What are the core competencies that a pastor must have to be successful?
To answer that question, we need to distinguish between competencies and learning outcomes. Core competencies are general categories of applied knowledge that equip a person for life, while learning outcomes are specific objectives that define what a person can do upon completion of the training. The latter refers to the development of skills to perform certain tasks, while the former refers to the abilities needed across various life contexts.
I know this sounds like a boring blog opener, so how does this apply to pastoral training?
Much pastoral training today focuses on learning outcomes rather than core competencies. Pastors need to develop certain skills to connect with our modern culture and manage the professional responsibilities of leading churches. The problem is that our culture, at large and in the church, is always changing, so the learning outcomes change to reflect new needs. That is why it is better to focus pastoral training on core competencies than on learning outcomes. There is overlap between the two, to be sure, but pastors need to be competent in certain areas to be successful as God defines success.
Paul’s training manual for pastors in the New Testament, the Pastoral Epistles, focuses on core competencies for effective pastors. I have been studying the epistles to determine what these competencies are, and I’m indebted to Andreas Kostenberger’s Biblical Theology for Christian Proclamation for his excellent insights.[1]
What are those core competencies in the Pastoral Epistles? How do they apply today?
1. MINISTRY OF THE WORD
The highest priority for every pastor is to know the book. A pastor who doesn’t know the Bible is like a doctor who doesn’t know Gray’s Anatomy. He commits spiritual malpractice. Our work is the Word (2 Tim. 2:15). Pastoral ministry is a word-based work. All of it–from casual conversations to committee meetings, from counseling to preaching. Paul says that everything God created is sanctified by the Word of God and prayer (1 Tim. 4:5). Timothy had studied the Bible since childhood because the Word is useful for equipping believers for everything they do (2 Tim. 3: 15-17). Pastors are to devote themselves to the Word (1 Tim. 4:13) and preach it in person and from the pulpit (2 Tim. 4:2). We must hold fast to the Word because it is the only way we can exhort in sound doctrine and refute those who contradict it (Titus 1:9).
2. SOUND DOCTRINE
Five times in the epistles, Paul refers to trustworthy sayings (1Tim. 1:15; 3:1; 4:8; 2 Tim. 2:11-13; Titus 3:4-7). Nowhere else in his writings does Paul use this expression. It likely referred to established content being taught in the apostolic church.[2] The epistles repeatedly emphasize sound doctrine as necessary for spiritual leadership (1 Tim. 1:3; 4:6; 6:3; 2 Tim. 1:13). One of the qualifications of a pastor is to be able to teach (1 Tim.3:2; Titus 1:9). Paul speaks of this body of knowledge as a deposit–information that has been entrusted to the pastor (1 Tim. 6:20; 2 Tim. 1:14). The pastor, in turn, is to entrust these teachings to faithful men who will be able to teach others also (2 Tim. 2:2). A person who doesn’t know his theology is a person not ready to be a pastor.
3. PASTORAL CARE
Paul wrote to Timothy so he would know how to conduct himself in the household of God (1 Tim. 3:15). Churches were not corporate organizations in the first century. They were households of faith that functioned in a city as affiliated spiritual groups. Pastors were to manage a church like a family household, which is why their ability to manage their own households is one of the important spiritual qualifications to be a pastor (1 Tim. 3:4-5). Pastors are not CEOs. They are family leaders. Paul lays out instructions for older and younger men, older and younger women, and widows who might have difficulty fitting into a church family (1 Tim. 5:1-16; Titus 2:1-10). The skill set to lead a family is very different than the skill set to lead a corporation. Pastors are to care for people like family members, not manage people like a company boss.
4. DEMONSTRABLE CHARACTER
Pastoral ministry is a character-based profession. Who we are is more important than what we do. One of the striking features of the pastoral epistles is the two lists of character qualities necessary for pastors (1 Tim. 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9). A pastor could be a captivating speaker or a charismatic leader, and it is all irrelevant if he does not display these character qualities. Character is God’s platform for success. Talents get the attention of people. Character gets the attention of God. Churches built on talents fade. Churches built on character last. We should train pastors to exhibit godly character.
5. RELATIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY
When I read through the epistles, I am struck by the strong emphasis Paul has on team leadership. Our relationships are vital to our success in ministry. At the conclusion of 2 Timothy, Paul names 14 partners in ministry in addition to Timothy and Titus (2 Tim. 4:9-22). To Titus, Paul mentions 3 more people vital to ministry (Titus 3:12-13). Of course, this does not mean there was no opposition. Paul strongly warned Timothy about false teachers, including those who had once been partners in ministry (1 Tim. 1:3-4; 1 Tim. 1:18-20; 2 Tim. 4:1-,14-15). Titus is to appoint plural elders in every city (Titus 1:5). To Timothy, Paul lays out how a team of elders is to hold each other accountable (1 Tim. 5:17-22). The ability to handle relationships well is vital to success in pastoral ministry.
6. PERSONAL DISCIPLINE
Paul exhorts Timothy to “discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness” (1 Tim. 4:7). Pastors must be hardworking and avoid entangling themselves in the “affairs of everyday life” (2 Tim. 2:1-7). Pastors must maintain purity to pursue righteousness. They must not be quarrelsome, patiently and gently correcting those in opposition (2 Tim. 2:22-26). We must not put down others, but be peaceable, demonstrating respect for everyone, even if we disagree (Titus 3:1-12). One of the tests of pastoral discipline that comes up repeatedly in the epistles is how we handle controversial topics (1 Tim. 6:20; 2 Tim. 2:16, 23; Titus 3:9). Pastors must not be edgelord Christians constantly embroiling themselves in foolish arguments, theological disputes, philosophical debates, political hot-button topics, clickbait memes, and the latest conspiracy theories.
7. MISSIONAL FOCUS
Underlying it all must be a strong sense that we are on a mission for Christ. Timothy is commissioned to work with an existing church in Ephesus so that Paul can expand the mission to Macedonia (1 Tim. 1:3). Paul leaves Titus in Crete to organize new churches for Christ (Titus 1:5). By the time Paul writes 2 Timothy, he has sent Titus to Dalmatia, Crescens to Galatia and Tychicus has replaced Timothy in Ephesus (2 Tim. 4:10-12). Paul’s sense of mission is central to his whole ministry (2 Tim. 4:17), and he instills in his team of pastors that same sense of mission to reach the Gentile world for Christ. We are to do the work of an evangelist (2 Tim. 4:5). Our lifestyles must make Christ’s teachings attractive to the world, as we are temporary residents on earth, carrying out Christ’s mission while awaiting His return (Titus 2:10-14). This missional mindset should dominate the way we do our work as pastors.
I think Paul House sums up well what we learn from the Pastoral Epistles about leading churches.
“In my opinion few areas of seminary life today need more revision than what normally passes under the title of ‘leadership development.’ It is hard to find biblical passages that call for ‘leadership’ in anything approximating what that term implies in American life. Models for pastors as chief executive officers or community activists do not exist in the Bible. … Pastors whose goal is to brand their ministries, build their reputations, manage complex organizations, … and have thousands of followers on social media outlets do not match anything in the Pastoral Epistles. … A pastor may need to do some of these things, but if he cannot do them as a Bible-formed, praying servant of a community, he is not on the right path.”[3]
[1] Andreas Kostenberger, Biblical Theology for Christian Proclamation: Commentary on 1-2 Timothy & Titus, B&H Publishing, 2017, 357-544.
[2] Kostenberger, Christian Proclamation, 393-395).
[3] Paul House, Bonhoeffer’s Seminary Vision: A Case for Costly Discipleship and Life Together, Crossway: Wheaton, Illinois, 2015, 139.
