Pastors
Pastors are a vital part of the Church – local leaders called to shepherd and teach, challenge and exhort, comfort and counsel, lead and inspire. Pastors are at the coal face of where life and teaching come together, and they know the challenge of authentically living and sharing the Words of God in a society that has largely lost an understanding of Him. As the success of the local church rises and falls with the local leadership – it is vital that our pastors are inspired, supported and resourced!
Handbook for Australian Pastors
HANDBOOK FOR AUSTRALIAN PASTORS – 2012
Pastors operate within significant tensions from all sides. They are often confronted with the needs, expectations and challenges of their church members – as Donald Miller (Storylineblog.com) put it, “.. can you imagine having to speak for God at a funeral? Can you imagine having to speak for God at a wedding, even? And not only that, can you imagine having to preach a sermon every week, lead a staff, counsel broken marriages, provide vision for a community, and all under the microscope of a small percentage of people that would judge you if you drove a nicer car than they?”
Alongside the expectations and scrutiny of those they lead, is the desire to be diligent to their calling from God, the passion to reach their community for Christ, their responsibilities to their Conference, and faithful to fulfil the needs of family.
These, coupled with the fact that pastors often operate with a high degree of isolation and often feel inadequate for the work they are called to do, means the importance of self leadership cannot be overstated.
These resources are provided as a support to our pastors as they seek to lead themselves – and us well.