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Realizing the presence, promise, and power of the Kingdom of God.
Pastor to Pastor

Fitted for Ministry

Pastors and elders have one primary job.

Growing into Christ (5)

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry…Ephesians 4.1112

The Elder and His Work
David Dickson (1821-1885),
“…neither in this country nor in America does [the office of elder] appear to have been used as a help to spiritual life in the way of evangelization and edification to anything like the extent to which it is so well fitted to be.”

Mr. Dickson might just as well have been writing about our own day. Primary among the responsibilities of God’s shepherds is that of gathering the flock and building them up in the grace and truth of the Lord – guiding, helping, and encouraging them to grow into Jesus. The qualifications set forth in Scripture for those who serve as shepherd, together with examples of those faithful New Testament shepherds, suggest that we have gotten off course somewhere. If you are a pastor or teacher in your church, you have one primary job description: equip the saints of God, so that they can do the work of ministry He has prepared for them. Faithfulness in ministry is not measured by what we regard as important, but by what God has appointed. Preaching and teaching may be helpful in our calling, but they are not ends in themselves. Only as the saints of God are growing into Jesus and serving Him day by day can we say that our labors in the Lord are not in vain.

What specific tasks do the shepherds in your church fulfill? Are these the ones required of them by Scripture?

Pastoral Hope Initiative

Pastor, where are you in your walk with and work for the Lord? Are you growing? Covering all the bases? Working fruitfully toward the Kingdom of God? Our Pastoral Hope Initiative can help you establish a framework and baseline for steady, fruitful growth into the Lord Jesus; and for the remainder of this spring, we’re waiving the fee for men who want to work through this 14-week protocol. Watch this brief video, then, if you’re interested, let me hear from you at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Fellowship of Ailbe is supported through the generous and faithful gifts of those who benefit from and believe in our work. Does the Lord want to use you in this way? Please look to Him in prayer over this question. You can contribute to The Fellowship of Ailbe by using the Contribute button at our website, or by sending your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452. Thank you.

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 are from David Dickson, The Elder and His Work (Dallas: Presbyterian Heritage Publications, 1990).

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore

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