This Sunday we will begin a six-part sermon series entitled “He Gave Pastors and Teachers,” examining the role of pastors and teachers in building up the body of Christ through the local church. The title comes from Ephesians 4:11-14, which says, in part:

He gave the . . . pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Note that God gives pastors and teachers to the church. They are His gifts, His presents, tokens of His love for the church.

In what sense is this true? Why are pastors and teachers so important? What is their task? How do they help the church?

We’ll address these questions and others through this series. Indeed, the title of each sermon is a question:

1: What is Preaching and Why is it Central?

2: What are Elders and Why Do We Have Them?

3: What is Shepherding and Why Must Elders Do It?

4: What is a Senior Pastor, and Why Do We Have One?

5: Since We have Elders, What is the Role of the Congregation?

6: Why are my Pastors and Elders so Disappointing, and What Should I Do About It?

Today, let’s look briefly at the Ephesians passage. Consider these five observations:

1) Pastors and teachers are not given by God to DO the work of the ministry. Undoubtedly they will be involved in ministry of various types. But they are given by God to equip the saints – that is, all the believers (see Ephesians 1:1) – so that THEY might do the work of the ministry. Every member is a minister.

2) “Pastor” is a translation of the Greek word for “shepherd.” Shepherding and teaching are thus closely linked. Clearly a large part of the equipping of the saints for ministry is through teaching.

3) The building up of the body of Christ comes about both directly and indirectly through the work of the pastors and teachers. Directly, in that their teaching and shepherding builds up the body; indirectly, in that their equipping of the saints leads the saints themselves to build up the body through their ministries.

4) The building up of the body is not itself the goal, but a step along the way to a threefold end: Unity of faith and doctrine, maturity, and the “measure of Christ’s full stature” (as another translation puts it). That’s the goal: God’s people thinking like Him, acting like Him, displaying His character through their attitudes, their words, their relationships. Verses 15 and 16 elaborate on this goal, picturing the church as a healthy body, each organ and appendage doing its part under the authority of its head, Jesus Himself, each well able to contribute to growth in love.

5) Verse 14 tells us what happens if the pastors and teachers don’t teach fully and well: A new idea comes along, a new fad, a new way of “doing church” or thinking about who Jesus is, and many people are swept away from the truth. The people are then like children: Quick to follow the crowd, easily distracted, and easily deceived.

This sermon series attempts to help DGCC become more and more like this biblical picture we see in observation 4. In order to move that direction, we need to know and understand the role of leadership, and how we leaders can play that role effectively.

As I have prepared to preach this series, I have thought again and again, “I should have taught this years ago!” These are key principles for us today. So please pray for my preparation and preaching, please prepare your hearts, and join us over the next couple of months for this series, so that together we might come to “mature manhood” to the glory of our God and Savior.