Ministry Essentials

Traditionally, the most commonly used paradigm for understanding the job description of the pastor has been “shepherd.” That paradigm rises from the similarity of the word “pastor” used in Ephesians 4 to the Greek word for “shepherd.” This model has led to a picture of the pastor as the person who is responsible to tend the flock and all that task may entail—feeding, nurturing, caring for, seeking, birthing, and a dozen other tasks. Fulfilling all of these tasks is a more-than-full-time job that has many pastors on the run day and night in order to tend to all the flock.
Church size analysis suggests that there are alternate models that describe the role of the pastor based on the specific size of the church: chaplain, gardener, rancher, CEO, etc. These models are based upon the particular needs that are exhibited by churches of various sizes and an analysis of what kind of leader is most effective in churches of those sizes. Looking at the pastorate in this way seeks a leadership model that responds most effectively to the organizational behavior of a particular size of a group.



