“Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” Acts 20.28

The Christian Ministry: Part I, chapter III
Charles Bridges (1794-1869)
“We do not limit the infinite extent and power of Divine grace, when we speak of the necessity of the Christian Ministry. These uses of the sacred institution are not and cannot be necessary to God, as if He were unable to work without them. But they are such as He has appointed and made necessary in the constituted order of means, for the accomplishment of His own purposes of mercy to the world.”

Pastor, God doesn’t need you. You are not indispensable. Instead, you are blessed and set apart to join with our Good Shepherd in the work of strengthening and building His Church. It pleases the Lord to call and use you, and to give you the joy of serving His flock and exercising oversight of His people. He laid down His life for those sheep, and as Jesus pointed out, so must we. If a Christian is “not his own” because he is bought with a price, pastors are even more so not their own. Not only were you bought with a price; you were called with a solemn charge to shepherd the flock of God. Paying careful attention to the saints and overseeing the flock are indeed a sacred calling and institution. We should make sure we’re pursuing this work as we should, and as well as we can.

Pastor, who encourages you in your work? Do you have another pastor friend with whom you pray? Why not join one of our Revival Prayer Groups, and meet some new friends to share the load of ministry with you. Write me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for details.

Fan into Flame
Our book Fan into Flame offers an overview of the work of ministry and opportunities to evaluate and improve all aspects of that calling. It includes sections on the context of ministry, the ministry of the Word and prayer, and the personal example of the minister. This is an excellent tool for taking stock of the state of your ministry, and for making plans to improve in specific areas and ways. Order your copy of Fan into Flame 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, 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.