The title might be a little misleading. To not “worry” about something does not mean the pastor does not know about it.

A good staff will handle the minutiae of the ministry–the problems that arise that they are able to address without the involvement of the shepherd himself–in order to free up the pastor for his major assignment of church leadership.

The pastor who tries to micromanage his church is attempting the impossible and choosing to desert his post.

A wise pastor–who has the resources–can bring on staff capable and trustworthy assistants to free him up to do the three big, big things in his ministry:  Preach/teach the Word, give direction to the entire church program, and care for his flock.

Okay, that last requires a little explanation: No matter how gigantic his congregation is, no pastor should ever be remote from his people, but as a true shepherd should be among them, blessing and caring for them.  He will not be able to do everything, and thus will (hopefully) have trusted colleagues, paid or volunteer, to handle much of it. But if he’s doing none of this, something is badly amiss.

The whole point of the apostles’ saying (in Acts 6) “it is not fitting for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables” is that some matters need to be left to others so the God-appointed captain can keep the ship on course.  (Mixing metaphors? Hey, that’s my spiritual gift.)

As the shepherd of the Lord’s flock, the pastor has their care as his chief concern. He works night and day to see to their welfare–feeding, protecting, safe-guarding, reproduction, etc.

The pastor does not need to be saddled with worries about…

1) Money problems. Roof repairs, leaky faucets, whether the bathroom needs tissue, and the menu for Wednesday night.

2) Inter-staff conflict. A ministerial staff should be made up of adults.  If the staff includes several ministers, one will be in charge and will quickly deal with conflicts among the team. No animosity or ill will within the leadership can be allowed to remain unaddressed.

3) The sheep nipping at his back, criticizing his leadership.  There should be capable, mature, and sweet-spirited leaders who run to the source of any gossip and put a stop to it.

4) The sheep fighting among themselves.  While no one can keep people from being angry at others, leadership can take prompt and appropriate action toward dealing with it.

5) Worrying over what the sheep think of him. Only the most insecure preacher wastes time and energy obsessing over what people think of him.  Such a minister may need regular reminding that “this is not about you; you are only the Lord’s messenger.”

6) Dealing with what the sheep want to eat, where they want him to be led, etc.  Church is not a cafeteria and ministers should not be polling the congregation to see what they want to do.  Ask Jesus Christ. It’s His church. (Matthew 16:18).

The pastor of a thriving (and rather large) church told me recently that when a new member began carping about something the preacher was doing or not doing, a deacon calmly stopped the infection before it spread. He told the new member, “My friend, we don’t do that around here.”

That’s what faithful deacons do.  It’s what faithful colleagues in church leadership do.

What the shepherd does indeed want to keep as his chief focus…

1) Staying close to the Great Shepherd, receiving instructions from Him in every detail as to the leadership of His people.  The pastor should be a man of prayer.

2) Giving good spiritual nourishment for his sheep.  The pastor must be a man of the book.

3) Getting them to eat it once he has provided it.  He should be a specialist on appetite-enhancement!  The pastor must be a man of the people.

4) Anticipating the needs of the sheep down the road. The pastor must have spiritual vision.

5) Keeping himself safe and well in order to serve them well. The pastor must work at staying fit.

6) Treating the sheep who are sick. The pastor must think of himself as a physician, a person of great mercy and tenderness.

7) Protecting the sheep from wolves. This means preparing the Lord’s people for dealing with troublemakers inside the congregation and heresies outside it. (See Acts 20:28ff.) The pastor must be an apologist and equip his leaders in this skill.

The pastor of the Lord’s people should be giving His time and energies to preaching and teaching the Word, giving direction to the entire ministries and programs of the church, and caring for the Lord’s people.

He cannot do it all himself.  He needs to have faithful helpers who will be extensions of himself.

Anyone who blesses the ministry of the pastor whom God sends to the church is blessing Jesus Himself.