Commenting on Paul’s statement that he cared for the Thessalonians as a father (1 Thess 2:11), Calvin articulates an important aspect of pastoral ministry. unquestionably, no one will ever be a good pastor, unless he shows himself to be a father to the Church that is committed to him. Nor does he merely declare himself to [...]
Archive of posts tagged oversight
Calvin on the Necessity of Care of Individual Members
Commenting on Acts 20:20 where Paul says he taught the Ephesians “both publicly and house to house,†Calvin states: This is the second point, that he did not only teach all men in the congregation, but also every one privately, as every man’s necessity did require. For Christ hath not appointed pastors upon this condition, that [...]
Reformation and the Care of Souls
Happy Reformation Day! I was privileged to speak in chapel today at Union University for our Reformation Day chapel and chose as my topic, “The Care of Souls: The Heart of the Reformation.” My main point is that the Reformation was not simply an academic or abstract discussion but arose from the pastoral care of souls. I sought to [...]
Shepherding and Church Size
This past week in preparing to preach on Ezekiel 34 I came across this provocative comment in Ian Duguid’s helpful commentary: “If we are to return to truly being shepherds, perhaps we need to reconsider our love affair with big churches. It is possible to lord it over a flock of thousands; it is possible [...]
Calvin, “It is Not Enough to Preachâ€
A common theme at this site is the importance of extra-pulpit ministry. While upholding the crucial importance of preaching, we also need to uphold the crucial importance of direct, individual ministry to our people. I have pointed to various historical examples who have made this point, and recently I cam across a great comment on [...]
Martin Bucer, plurality of elders & the oversight of souls
I have previously commended the excellent book Concerning the True Care of Souls, by Martin Bucer. In his discussion of Titus 1:5-7 Bucer argues the text (and others like it) require a plurality of elders and that these elders are to be pastors engaged in the oversight of souls (not a corporate board as is [...]
Zwingli, the Pastor, Again
“Those are also false shepherds who in no way act as parents and do not let the pre-occupations and anxieties of the sheep be their own concerns but look only to their own matters, saying, ‘I want that which is mine.’ †(The Shepherd, March 1524, pp 115)
Zwingli the Pastor
“But if any master of  ceremonials ventured to preach other than the truth to the sheep entrusted to me, I declared I would not stand it†-“Letter of Huldreich Zwingli to Erasmus Fabricius about the Proceedings, on the 7th, 8th, and 9th of April, 1522, of the Delegates Sent to Zurich by the Bishop of Constance,,†[...]
Video of Messages at Charlotte Chapel Conference
Earlier this year I mentioned The Call conference for pastors to be held at Charlotte Chapel in Edinburgh, Scotland. I was blessed to be apart and benefited from all the messages. I have mentioned some of them along the way but just recently noticed that video of all the messages has been posted online. So, here are [...]
F. F. Bruce on the Importance of the Local Pastor
While working on a project on what is taught about the church in Hebrews I came across this quote from F. F. Bruce (in his commentary). He is discussing Hebrews 13:17, the verse which provides the name for this site. This is a great comment: “There would always be a tendency throughout the churches for [...]
