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In the way that accountants have Excel, photographers have photoshop, and doctors have advanced medicine, pastors now have the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Despite common misconceptions, AI is not used for deciding theology nor writing sermons in place of the church leaders. Rather, AI is a useful tool for sermon preparation
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The Kingdom of God has no shortage of vocations. Each person is made with a purpose, and has a special set of gifts and talents that can be used to honor God. While it can be common to separate the idea of career and the act of glorifying God through worship, the book of Colossians actually speaks on how work can be a form of worship:
Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. (Colossians 3:22-24)
While this isn’t specific about any career, it shows the way in which we’re supposed to go about our labor.
Work is a necessary part of life that God commanded humanity to do as early as in the book of Genesis, where “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it” (Genesis 2:15). While Adam tended to the Garden for work, Paul speaks of “work” in Ephesians as “doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need” (Ephesians 4:28).
Although the fruits of our labor can glorify God, there are those who are specifically called to work in ministry full time. This can often be as spiritually rewarding as it is challenging.
While full time ministry is made up of different roles from worship leader to missionary, we want to focus on those who feel called to pastoral leadership. In this blog we’ll be highlighting what it takes to become a pastor, as well as a helpful tool for assisting pastors in training.
Before diving into what it takes to become a pastor, it’s worth asking: where does the concept of “pastor” even come from?
Well, according to David Sproule of Palm Beach Lakes Church of Christ, the term “pastor” originates from the Greek word “poimen” which translates to “shepherd.” Sproule identifies the use of “shepherd” in the pastoral calling with two specific passages found in Acts and 1 Peter:
Sproule states that these passages indicate the duty of particular people to “shepherd the flock” while also indicating their position to be that of “overseers.”
It’s also important to acknowledge that the role of pastor should not be one of ultimate power. As David Sproule puts it, the congregation is meant to be looked over by a “plurality (always a plurality!) of qualified men.”
Furthermore, Charlie Ray of the pastoral training website Faithful Pastor states that the terms “pastor, overseer, elder, and leader all refer to the same New Testament office” and that “they are the recognized leaders of the church who serve under the authority of the Chief Shepherd, Jesus.”
When looking at how the Bible determines the qualifications of a church leader, people often turn to the New Testament’s definition found in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9:
Of course no one is perfect, and while pastors are often held to a higher standard they’re by no means the exception. Leaders of the church should exhibit these qualities if they’re to govern a healthy body of the Kingdom, yet there’s still grace for making mistakes.
Though, because pastors are still people capable of missteps, it’s important that they operate within a community of qualified church leaders that hold each other accountable.
Feeling led to become a pastor doesn’t simply start and end with the qualifying characteristics laid out in the passages of Titus and 1 Timothy. The pursuit of pastoral leadership can be an arduous process of practice, mentorship, studying, research, and faithful devotion and zeal for God and His word.
While there may be different paths to becoming a pastor that may depend on education, ministry experience or denomination, these are four key principles when starting a path in church leadership:
When it comes to being a pastor in training, whether it’s starting out in youth ministry, leading a college group or getting the opportunity to preach on a Sunday morning, coming up with a sermon can be a daunting task. Even after going through seminary, being equipped with knowledge and critical-thinking, it can be hard to find a place to start when developing a message.
Thankfully, in the way that accountants have Excel, photographers have photoshop, and doctors have advanced medicine, pastors now have the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Despite common misconceptions, AI is not used for deciding theology nor writing sermons in place of the church leaders. Rather, AI is a useful tool for sermon preparation; assisting in creating sermon outlines, finding relevant verses or stories in the Bible for a given topic, conducting research, developing character studies and even coming up with modern day examples of biblical topics.
AI is overall a helpful tool for organizing the pieces of a sermon’s puzzle, streamlining the technical aspects of crafting the message while allowing the pastor more time to focus on what God wants to say.
While the Kingdom of God is made up of people of many gifts that can honor God, some people are called into vocational ministry. By the New Testament’s standard, it takes special character to fulfill the role of pastor. Though with devotion to God and His Word, education, proper mentorship and accountability, it’s possible to fulfill this standard.
When it comes to developing one’s responsibilities as pastor, preparing sermons can now be made easier with the help of AI tools. This allows for pastors-in-training, new pastors with less experience and even seasoned pastors to more confidently convey the Word that God has placed on their hearts.
