Pastoral Identity: True Shepherds in the Household of Faith

A charge for pastors to re-envision their role in a world suspicious of Christianity.

Webster calls pastors to reject “Christendom” approaches to church leadership that require the pastor to exert control over the church’s direction and ministry. Such models differ fundamentally from the New Testament “household of faith” vision of pastoral ministry, which affirms the disciple-making responsibility of the whole community, the priesthood of all believers, and the shared gifts of the Spirit.

Rather than perpetuate pastoral leadership based on individual initiative, institutional power, and personal charisma, experienced pastor and seminary professor Douglas Webster defines a New Testament model of the pastor, outlining the major features of pastoring among the household of faith, such as:

• Viewing the church as an every-member ministry
• Seeking synergy between pastoral identity and congregational identity
• Prioritizing a pastor’s daily rhythms of grace in prayer, study, and care for the body
• Supporting pastor-theologians who shepherd believers in the whole counsel of God

Such pastoral authority and guidance require mutual submission in Christ. Pastors and laypeople alike let go of dominant cultural models of pastoring and embrace the values of Christ’s kingdom.