Preachers: Who Are They? -- By: Nam Joon Kim
Journal: Puritan Reformed Journal
Volume: PRJ 04:1 (Jan 2012)
Article: Preachers: Who Are They?
Author: Nam Joon Kim
PRJ 4:1 (January 2012) p. 225
Preachers: Who Are They?1
Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him. But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours. So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them? He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid.
—Luke 20:13-16
There is one person that a believer cannot avoid facing in his or her life. That person is the preacher. Relativism governs today’s value system. Hence, some say that the preaching of the Christian faith should not be as central as it was before. Many people say that one preacher taking up most of the worship time does not fit the spirit of this age when communication is overly emphasized. Various attempts to relay Christian messages through skits, movies, or dramas instead of sermons—even in evangelical churches—also reflect the spirit of this age. However, we must be determined to go back to the truth of Scripture. Thomas Carlyle, a Scottish writer in the Victorian era, despite being very critical of the Protestant churches and confessions, often referred to preachers by using such terms as “heroes,” “great men,” or “priests.” These denote that preachers are the spiritual captains of God’s people.2
PRJ 4:1 (January 2012) p. 226
In this busy and complex society, people demand that the church play a more diverse role, so today’s pastors have enormous tasks before them—pastors in Korea particularly so, as they are expected to do so many different things. They are obliged to be more like a CEO of a company, going beyond such classical roles as teaching the congregation, visiting a church member’s house or business, preaching, consulting, and much more. They involve themselves effectively in numerous things such as construction, finance, administration, human resources, publications, broadcasting, public relations, interior and exterior designs, accounting, food and drink selection, web design, internet, social services, and relief work. In the midst of this, the inherent tasks of ministry can often be overlooked, and one of these is preaching.
Who Are Pastors?
First, we need to make sure to understand the identity of pastors. All pastors are called by God to be responsible for their own sphere of ministry. In turn, they are r...
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