PASTORING: THE NUTS AND BOLTS – EXPANDED EDITION

APPLYING THE INTRODUCTION

1. What are the basic presuppositions that underlie your practice of ministry? In other words, what things seem so obviously true that you assume everyone sees them the same way?


2. What do you believe about the Bible?

a. If you believe the entire Bible is the inerrant, infallible, divinely inspired word of God, what does that mean for your practice of ministry?

b. If you believe the entire Bible is not inerrant, infallible or divinely inspired, what does that mean for your practice of ministry?

c. How do you deal with the parts that are hard to understand?

d. How do you deal with people who disagree with your understanding?


3. Are you part of a particular denomination, association or church tradition? If so, what practices or policies go along with that? For instance:

a. How are pastors called or assigned to churches?

b. Are there any restrictions on who may be a pastor?

c. How are local churches governed or administered?

d. Is there any authority beyond the local church?

e. Is there any oversight or authority over pastors?

f. Are there any restrictions on the roles women may fill, or people who have been divorced, or other groups?

g. Do you agree with all these practices and policies? Why or why not? How strongly?

h. If you have substantial disagreements, what do you think God wants you to do about it?


4. Different groups of Christians often have different understandings about things like predestination versus free will, the meaning and practice of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, the end times, and so on.

a. Have you developed a clear understanding of these things for yourself?

b. If not, how will you reach that clear understanding?

c. How do you relate to those who see things differently than you do?


5. List those things you consider to be the essential, non-negotiable elements of the Christian faith; in other words, things that, if someone believes wrongly about them, they are not truly a Christian.

a. For each one: explain why it is essential to Christianity and salvation.

b. For each one: is there a difference between “believes wrongly” and “believes differently than you do?” If yes, what is the difference?


Last modified: Tuesday, May 23, 2023, 9:44 AM