Q: What does the Bible say about the roles of the pastor and the congregation in the church?  —Freddie

A: The clearest explanation is found in Ephesians 4:11-16, where Paul says that Jesus has gifted his church with various leaders—including “pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-12). So pastors serve the people so the people can serve God by serving each other and the outside world. A pastor is a minister to the ministers.

The word “pastor” means shepherd, and like any good shepherd, a pastor guides, protects, and encourages his sheep. He guides publicly by sermons, which teach the congregation what God has done for them and what He expects from them in return. This is why Paul commands Timothy to “preach the word of God. . . . Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2).

The pastor protects his flock by pointing out dangerous errors both in what they believe and how they live. Again, Paul urges Timothy to “stop those whose teaching is contrary to the truth. . . . These things only lead to meaningless speculations, which don’t help people live a life of faith in God” (1 Timothy 1:3-4).

The pastor encourages his congregation most when they know how much he cares. Peter advises his fellow pastors to “Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. . . . Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example” (1 Peter 5:2-3).

When the congregation responds to such gentle leadership and uses their unique gifts to serve each other, they together construct a flourishing church. Back in Ephesians 4, Paul declares that “As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love” (Ephesians 4:6).

You can learn more about what this mutual submission looks like by reading the rest of Ephesians 4, 5, and 6. In general, Paul states that the people in the congregation must love each other (Ephesians 4:15-16, 32) and live worthy of the gospel (Ephesians 4:17, 5:8,15). And when they do this, they make the pastor’s job much easier!  —Mike Wittmer

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