1 Peter 5:2-3 Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers – not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.

It has struck me in these first two days of the conference that, where­as various denominational groups across Japan are bemoaning the lack of pastors in their churches, this group has been talking about starting hundreds and thousands of new congregations. The difference is in the definition of what a pastor is. The vast majority of Christian organizations define the office of pastor largely in terms of formal education, forgetting that there were no Christian seminaries for at least the first two centuries of the Church. When we focus on the human organization, we lose sight of the Body of Christ, the con­gregation of God. The terms translated as “church” in both Hebrew and Greek simply mean assembly, congregation. They indicate the people, not the organization, much less the building. The theme of this conference is “Return to our Roots.” Getting back to God’s definition of His Church is an important part of that. As was pointed out yesterday, we need to remember the purpose of everything we do, and that is the salvation of souls. Planting congregations is admirable, but that isn’t the end goal. Lots of things can be good, but they are no more than tools toward the ultimate purpose. Peter is here addressing the sort of people Paul went around appointing in the groups of people who believed as he traveled from place to place. Some of them were probably not happy with the appointment, as Peter refers to here. Ultimately, every pastor must be chosen and appointed by God, but even those in that situation don’t always enjoy it. It is certainly not something to get puffed up over. Some people indeed twist it into a way to get money or a path to personal power. When that happens, it’s tragic. (Actually, such pastors are probably not chosen by God, but the temptation can be there even for those who are.) Every person in church leadership, on whatever level, must remember that it is God’s church, and they are His servants and the servants of their flock, even as Peter says here.

This discussion gives me a bit of a twinge, because I didn’t really want to be a pastor when I came to Omura. I enjoyed teaching the Bible, and I still do, but the mess of interpersonal relationships didn’t appeal to me. I had experienced that in the US, and I wanted to focus on what I enjoyed! I don’t think I’ve ever viewed ministry as a “money pit,” and I’m not much tempted by personal power, but the whole question of willingness has been an issue at times. At this point in my life I’m faced with the question of succession, since I am 75. The more I look at the growth of the believers in the church, the less I’m worried about that! That drives some people with a more denominational background up the wall, but I know God is in charge, and all I have to do is listen obediently to Him.

Father, thank You for this reminder, and for this conference. Thank You that Marc Estes, the main speaker, was a high school dropout when You got to Him, and now he’s not only the pastor of a large church, he’s the president of a Bible College, with no academic degrees whatsoever to his name! Help me see people, myself included, as You do, and value them and treat them accordingly, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!