The Disciple Making Pastor - My Intro

There are lots of ways a pastor is like a shepherd. One that is less obvious is that in both occupations there is always work left undone.

A better lambing rate. Less damage from wolves. Just getting that fence done after all these years. Somehow we never seem to get a new fence put in because we are always chasing lost sheep and patching the old fence.

Perhaps the greatest regret of my time in Ariah Park is that I feel as if I never quite got to the meaty end of making disciples.

Now this feeling has been tempered by a new awareness as we were leaving of how much people have grown (it’s easy to be frustrated if you only measure people’s progress against where you want them to be, it’s easier to be encouraged if you look at how far God has brought them)

Nonetheless there remains a conviction that while preaching is paramount (any New Testament book will impress you with the importance of proclamation in the Church) the gospel must be preached in a one-on-one fashion also. The pastors job is to preach the gospel into the lives of the congregation both from the pulpit and from the lounge chair (or tractor cab or office chair)

So over the next few months I intend to read and reflect on Bill Hull’s The Disciple Making Pastor.