Closing the door with eagerness to mine the treasures of God's Word

From an interview with Mike Horton:

Ministers are often expected to be CEOs, managers, therapists, and coaches - just about anything other than shepherds who answer our Lord's mandate to Peter: "Feed my sheep."

I think that we have to resist every attempt to turn our studies into offices. An open-door policy is not necessarily virtuous. It is often more helpful to the body if the minister closes the door, with an eagerness to mine the treasures of God's Word. The diaconate was established in the first place so that the apostles and pastors could devote themselves to the Word and to prayer.

I believe that one of the primary responsibilities of the elders is to ensure that the minister is free to meditate prayerfully on God's Word, read great books, and take part in conferences or other forms of continuing education - and to ensure that this is in fact happening.

Comments

[Milton Stanley]

Thanks for the link. Good stuff.