And He Himself gave some to beapostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ…Ephesians 4.11, 12

The Christian Ministry: Part I, chapter III
Charles Bridges (1794-1869)
“The primary use of this holy function [pastoral ministry] is, as we have already observed, the channel of communication from the Head to the several members of the body. Its more specific uses may be readily collected from the various scriptural illustrations of the office – each bearing a relation to the nature of the ministration, and the necessities of the charge.”

The fact is, this is the way many lay people look at their pastors – all the time. The pastor is the most constant source of understanding about the Lord Jesus, His Kingdom, and His will for the Church. People expect their pastors to speak the Word of God to them, and to do so at all times, in every situation. And we are always communicating, not just when we’re preaching. The question is whether what we are communicating is consistent with our Kingdom-and-glory calling in Christ Jesus. (1 Thess. 2.12) Pastors must always make certain of the messages they are sending to the people in their care. Are they the ones Jesus wants them to proclaim? Are those we serve learning Jesus through us, and being equipped to serve Him in works of ministry?

How does this calling to communicate from Christ to your congregation affect your approach to ministry each day?

Prayer for Revival
We will gather online tonight at 9:00 Eastern to pray for revival. If you’d like to join us, just send me an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We also pray each Tuesday morning at 10:00 am, and you can join us weekly or monthly, depending on your availability.

The Vision of Christ
Many people suffer from an inadequate vision of our Lord Jesus Christ. If we can’t see Jesus, it will be difficult for us to be transformed into His image, much less to communicate Him to the people we serve. Our devotional guide, Be Thou My Vision, offers 28 days of meditations on our exalted Savior and King, following the lead of some of Church history’s greatest thinkers and leaders. You can order your copy of this helpful guide to seeing Jesus by clicking here.

Twelve Questions that Could Change Your Church
How do you determine the overall health of your church? Paul’s template in Ephesians 4.11-16 outlines his approach to building healthy, growing churches. Download our free assessment tool, Twelve Questions that Could Change Your Church (click here). Make copies for all your leaders. Work through it together, average out your answers, then discuss your observations, and you will discover areas where you can better focus your efforts in building your congregation into a healthy, growing church.

Help us build up the community of readers who are learning from great pastors of the past. Pass along this copy of Pastor to Pastor to a friend in ministry, and encourage him to sign-up at our website, www.ailbe.org, to receive it every day.

Your prayers and gifts make this ministry possible. Please seek the Lord in prayer about sharing with us at The Fellowship of Ailbe. You can use the Contribute button at the website, or send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.