The Pace of Ministry
Understanding the slowness of shepherding.
It will come as no surprise that the church world is saturated with statistics. How many showed up this past Sunday? What does giving look like? How many baptisms have we had this year? How many people are connected to a Bible study or small group?
From simple observation, it seems the analytical piece of the business world has seeped into the church world, often in an unhealthy way. Measuring specific criteria could be of tremendous help if measured for the purpose of spiritual growth more often than just numeric growth. Unfortunately, numeric growth has become the standard for which churches measure success.
I’d like to offer a simple thought from the demeanor of pure curiosity, not from pride. The success of a ministry cannot be shown through simple statistics. Measurements are not wrong in themselves; instead, it’s often the internal desires of the heart that cause the most problems (see Jeremiah 17:9). What if we considered the soul more than the statistics? What if we considered the slowness of shepherding more than the quickness of our numeric growth?
Digging deeper into the purposes of the church and the pastor could lend some wisdom on the pace of ministry.
Purpose of the Church
In his Systematic Theology, Wayne Grudem says, “We can understand the purposes of the church in terms of ministry to God, ministry to believers, and ministry to the world” (emphasis added).
According to Grudem, ministry to God is best shown through worship (Colossians 3:16), ministry to believers is best accomplished through nurturing (Colossians 1:28), and ministry to the world is best applied through evangelism and mercy (Matthew 28:19; Luke 6:35–36).
All three must remain in proper balance for an effective church to take shape. We see too much emphasis on the last one (ministry to the world), thus creating “seeker-sensitive” mega-churches lacking substance and conviction. It must be understood, the church is not intended to lean heavily on evangelism and neglect discipleship and expositional preaching.
Ephesians 4:11–16 gives a well-structured argument for striking a balance between evangelism and discipleship:
“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”
The church’s purpose is not merely sequestered to getting more people in the door. Many large churches have fallen in the face of adversity simply because of their consumeristic mentality and lack of foundational truth. Numbers are souls, but souls cannot be reduced to numbers.
Purpose of the Pastor
Much could be said on the purposes of the pastor. There are two people we would bear much fruit in learning from concerning pastoral responsibilities: Jesus of Nazareth and Mark Dever.
After Simon Peter had denied knowing Jesus three times, the resurrected Jesus comes to Simon Peter to have a conversation with him.
“When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep” (John 21:15–17, emphasis added).
Jesus did not have literal sheep that He needed help with tending because He was going out of town on vacation. So, what is He referring to in this encounter? People. “Tend” and “feed” my people. As a shepherd is to a flock, a pastor is to a congregation. Earlier in John 20, Jesus tells His disciples that a “good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” The purpose and call of a pastor is a high one.
In an article he wrote in June of 2020, Mark Dever tells this story:
“When I was interviewing with Capitol Hill Baptist Church before they called me to be their pastor, someone asked me if I had a program or plan to implement for growth. Perhaps to this person’s surprise (and perhaps to yours too!), I responded that I didn’t really have any great plans or programs to implement. I was just armed with four P’s — I would preach, pray, develop personal discipling relationships, and be patient. In other words, preach and pray; love and stay.”
Discovering the Pace
If the purpose of the church is not just evangelistic and the purpose of the pastor is not just to preach but to pray, love, and stay, then one conclusion could strongly be made.
The pace of ministry is slow. Souls take time. The larger the congregation, the harder it is for the pastor to do his proper work of shepherding slowly.
In a letter he wrote, Eugene Peterson deconstructs the notion that bigger numbers and higher production lead to more souls saved: “The only way the Christian life is brought to maturity is through intimacy, renunciation, and personal deepening. And the pastor is in a key position to nurture such maturity. It is true that these things can take place in the context of large congregations, but only by strenuously going against the grain. Largeness is an impediment, not a help.”
So, I ask again, what if we considered the soul more than the statistics? What if we considered the slowness of shepherding more than the quickness of our numeric growth? Programs and events will not and cannot develop the roots necessary for the fertile growth of the soul. Planting the seed, slow tending of the soil, and the waters of God’s grace will bear healthy and satisfying fruit.