Introduction/ Background
It is hardly possible to state with sufficient clarity the importance of the leadership role of the pastor in The United Methodist Church. It is a role that is pivotal if the congregation is to fulfill its mission of making disciples for Jesus Christ. The pastor is one of the few persons in the church who is called to look at the whole of the church organization and be sure that there is an overall vision that moves it toward its mission. When this work is done with consultation and collaboration and with sensitivity to the views and needs of others, your work as pastor will be faithful and effective, allowing you to help advance the mission of the Christ.
Most importantly, you are entrusted with the spiritual lives of the persons within the congregation. It is a daunting and noble task that requires the best of your time, energy, devotion, and prayers and that shows its rewards in the transformation of persons and the growth of the kingdom of God.
--From Guidelines for Leading Your Congregation 2005-2008: Pastor (Abingdon Press, 2005), p. 28. Used by permission.
Responsibilities
All pastors have the same general responsibilities that fall into four main categories, described as Word, Sacrament, Order, and Service. This fourfold ministry includes (but is not limited to) preaching; worship; studying and applying Scripture to daily life; celebrating the Sacraments; developing congregational leaders; attending to the day-to-day business of the church; caring for the spiritual and temporal needs of the congregation and community; modeling for and leading the congregation in acts of compassion, mercy, and justice; and nurturing the congregation for mission and ministry in the world as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ (see Book of Discipline ¶331). (Guidelines, p. 6)
The Discipline lists at least 15 different responsibilities of the pastor (¶331), which can be clustered into seven major areas:
- Spiritual leader : The pastor is the primary spiritual leader in the congregation and is responsible for helping members grow closer to God through worship and spiritual disciplines. (Guidelines: Pastor, p. 9-10)
- Worship leader, preacher, and teacher
- Trainer of laity: The pastor seeks to equip lay persons to discover how they have been called to ministry in the world and to accomplish those ministries. (Guidelines: Pastor, p. 9; 14)
- Administrative leader and steward of the congregation's vision of how they are called to accomplish the mission of making disciples. (Guidelines: Pastor, p. 9; 17)
- Custodian of institutional integrity: The pastor protects the integrity of the reputation of the church in the community—as a place of honesty, safety, hope and reconciliation—and upholds the traditions, polity, and beliefs of The United Methodist Church. (Guidelines: Pastor, p. 9; 21)
- Participant in the United Methodist connection: A United Methodist pastor is part of an extensive network of ministry as a member of an annual conference, a district, and the denomination. He or she has responsibilities to participant in and support these connections and to inform the congregation about its participation in this connectional system. (Guidelines: Pastor, p. 9; 23-25)
- Minister to the community: Pastors are in ministry beyond the walls of the particular congregation to which they are appointed by being involved in the life of the community in ways that witness to the mission of Christ in the world. (Guidelines: Pastor, p. 9; 25)
Adapted from Guidelines for Leading Your Congregations 2005-2008: Pastor (Abingdon Press, 2005), p. 9; 10, 14, 17, 21, 23-25. Used by permission.
 The material above gives only a basic description the purpose and responsibilities of the Pastor committee. The booklet, Guidelines for Leading Your Congregation
2005-2008: Pastor, will provide practical and concrete suggestions and resources for helping you carry out these important ministry responsibilities. Written particularly for the new pastor, this Guideline provides detailed information about the roles and responsibilities of the pastor as well as practical suggestions and resources for effectively fulfilling these functions. Particular emphasis is placed on the importance of nurturing one's own spiritual life and the direct effect this has on one's ability to provide spiritual leadership for the church--and by extension--for the surrounding community. Click here to purchase this book
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