note is a perfect example of what I mean! haha). I'm well aware that blogs should be short, sweet, and to the point, but I've never been one to follow the rules when it comes to writing. Besides, this website is more like a "Christian Dude's Diary" in the sense that everything I write about and share publicly isn't always what's "popular" or "#trending" at the time, but is instead all the things that I'm studying myself at the moment. For better or for worse, these posts tend to be much longer than most blog entries you'll find elsewhere only because I try to pack as much info as possible into a single piece so that I can refer to it again and again over time if I need to (and so that it can be a valuable resource for others -- if possible, a "One-Stop-Shop" of sorts). Thank you for stopping by and thank you in advance for your time, help, and understanding. Feel free to comment/email me at any time. Grace and peace to you and yours!
I mean, the Office of the Holy Ministry is so unique all on its own based on what God intends for it to be and how He intends to deliver His gifts through it to His people.
What the Word of God has to say about what qualifies a man for that high-calling and vocation is also something that's quite special.
As someone who even took the first step in answering what I believed to be the call to obtain an education at the local Seminary, I always enjoy hearing and reading what former Pastors and current Pastors have to say about all of this.
Rev. Robert Krestick shared his insights with the students of Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary in April 2017 in a special convocation that reflected upon the similarities between marriage and the pastor's relationship with his congregation (this presentation was first delivered at Concordia Lutheran Seminary, Edmonton, for their Timothy Lecture in February 2016).
Rev Krestick: Relationship Between The Pastor And His Church Requires Time And Commitment
Twelve such "axioms" were quickly recognizable as good principles for a healthy marriage, but in Rev. Krestick’s presentation they also served as insights into how the relationship between the pastor and the church work out. Similar things are needed: faithfulness, time, charitable attitude, forgiveness, dependability. Even the best marriages require work, and the same is true with pastors and their congregants. Shepherds who invest in their people and consciously take care of their well-being will find that such commitment will lead them to fare better in their ministry and make the task more rewarding. The convocation brought together students as well as faculty members and area pastors.
You can access audio and video versions of this lecture below...
AUDIO: Part 1
AUDIO: Part 2
Robert C. Krestick - Twelve Axioms On Marriage And Ministry (PART 1)
Robert C. Krestick - Twelve Axioms On Marriage And Ministry (PART 2)
The "Twelve Axioms" include the following...
1. Vocally and frequently declare your love
2. Make your spouse happy since they are the most important in your life
3. Never ever look at another man or woman and flee from temptation
4. Never do anything you think will be fun without doing it with your spouse
5. Plan, go the extra mile, and do unexpected things
6. When away from home, contact your spouse every day
7. Beware of criticism of your spouse
8. Shun gossip and unilateral advice since you are one flesh
9. Plan and arrange time with your spouse just the two of you
10. Beware of money problems
11. Never compete with your spouse, but build them up and encourage them
12. Go regularly to the same church and read the Bible and pray together too
That right there is some good marriage advice for sure, but his ability to connect each "Marriage Axiom" specifically to the "Office of the Holy Ministry" and the relationship between a Pastor and Christ's Church is such a beautiful blessing!
Yes, they're all important, but is there one that you feel is more important than the others perhaps? If so, then why exactly?
I'm curious to see what other Pastors have to say about this too so please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.
Personally, I think that this is a very helpful presentation to prayerfully consider for anyone who believes that God may be calling them to Pastoral Ministry someday.
In a Lutheran layman's terms, this is also precisely why we must honor and respect the Lord's institution of the Office of the Holy Ministry and always keep our Pastors and Seminarians in our prayers for theirs is a truly difficult (though never hopeless or impossible with God's help), honorable, and rewarding vocation.
NOTE: Please understand that I'm not a called and ordained minister of God's Word and Sacraments. I'm a layman or just your average everyday Christian, Corporate Recruiter, Husband, Father, Friend who lives in the "City of Good Neighbors" here on the East Coast. As another Christian Blogger once wrote, "Please do not see this blog as me attempting to 'publicly teach' the faith, but view it as an informal Public Journal of sorts about my own experiences and journey, and if any of my notes here help you in any way at all, then I say, 'Praise the Lord!' but please do double check them against the Word of God and with your own Pastor." To be more specific, and relevant to the point I want to make with this disclaimer/note, please understand that I'm a relatively new convert to "Confessional Lutheranism" and one who recently escaped an American-Evangelical-Non-Denominational mindset a little more than 6 years ago now despite being a Christian my whole life. That being said, please contact me ASAP if you believe that any of my "old beliefs" seem to have crept their way back into any of the material you see published here, and especially if any of the content is inconsistent with the Bible, our Confessions, and Lutheran doctrine in general (in other words, if it's not consistent with God's Word, which our Confessions merely summarize and repeatedly point us back to over and over again) so that I can not only correct those errors immediately and not lead any of His little ones astray (James 3:1), but repent of my sin and learn the whole truth myself. With that in mind, please be aware that you might also discover that some of the earlier/older pieces I wrote for this blog back in 2013 definitely fall into that "Old Evangelical Adam" category (and they don't have a disclaimer like this) since I was a "Lutheran-In-Name-Only" at the time and was completely oblivious to the fact that a Christian "Book of Concord" even existed (Small/Large Catechism? What's that!?!). This knowledge of the Lutheran basics was completely foreign to me even though I was baptized, confirmed, and married in an LCMS church! So, there are some entries that are a little "out there" so-to-speak since the subject matter was also heavily influenced by those old beliefs of mine. I know that now and I'm still learning. Anyway, I decided to leave those published posts up on this website and in cyberspace only because they are not blasphemous/heretical, because I now have this disclaimer, and only to demonstrate the continuing work of Christ and the Holy Spirit in my life (Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 1:6). Most importantly, please know that any time I engage in commenting on and/or interpreting a specific portion of the holy Scriptures, it will always closely follow the verse-by-verse footnotes from my Lutheran Study Bible and/or include references to the Book of Concord unless otherwise noted. Typically, I will defer to what other Lutheran Pastors both past and present have already preached and taught about such passages since they are the called and ordained under-shepherds of our souls here on earth. Finally, I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the length of most entries (this disclaimer/note is a perfect example of what I mean! haha). I'm well aware that blogs should be short, sweet, and to the point, but I've never been one to follow the rules when it comes to writing. Besides, this website is more like a "Christian Dude's Diary" in the sense that everything I write about and share publicly isn't always what's "popular" or "#trending" at the time, but is instead all the things that I'm studying myself at the moment. For better or for worse, these posts tend to be much longer than most blog entries you'll find elsewhere only because I try to pack as much info as possible into a single piece so that I can refer to it again and again over time if I need to (and so that it can be a valuable resource for others -- if possible, a "One-Stop-Shop" of sorts). Thank you for stopping by and thank you in advance for your time, help, and understanding. Feel free to comment/email me at any time. Grace and peace to you and yours!
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Thank you for visiting A Lutheran Layman! Please feel free to leave a comment or a question since we do not exercise censorship. We've seen a similar policy with other blogs and it's worth repeating: Please act as if you're a guest in my home, and we'll get along just fine. I think anyone would agree that the kind of back-and-forth that is characteristic of blogs/chat forums and social media is becoming tiresome for all of us. Still, we should confess, edify, and love (and contend and defend when needed). Bottom line? Search the Scriptures! Apply Acts 17:11 to anything and everything you find here and, if you do happen to disagree with something you find here (which is certainly ok), or think I'm "irresponsible" and "wrong" for writing it, then please refute my position by supporting yours with Scripture and/or the Confessions. I don't think that's an unreasonable request, especially for those who identify themselves as "Christians" here, right? Besides, Proverbs 27:17 tells us "Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another" and 2 Timothy 3:16 says, "all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness." If you have an opinion that's great, I welcome it, but try to support it using God's Word. I mean, if the goal here is to help us all arrive at the truth of God's Word (myself included), then it should be easy to follow through on this one simple request (I'm talking to all you "Anonymous" visitors out there). Grace and peace to you and yours!