In many churches today, "the pastor" means the person in charge — the chief executive, chief preacher, and public face all in one. But when we go back to the New Testament, the picture is quieter and more shared than that. Rethinking the pastor's role isn't about diminishing it; it's about recovering what it actually is.
"Pastor" describes a work, not a throne
The word translated "pastor" simply means shepherd. In Scripture, shepherding is one of the things elders do — "shepherd the flock of God that is among you" (1 Peter 5:2) — not a separate office ranked above them. Elder, overseer, and shepherd/pastor describe the same people. So a pastor is, biblically, one of the elders exercising the gift of shepherding, alongside others who lead with him.
A gift among the gifts
Ephesians 4 lists "pastors and teachers" among the gifts Christ gives to equip the saints — not to do the ministry for them. Pastoring is a gift for building others up, held in step with the other gifts the Spirit distributes across the whole body. The healthiest churches release many people to minister, rather than funnelling everything through one.
What this changes in practice
- The pastor leads with the elders, not over them — a team of equals under Christ.
- No single person holds all authority, so the church is protected from capture and burnout alike.
- Calling and release are handled openly by the eldership and the church together, not by one person's say-so.
- The pastor's success is measured by how well the saints are equipped — not by how central he becomes.
The fuller teaching
Sonrise Revival works through the pastor's role, the eldership, and flat governance in its free teaching, with the practical outworking gathered in the leadership volume.
Read the teaching free → · Get Volume IV, The Body in Practice