My Philosophy of Pastoral Ministry:

More than Just a Career

Meliah Martz

RELP 105: Introduction to Pastoral Service

September 27, 2022

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Theology of Ministry

Pastoral ministry is more than just a career. It is a calling of the highest order. According

to Acts 20:28, a pastor is to be a “[shepherd] of the church of God” and “keep watch” over their

“flock.”1 As such, the main duties of a pastor are to “lead, feed[,] and meet the needs of” their

congregation.2 Moreover, a pastor is also to minister to their community, seeking out the lost

sheep and leading them to the true Shepherd.3 However, in order to be effective in their ministry,

a pastor must first allow God to shape their character, just as John the Baptist did. His life was

“marked with humility” and he was “fervent, sincere, and courageous” in his ministry, which

helped him to bring others to Christ.4 Likewise, a pastor who hopes to lead their sheep to the

Father must share these same characteristics. Ultimately, the will of the Lord should govern the

ministry of a pastor.5 A pastor must seek the will of the Lord and then make plans to pursue His

plan. Only then will they truly be able to make the greatest impact for the Kingdom.

Ministry Skills and Experience

While my background in ministry is not extensive, I have made an effort to get involved

in the church. For example, I have taught Sabbath School for different age groups. When I was in

middle school, I would, on occasion, teach Sabbath School for Cradle Roll and Kindergarten

ages. When I was a senior in high school, I frequently taught Youth Sabbath School, sometimes

with a friend or two and other times on my own. Teaching Sabbath School taught me the
1
Acts 20:28 (New International Version).
2
Eric Swanson, “Spiritual Leadership,” Cru, accessed September 27, 2022,
https://www.cru.org/us/en/blog/leadership/spiritual-leadership.html.
3
Tom Hicks, “Five Essential Aspects of Pastoral Ministry,” Founders Ministries, accessed September 27,
2022, https://founders.org/2016/08/18/five-essential-aspects-of-pastoral-ministry/.
4
Ellen G. White, The Spirit of Prophecy (Ellen G. White Estate, 2011), 2:29,
http://centrowhite.org.br/files/ebooks/egw-english/books/The%20Spirit%20of%20Prophecy,%20vol.%202.pdf.
5
Henry and Richard Blackaby, “What is Spiritual Leadership?,” Christianity Today, July 11, 2007,
https://www.christianitytoday.com/pastors/2007/july-online-only/le-2003-001-22.13.html.
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importance of knowing my audience, as I learned how to cater a lesson to a certain age group.

For example, when planning a Sabbath School lesson for young children, I learned to include

activities and games that would keep them active and engaged. When planning a lesson for high

schoolers, I learned to make it relevant and applicable, as well as to make it based on discussion.

Aside from having taught Sabbath School, I have also been a greeter. Being a greeter

taught me how to better relate to and interact with individuals of different ages, specifically those

who are much older than me. In greeting and talking with them, I learned the values of the older

members of the congregation and was able to form relationships with some that I never would

have met had I not been a greeter. Being a greeter, ultimately, taught me the importance of

forming relationships with and making individuals feel seen and appreciated.

Spiritual Gifts

Spiritual gifts are gifts that the Holy Spirit gives to select individuals to aid them in their

ministry. As detailed in 1 Corinthians 12, there are “different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit

distributes them,” all for the “common good.”6 Because these gifts are given by the Holy Spirit

to aid an individual in their ministry, it is important that one recognizes and understands their

gifts so that they may serve the Lord to the best of their ability.

The Holy Spirit has given me several gifts to aid me in my ministry. The first of these is

the gift of faith. Though I am young, I have been through many trials that have tested my faith.

Admittedly, I often struggled to trust God in those situations. However, looking back, I can see

that He was always there, never once forsaking me. Since recognizing this, my faith has grown

tremendously and is now the strongest of my spiritual gifts. This gift is especially valuable in my

ministry, as it allows me to relate to and encourage those who are going through trials of their

own.
6
1 Cor. 12:4, 12:7.
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Apostleship is tied with faith for the strongest of my spiritual gifts. While I have always

had a desire to share the Gospel with others, this desire has grown exponentially over the last few

years. In Christ, I have come to know freedom and have a strong desire to share this freedom

with others. This gift of apostleship will help me to reach a wider audience through my ministry

and share the Lord with a variety of different people.

Hospitality is another spiritual gift that I have been given and in which I am strong. For

as long as I can remember, I have loved getting to meet new people and have made it my mission

to make them feel welcome and at ease. While I did not originally realize that this is a gift, I now

recognize its value. Just as with the gift of apostleship, the gift of hospitality will help me to

reach more people through my ministry, as I will be able to make them feel seen and heard.

Temperament and Personality

My personality is a blend of the traits of a melancholic and a choleric, with melancholy

being my primary temperament and choleric being my secondary temperament. As a

melancholic, I am a very detail-oriented individual. When coupled with my choleric affinities,

the result is that I have high standards and push to have things done according to these standards.

These traits will serve me well as a leader, as I will be able to lead a group to produce results that

are of a high quality.

However, as a minister, those same traits may also cause me to be too demanding. As a

melancholic, I am a major perfectionist. Likewise, as a choleric, I can be overly insistent that

things be done to perfection. As such, I often am too forceful in insisting that my standards be

met and can be abrasive and offensive when communicating these standards, even though that is

not my intention. As I begin my ministry, it is important that I am aware of how my two

temperaments manifest in my actions. While not inherently negative, I must take care to ensure
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that I do not allow my perfectionistic tendencies to result in my being anything other than

respectful to those with whom I am working and leading.

Growth Needs and Ministry Goals

When looking at my spiritual gifts and personality, I see a lot of potential. However, I

also recognize that I have room to and must grow in order to enhance my ministerial skills and

abilities. First and foremost, I need to work on being more open to ideas and perspectives that

differ from my own. I tend to think that my way is the best way and rarely give consideration to

the opinions of others. However, in order to be as effective of a leader as possible, it is important

that I make those around me feel as though their input is valuable. Moreover, there will certainly

come a time that another individual truly does have a better idea than I do. As a minister of the

Gospel, my primary purpose should be to bring as many people as I can to Christ. Thus, I must

be open to and consider any ideas that may help to further this mission.

For my ministry to be as effective as possible, I must also work on being a more patient

person. Patience is a virtue with which I have always seemed to struggle. When I have an idea

that I want to turn into a reality, I immediately come up with a plan to do so. However, when it

takes longer for my vision to come to fruition than I intended, I become impatient. When

impatience sets in, frustration soon follows and I often lose sight of my original intention. While

it is good to have a goal toward which to work, I must always remember that God is in control.

His timing is perfect, and I must not get discouraged when it takes time to see results. He will

use me to share the Gospel when and how He deems best.

Ultimately, my goal as a minister is to share the freedom that is only found in Christ with

as many individuals as I can, all around the world. In order to accomplish this, I must create a

community that shares this same goal and will support me in my mission. Likewise, I must be a
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supportive leader and foster an environment in which those around me feel heard and valued.

While there is no measurable end to this goal of mine, I will know that I have begun to make

progress when I see those with whom I have shared Christ then sharing Him with others.

Ultimately, I hope to start a chain reaction that leads to the Gospel being shared all around the

world.
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Bibliography

Blackaby, Henry and Richard. “What is Spiritual Leadership?.” Christianity Today. July 11,
2007. https://www.christianitytoday.com/pastors/2007/july-online-only/le-2003-001-22.1
3.html.

Hicks, Tom. “Five Essential Aspects of Pastoral Ministry.” Founders Ministries. Accessed
September 27, 2022. https://founders.org/2016/08/18/five-essential-aspects-of-pastoral-m
inistry/.

Swanson, Eric. “Spiritual Leadership.” Cru. Accessed September 27, 2022. https://www.cru.org/
us/en/blog/leadership/spiritual-leadership.html.

White, Ellen G. The Spirit of Prophecy. Vol. 2. Ellen G. White Estate, 2011. http://centrowhite.or
g.br/files/ebooks/egw-english/books/The%20Spirit%20of%20Prophecy,%20vol.%202.pd
f.