Pastors are sinners like us however, they have to live in higher standards than regular Christians because they are our spiritual leaders. When a local church lose their respect for their pastor, it is a sure sign that this pastor has outlived his usefulness to that congregation. It is important for us to relize that the pastor-church relationship is very sensitive and vitally important issue. I believe the hardest part as a Christian is being like-Christ and try to live in a "blameless" life. We do not expect our pastors to be the only ones who are acting like-Christ and live in a blameless life. ALL members of the Church must live in a blameless life, be the shining light to the lost and bring them to Christ. The pastor should be known as a man of Christian character and conduct and there should be demonstrable evidence of his mature, Christian character. God is obviously concerned with the character of the men put in the office of pastor.
Pastor/Elder qualifications: Titus 1:6-9 ".....must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. Since an overseer is entrusted with God's work, he must be blameless-not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.
In Ephesians 4:11 the words "pastors" and "teachers" may be joined together due to the nature of the Greek phrasing in that sentence as gift of pastor-teacher. "Pastor" refers to one who has a pastoral oversight over others as a "Shepherd". This position often requires by many Churches that pastors are to be "ordained". It is based upon the idea of shepherding and looks back to the pattern of Jesus, who described himself as "the good shepherd" (John 10:11) and is referred to as "the great" (Heb. 13:20) and "Chief Shepherd" of the sheep (1 Pet. 5:4).
A pastor is a 24 hour a day, 365 days a year job. A pastor is not merely an honored dignitary; the Lord has called him to a lifelong task. Paul told Timothy, “Do the work of an evangelist” (2 Tim. 4:5). Ephesians 4:12 says church leaders are to equip the saints “for the work of service.” Serving the Lord is hard work and requires diligence. Paul explained two forms of the word desire in 1 Timothy 3:1: “If any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do.” “Aspire” (Gk., orego) means to “reach out” or “stretch,” and refers to external movement. “Desires” (Gk., epithumeo) means “a passionate compulsion,” and speaks of an internal drive. The desire is not to be for the office or title of overseer, but for the work itself. Paul ends 1 Timothy 3:1 with the words, “It is a fine work he desires to do.” If you merely want the position or title of pastor, your desire is wrong. Your passion should be for the doing of the work of God.
