“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:” Ephesians 4:11-12
In Ephesians 4:11, the words of God state clearly that the Lord Jesus Christ gave His church, the body of Christ specific individual positions to be filled by persons God has called, enabled, and equipped with the spiritual abilities to fulfill and perform the functions required by each position. In Ephesians 4:12, the words of God provides the purpose for why the Lord gave His church these individual positions.
The reason that I have entitled my post Pastor or Evangelist is because within the positions the Lord gave to His church is a specific and separate positions of evangelist and pastor.
It seems that some pastors not all are having a difficult time making up their minds whether they are an evangelist or a pastor even though the words of God clearly state that evangelist and pastor are two separate specific individual positions. The reason that I say this is that there many pastors who are absent from their church’s pulpit on a Sunday or absent for a week at a time preaching at another church’s pulpit.
So, I ask how a man who is called, enabled, and equipped to pastor a church be absent from his pulpit not just occasionally by several times a year. Who is caring for his flock? He is the one that is suppose to be ministering the words of God to his people. He is the one that his people look up to and go for counsel when needed. He is the one who is to protect his flock from the wolves without and within the church.
We have too many delinquent pastors who are not fulfilling their God called position in the body of Christ. The people suffer and the church overall as well.
What can be the motivation for a pastor to leave his pulpit and go to another church to administer the words of God. The Lord gave the church the position of evangelist to fulfill this function and equipped that individual with the gifts to go from church to church administering the words of God to the body of Christ.
So, what motivates a pastor to be absent from his pulpit that God has given him to go to another church to preach while his people are left without their spiritual protection. Could it be ego? Could it be that he thinks has insight into God’s words no one else has? Could be that he is a show pony and needs more than one stage to perform on? Could it be he loves the praises of men more than the praises of God?
My prayer is that a man called by God to be a pastor would do what God has called, enabled and equipped him to do. Let the evangelists do what they are called to do and be content with what the Lord has given you.