“I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.” – Colossians 1:24-29
Faithful pastors are men who, among other things, possess proven godly character. Over the next few weeks, I will be writing a series of devotions I’ve entitled, “The Pastor and His Work”. As I begin with a focus on the minister’s character, a good question that should be asked and answered regarding all candidates for pastoral ministry, and all pastors is, What manner of men ought they to be in holy conduct and godliness? (2 Peter 3:11)
In the Spring of 2025, I attended Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary’s annual theology conference as part of my study leave. The theme was “The Pastor: His Call, Character, and Work”. It was grounded in the doctrine taught in a book by the same title. In the book, entitled, “The Pastor: His Call, Character, and Work” by Faculty and Friends of Old Princeton, Chapter 4 contains Charles Hodge’s article, “Suggestions to Theological Students, on Some of Those Traits of Character, which the Spirit of the Age Renders Peculiarly Important in the Ministers of the Gospel”, which was published in the Biblical Repertory and Theological Review in 1833. In this article, Hodge makes this observation regarding many men preparing for or serving in pastoral ministry: “It is, indeed, much to be feared, that few men adequately feel the necessity of striving to form their characters aright. They neither fix in their minds distinctly what they ought to be, nor endeavour systematically to bring themselves up to the standard. They leave this great concern very much to itself, allowing the circumstances in which they are placed, and the truths which, in the providence of God, are brought to bear upon them, to mould their principles and feelings, without any settled plan or purpose. The result of this course is imperfection and inconstancy. Many faults are left unnoticed, to gain the ascendency, and many tendencies of their situation are unapprehended, and consequently unresisted.” (Old Princeton, 68)
Considering this, it’s well understood that ministers must meet the qualifications for elder, which includes those related to their character that Paul lays out in 1 Timothy 3:1–7 and Titus 1:5–9. Hodge also provides 5 character traits that are important for men in pastoral ministry to cultivate:
- A sacred regard for the truth of God- “When we properly appreciate the necessity of truth to piety, the dreadful and long-continued consequences of its neglect, we shall feel that to be indifferent to its interest is one of the greatest sins of which a minister can be guilty; give heed, therefore, to your doctrines; hold fast the form of sound words; contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints.” (Old Princeton, 76)
- Faithful pastors are men whose high esteem for truth is seen in their love for Jesus and His Word (Psalm 119:97), study of the Word (2 Timothy 3:14-17), preaching the Word (2 Timothy 4:2), preaching Christ (Colossians 1:28, 2 Corinthians 4:5), and shepherding of the flock to walk according to it (Ephesians 4:1).
- A sacred regard for all moral obligations- “It is a lamentable fact, though one so obvious as to be frequently the subject of remark, that pious men are often less honest, less moral, than many who make no pretensions to religion.” (Old Princeton, 77)
- This ought not be so in faithful pastors! They must be men who don’t play the hypocrite, but rather are men of integrity, and that being evident in their serious commitment and desire to be faithful in walking in godliness, teaching and leading the flock by word and example to do the same. (1 Timothy 4:12, 2 Peter 1:5-8)
- Activity in doing good- “The demand for activity is now such, that a minister cannot get along without it; and this, so far, is a great blessing. The Bible speaks of nothing with greater disapprobation than sloth, even where the things of this world are in view, and for a man who professes to have it as his object to win souls, to be a sluggard, must be peculiarly offensive in the sight of God.” (Old Princeton, 85)
- It’s right for faithful pastors to have zeal in carrying out their duties in ministry. Notice the focus of this character trait on “doing good”. Laziness and sloth leads to all kinds of neglect and evil. Therefore, neither should either be part of a pastor’s desire to engage in, nor what they practice. (Proverbs 18:9, 1 Peter 5:1-4, Ezekiel 34:2-10)
- Unusual mental discipline and furniture- “The necessity of an enlightened and well-educated ministry arises, indeed, from the essential nature of the work which ministers have to perform, and therefore always exists. But at the present time it is peculiarly important because the tendency of circumstances is to break down this hedge around the sacred office, and to let in a flood of uneducated, undisciplined men.” (Old Princeton, 85)
- Many things haven’t changed over the generations. The door remains open for the uneducated and undisciplined in many churches. Faithful pastors are those who are unusually well disciplined in their minds. As their thoughts are wisely managed, so too are their words, and deeds in order to lead and minister well, not only considering the ups and downs of ministry, or the complexity of cases that arise in ministry, or even the hordes the enemy uses to assail the church. Rather, the faithful pastor is well equipped, well furnished with love, wisdom, courage, and skill so that he doesn’t plunge into conflicting elements around him from position of being unprepared or ignorant. (2 Timothy 1:13-14)
- A spirit of elevated piety- “When things are all in regular training, when the battle in a country is well-nigh fought, and the land possessed and secured, we may feel less sensibly the vale of eminent spirituality in the preachers of the Gospel.” (Old Princeton, 86)
- Such a spirit is so important for pastors to possess. It’s so important for congregations to look for this is a man who serves as their pastor. For godliness in faithful ministry must continue when things are going well in the mountaintop seasons, as well as when temptations, dangers, and suffering come and you look to pious pastors who are walking closely with Christ to provide guidance, nourishment, and godly guard to you. (1 Timothy 4:7, Acts 20:28)
Beloved, praise your Lord Jesus Christ, the great and only head of His church, for His wisdom and good pleasure in establishing the office of pastor as an undershepherd who serves with other undershepherds to care for and feed you, His flock. Praise God for His revealing required qualifications for pastors and elders to service in office, many of which target important traits of good and godly character, so that you can be properly and consistently tended to. Your pastor tends as Christ’s minister, who with the other elders leads you in all the service of Christ.
Pray for your pastor, along with his family. Take time to encourage him in his ministry to you. More to come in the next edition on the pastor’s call.
Works Cited:
- Faculty and Friends of Old Princeton. The Pastor. Banner of Truth, 2024. pp. 67-87.
- Hodge, Charles. “Suggestions to Theological Students, on Some of Those Traits of Character, which the Spirit of the Age Renders Peculiarly Important in the Ministers of the Gospel.” The Biblical Repertory and Theological Review, vol. 5, no. 1, Jan. 1833, pp. 1-19.