Giants of the Reformation (7)

“…but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” Acts 6.4

Institutes of the Christian Religion
John Calvin (1509-1564)
“…in the office of the pastors also there are these two particular functions: to proclaim the gospel and to administer the sacraments. The manner of teaching not only consists in public discourses, but also has to do with private admonitions…That is, they have been set over the church not to have a sinecure but, by the doctrine of Christ to instruct the people to true godliness, to administer the sacred mysteries and to keep and exercise upright discipline.”

Calvin cannot talk about the office of pastoral ministry without also describing the effects for which that office has been established. Pastors do not simply carry out functions or execute tasks. They are charged with making disciples and equipping the saints for ministry. Where disciples are being made, godliness and uprightness will be much in evidence. Where saints are ministering, the Kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Spirit will appear. The goal of pastoral ministry, in other words, is not ministry, but disciples. One who holds the office of pastor will plan, pray, and prosecute his ministry with a view to seeing the people entrusted to his care transformed into the image of Jesus Christ, and the congregation increasing in unity and maturity, as a true expression of the Body of Christ. Our labors are not in vain in the office of pastor when such outcomes are in evidence.

How does this way of thinking about your ministry affect the way you plan and assess your work?

T. M. Moore

Healthy, Growing Churches
Our assessment tool, Twelve Questions that Could Change Your Church, can help you discover the degree of unity and maturity that characterize your local church. Use it with your church leaders to discern the health of your church, then use it to plan the next phase of your growth as the Body of Christ. You can download Twelve Questions for free by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.All quotations from John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, John T. McNeill, ed., Ford Lewis Battles, tr. (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1960), Vol. 2, Book IV, pp. 1012ff.