The Pastor’s First Ministry

As I read again this week in God’s Word about every pastor’s responsibilities I found something that I felt needed addressed today for just a few moments - the pastor’s FIRST ministry.

Now I could discuss the importance of the pulpit ministry or even soul winning but I am not convinced that those are the pastor’s FIRST ministry.  I also know that visiting the needy and seeking to build up new converts via discipleship are also important, but, again, I believe that these must fall as secondary in nature to the utmost FIRST ministry in a pastor’s life.  Many churches have struggled because of the lack of vision and planning by their pastor, but EVERY church will struggle if the pastor fails in his FIRST ministry.   

Now mind you this FIRST ministry is never directly stated in Scripture as a qualification at all, but it is clearly implied throughout Scripture, and not just for pastors.  As a matter of fact this FIRST ministry is given only five words in the qualifications of 1 Timothy 3, and even then, these five words do not state it to be his FIRST ministry.  But I am convinced that if this FIRST ministry is not what it should be, then a pastor should immediately resign or at the very least step aside for whatever time is necessary to resolve any failings in this area of FIRST ministry.

Some might immediately look to the issue of preacher’s kids as that FIRST ministry because it is stated in 1 Timothy 3:4-5.  Though it is true that I have known many pastors whose children struggled spiritually or personally and some of these men felt it necessary to remove themselves from ministry, and, yes, a pastor must “rule his house well,” but that is not the FIRST ministry either.  Let me add on a side note that parents truly do impact their children and pastor’s children should have seen a steadfast example in the home, but unless you are a dyed in the wool Calvinist, you must accept that every child has a free will and can choose to not serve the Lord as well.  I love my children and should be willing to step out of the ministry to save them from waywardness if that is what is what it took to spend the necessary time and energy with them, but even they are not my FIRST ministry.

I can only assume that by now you have assumed this FIRST ministry is the pastor’s wife and you would be right!  Every pastor’s FIRST ministry is his wife, if married of course.  (As another side note, some would argue that being married is a requirement for being a pastor, but what do you do with the Apostle Paul who never married or a pastor whose wife has died leaving him a widow?  This is a discussion for another post.)  So for this day, let us just simply state that the pastor’s FIRST ministry must be his wife.

Too often a pastor will unwittingly fail in his FIRST ministry in various ways which can cause his wife great harm and can, in some cases, even foster bitterness within her heart which destroyed his FIRST ministry.  Here are just a few examples we must safeguard our FIRST ministry through:

1. The pastor’s wife is often expected to fill in whenever others in the church fall short.  As an example, if a nursery worker does not show up, the pastor’s wife is often the assumed fill in. But my question is doesn’t a pastor’s wife need spiritually fed by preaching too?  Which would be better, a crying baby in service or a pastor’s wife not being fed spiritually?  A pastor should never sacrifice his wife’s spiritual needs for the convenience of the church.
2. The pastor is expected to always sacrifice himself for the people of his church, yet his wife is often overlooked.  As an example a pastor will usually immediately drop whatever he is doing for a church member in need, but if he does this for his wife, he can be seen by even church members as allowing his wife’s need to run his ministry.  Too often the ministry of others overtake the needs of the pastor’s wife.   Every pastor must be sure that his wife has all the time and resources she needs - including the resource of the pastor himself.  Why should pastors sacrifice so much for their church people but fail to sacrifice for their wife as their FIRST ministry?
3. Why do pastor’s wife get the leftovers of their husband’s time and energy while the church gets the “anytime” you need me?  As an example of this have you ever heard a pastor ever say to his church, “I don’t have time to talk to you?”  But unfortunately Too many pastors seldom take time to sit down and just listen to their own wives when they would listen to every hurt and heartache of another member.  Pastors, we must give our wives our FIRST ministry.

I could easily go on with more examples, but I think the point is made here.  Church ministry is important but the pastor’s FIRST ministry is essential!   When a pastor’s marriage is struggling, his entire ministry is struggling - no matter how successful the church work is going.  The FIRST ministry must remain the FIRST ministry as the commitment of marriage is to transcend our entire lives in and out of ministry.  How’s your FIRST ministry, pastor?