Everett Henes: Gifts for the church

A few weeks ago, I received disheartening news. I learned of a pastor whom I respected had to resign for a moral failure. I wish I could say this is the first time I’ve seen such a thing, but it’s not. A quick internet search will reveal more moral failings among pastors and clergy than any Christian would care to admit. The truth is that pastors are sinners just like all other Christians. Jesus doesn’t save people who are mostly good and just need a boost. He saves sinners. That said, I firmly hold that a pastor who has such a failing is disqualified from ministry. Full stop.

In light of this One of the questions that I receive, from time to time, is why we even need pastors. After all, if they have weaknesses aren’t they really a flaw in the work of the church? I wonder about that sometimes. I know of my own weaknesses and strive to guard myself against temptation and failure. Even still, are my weaknesses something that might hold the church I pastor back? That’s a question that keeps me up at night sometimes.

The Apostle Paul, though, gives us clear direction in Ephesians 4:11-12, “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints, for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.” The context of giving has to do with the gifts that Jesus gave when he ascended into heaven. In Acts 2 we remember that one of those clear gifts was the Holy Spirit being poured out upon the church. This was promised in John 14-16 and accomplished in Acts.

What’s striking about the Spirit’s being poured out is what followed: the Apostle Peter got up and preached to the crowds who were asking questions and about 3,000 souls were added to the church on that day! This lines up with the gifts that Paul speaks of in Ephesians.

The gifts that Paul speaks of are the officers of the church. Be begins with the apostles and prophets, for they make up the foundation of the church (Ephesians 2:20). We don’t have apostles and prophets anymore because the foundation has been laid. Then he moves on to mention evangelists, pastors and teachers. This is quite significant. In God’s infinite wisdom he has given leaders to the body of Christ. Jesus is the head, of course, but he has given these gifts to us.

This truth speaks to pastors as well as to those in the church. It speaks to pastors because it says that they are a gift to the people. They are to serve the body of Christ, which comes with obligations and responsibilities, and warnings too (James 3:1). Our lives are to be dedicated to building up God’s people.

But it says something to believers in the church as well: church leaders are not optional. It is not as though you can forego the gifts that God has given. This is an important message for Christians. You most likely know people who don’t believe that they need a pastor or teacher. “God can speak directly to me,” they say. But God’s word states that he has set it up so that we are all under the authority of Christ and given those who will labor to encourage and build us up.

This is so that the saints are equipped. Equipped for what? For the battles that they face, the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil but also for the work of service. The work of the church, understood as ministering, is not left only to those who are evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Their purpose is to equip the saints for work. This is counter-intuitive to how the church often is seen nowadays. We can easily see the leaders as the ones who are supposed to do the work. They are the ones who have been “called to the ministry.”

All Christians have been called to belong to the body of Christ, and to labor for Christ! We all have been given grace and we are all called to work. A pastor may have a different call, in the church, but he is not the only one called in the church. This call begins with unity, with recognizing that we are all one body. We are all to labor together, under God’s mercy, building the body of Christ together until it has reached its final goal: maturity.

— Pastor Everett Henes, the pastor of the Hillsdale Orthodox Presbyterian Church, can be reached at pastorhenes@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Everett Henes: Gifts for the church