The Pastoral Philosophy of the Repairer's Fellowship

- By pastor.ctj
I was asked this week what my beliefs about Pastoring are. I began to consider what the ‘pastoral philosophy’ of the Fellowship is. I came up with this:

Big Sheep, not Big Pens. 

To that end, from the outset, the goal has been to train, equip, empower and send men and women into the world to serve Christ and be the community of faith right where they are. We believe that is the Biblical model. Personally, I look at Jesus and see one who:

 1) Trained his disciples, putting them to work in the midst of their training: John 4:1-3 (HCSB) 1 When Jesus knew that the Pharisees heard He was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2 (though Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were), 3 He left Judea and went again to Galilee.

  2) He gloried/rejoiced in their successes:
Luke 10:17-21 (HCSB) 17 The Seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in Your name.” 18 He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a lightning flash. 19 Look, I have given you the authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy; nothing will ever harm you. 20 However, don’t rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” 21 In that same hour He rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and the learned and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, because this was Your good pleasure. 

 3) He gave them grace even as he covered their failures:
Mark 9:14-29 (HCSB) 14 When they came to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and scribes disputing with them. 15 All of a sudden, when the whole crowd saw Him, they were amazed and ran to greet Him. 16 Then He asked them, “What are you arguing with them about?” 17 Out of the crowd, one man answered Him, “Teacher, I brought my son to You. He has a spirit that makes him unable to speak. 18 Wherever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I asked Your disciples to drive it out, but they couldn’t.” 19 He replied to them, “You unbelieving generation! How long will I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him to Me.” 20 So they brought him to Him. When the spirit saw Him, it immediately convulsed the boy. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. 21 “How long has this been happening to him?” Jesus asked his father. “From childhood,” he said. 22 “And many times it has thrown him into fire or water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23 Then Jesus said to him, “‘If You can’? Everything is possible to the one who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the boy cried out, “I do believe! Help my unbelief.” 25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was rapidly coming together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you: come out of him and never enter him again!” 26 Then it came out, shrieking and convulsing him violently. The boy became like a corpse, so that many said, “He’s dead.” 27 But Jesus, taking him by the hand, raised him, and he stood up. 28 After He went into a house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” 29 And He told them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer [and fasting].” 

I believe that Ephesians 4 is clear that ‘pastor’ is a GIFT to/for the body, not a rank, so I try to do those three things with the people that God has assigned to me to lead. I also make sure to point people past me to the cross, and past me to the throne.
I cannot save them, nor would I be foolish enough to think that I can.

Now as a practice, we try to adhere to the model set forth in Acts 2:42-47, namely:
• Study the Word,
• Live the Word,
• Love the Lord,
• Love your Neighbor.

It is often messy, and sometimes problematic in practice because people tend to want to resort back to the Pastoral model that they grew up with, or got saved under, namely that it is the pastor’s job to be responsible for their spiritual health, growth and development, and not they themselves.
That is FAR too much weight for this one man to carry…