Pastor as Master of All Things?

Gary Fenton, pastor in Alabama, supplied the eight volume of Leadership’s “Pastor’s Soul” series, in which he describes the heart of his pastoral struggles throughout the course of his ministry. For Fenton, the pastor works in three areas of ministry: communication, pastoral care, and leadership. Fenton then describes that as his ministry developed, he consequently developed in competency in each of these areas until he became a sort of “general practitioner”, drawing on the medical field as his metaphor. Unfortunately I believe Fenton’s article, an excerpt from his book which delves into this issue of mastery in every phase of the pastoral field, leaves readers with a sense of needing to be all things for all people. For me this is one of the biggest fallacies we as pastors buy into: a sense that we must become experts in every aspect of the wide spectrum of pastoral leadership. Does this not smack directly in the face of Paul’s “Body of Christ” imagery? Fenton argues that as ministry develops, the pastor will eventually be faced with challenges where he has the opportunity to grow in competency in every area of pastoral leadership, communication, and care. But unfortunately, the monopolization of these broad categories of ministry leaves little room for lay ministry, and perhaps as well an unnecessary burden of responsibility on the shoulders of the pastor. I think about the apostles commissioning of stewards to take care of the needs of widows in the Acts Church. It doesn’t seem like Fenton would be willing to allow for such delegation. For article see: http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2000/winter/18.108.html?start=1