Guidelines Pastor: Spiritual Leadership for the Church in Mission
By Cokesbury
()
About this ebook
The pastoral leader is the primary spiritual leader of the congregation. The pastor carries the responsibility for a number of different ministry tasks, which are condensed into seven categories. Effective pastors will also take intentional time for their own spiritual growth and restoration to maintain a vital ministry. This Guideline helps each pastor navigate their role a pastoral leader.
This is one of the twenty-six Guidelines for Leading Your Congregation 2017-2020 that cover church leadership areas including Church Council and Small Membership Church; the administrative areas of
Finance and Trustees; and ministry areas focused on nurture, outreach, and witness including Worship, Evangelism, Stewardship, Christian Education, age-level ministries, Communications, and more.
Read more from Cokesbury
Guidelines Small Group Ministries Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGuidelines Church Council: Connect Vision and Ministry in Your Church Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Guidelines Mens Ministries: Expand Your Ministries to Men in Your Church and Community Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGuidelines Stewardship: Raise Up Generous Disciples Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGuidelines Ministries with Young People: Empower Youth and Young Adults in Ministry Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGuidelines Worship: The Gifts of God from the People of God Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGuidelines Children's Ministries: Help Children Grow in Faith Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGuidelines Finance: Handling God's Money in the Church Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGuidelines Lay Leader/Lay Member: Connect Your Congregation and Your Annual Conference Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGuidelines Christian Education: Plan for Lifelong Faith Formation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGuidelines Mission: Share Gods Transforming Love with the World Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdult Bible Studies Spring 2023 Teacher/Commentary Kit Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGuidelines Higher Education & Campus Ministry: Connect with Students in Schools, Colleges, and Campus Ministries Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGuidelines Pastor-Parish Relations: Connect the Pastor, Staff, and Congregation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGuidelines Small Membership Church: Serve with Significance in Your Context Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdult Bible Studies Winter 2023-2024 Teacher/Commentary Kit Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGuidelines Scouting & Civic Youth-Serving Ministry: Build Effective Scouting Ministry in Your Church Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGuidelines Nominations & Leadership Development: Leaders Are the Key to Church Vitality Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGuidelines Evangelism: Share the Good News Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDaily Bible Study Spring 2023 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGuidelines Church Historian: Remember the Past and Inspire the Future Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGuidelines Adult Ministries: Help Adults Love God and Neighbor Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGuidelines Family Ministries: Support Families for Faith and Service Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Guidelines Pastor
Related ebooks
Guidelines Pastor-Parish Relations: Connect the Pastor, Staff, and Congregation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGuidelines Worship: The Gifts of God from the People of God Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGuidelines Adult Ministries: Help Adults Love God and Neighbor Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGuidelines Nominations & Leadership Development: Leaders Are the Key to Church Vitality Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGuidelines Trustees: Manage the Resources of the Congregation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGuidelines Mission: Share Gods Transforming Love with the World Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGuidelines Church & Society: Advocate and Witness for Peace and Justice Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsReaching the Un-Churched: Pathway to Church Growth Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGuidelines Evangelism: Share the Good News Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSmall Church Checkup: Assessing Your Church's Health and Creating a Treatment Plan Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGuidelines Small Membership Church: Serve with Significance in Your Context Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDisciple-Making Disciples: A Practical Theology Of The Church Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Rooted Again: Re-Establishing Forgotten or Abandoned Connections with God and God's Kingdom Mandate Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFive Character Traits of a Growing Church Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow To Conduct Discipleship Training: Transforming Christians with Prior Drug and Alcohol Dependence Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLet’S Change Your Church: A Process for Becoming a Co-Worker with Christ to Change Your Church into an Obedience Driven Church Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJob Descriptions and Leadership Training in the United Methodist Church 2017-2020: A Leader Development Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLoving God in Return: The Practice of Passionate Worship Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMaking Disciples: Mentor Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLoving and Serving Others: The Practice of Risk-Taking Mission and Service Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUltimate Reliance: Breakthrough Prayer Practices for Leaders Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGuidelines Communications: Tell Your Church's Story Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Resilient Pastor: Leading Your Church in a Rapidly Changing World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Planting Healthy Churches for an Unchurched Community: Leaving a Legacy to Build On Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe New Pastor's Guide to Leading Worship Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Kingdom Focused Church: A Compelling Image of an Achievable Future for Your Church Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLeading, Growing, and Sustaining God’s Church: Concepts and Strategies for Success Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Christianity For You
The Good Girl's Guide to Great Sex: Creating a Marriage That's Both Holy and Hot Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Winning the War in Your Mind: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Holy Bible (World English Bible, Easy Navigation) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Don't Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table: It's Time to Win the Battle of Your Mind... Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Your Brain's Not Broken: Strategies for Navigating Your Emotions and Life with ADHD Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Law of Connection: Lesson 10 from The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book of Enoch Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bible Recap: A One-Year Guide to Reading and Understanding the Entire Bible Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Winning the War in Your Mind Workbook: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Good Boundaries and Goodbyes: Loving Others Without Losing the Best of Who You Are Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are so You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Boundaries Updated and Expanded Edition: When to Say Yes, How to Say No To Take Control of Your Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mere Christianity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Boundaries Workbook: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Battle with Stuff Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wild at Heart Expanded Edition: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Jesus Calling Morning and Evening, with Scripture References Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Changes That Heal: Four Practical Steps to a Happier, Healthier You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Screwtape Letters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Story: The Bible as One Continuing Story of God and His People Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Undistracted: Capture Your Purpose. Rediscover Your Joy. Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Guidelines Pastor
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Guidelines Pastor - Cokesbury
Blessed to Be a Blessing
If you are reading this Guideline, you have said yes to servant leadership in your church. You are blessed to be a blessing. What does that mean?
By virtue of our baptism by water and the Spirit, God calls all Christians to faithful discipleship, to grow to maturity in faith (see Ephesians 4). The United Methodist Church expresses that call in our shared mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world
(The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church, or the Discipline, ¶120). Each local congregation and community of faith lives out that call in response to its own context—the wonderful and unique combination of God-given human and material resources with the needs of the community, within and beyond the congregation.
The work of servant leaders—your work—is to open a way for God to work through you and the resources available to you in a particular ministry area, for you are about God’s work. As stewards of the mysteries of God (see 1 Corinthians 4:1), servant leaders are entrusted with the precious and vital task of managing and using God’s gifts in the ongoing work of transformation.
In The United Methodist Church, we envision transformation occurring through a cycle of discipleship (see the Discipline, ¶122). With God’s help and guidance, we
•reach out and receive people into the body of Christ,
•help people relate to Christ through their unique gifts and circumstances,
•nurture and strengthen people in their relationships with God and with others,
•send transformed people out into the world to lead transformed and transforming lives,
•continue to reach out, relate, nurture, and send disciples . . .
Every ministry area and group, from finance to missions, engages in all aspects of this cycle. This Guideline will help you see how that is true for the ministry area or group you now lead. When you begin to consider all of the work you do as ministry to fulfill God’s mission through your congregation, each task, report, and conversation becomes a step toward transforming the world into the kingdom of God.
Invite Christ into the process to guide your ministry. You are doing powerful and wonderful work. Allow missteps to become learning opportunities; rejoice in success. Fill your work with the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
God blesses you with gifts, skills, and experience. You are a blessing when you allow God to work through you to make disciples and transform the world. Thank you.
(Find additional help in the Resources
section at the end of this Guideline, in The Book of Discipline, and through http://www.umc.org.)
Called to Spiritual Leadership
What an exciting, energizing, and challenging time to serve as a pastor in The United Methodist Church! Opportunities exist today to proclaim the gospel and lead people into meaningful spiritual experiences that were not even imagined a few years ago. New methods are available for carrying the message of the gospel and need only to be used.
Pastors are in a unique position to shape and direct the spiritual searching so evident in our culture. People are hungry for what is available through the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is our challenge to make this gospel accessible to them in ways that are meaningful and relevant to their lives. This positive formation leads people to wholeness.
Pastoring is one of the most difficult vocations a person can do. This statement is not meant to be discouraging, but to call attention to a reality too often overlooked. The call to