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THE UNIT SERVANT AS PASTORAL LEADER

Unit Servants Training - Session 1

Missionary Families of Christ

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As Unit Servant,

  • In the family that is MFC, the Household Servants are the older brothers/sisters of the members, and you are the father/mother.

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  • You also direct and support the work of your unit's Household Servants

you are charged with the pastoral care of the unit members

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A better appreciation of what your work entails

will enable you to be more effective pastoral leader.

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5 ELEMENTS OF PASTORAL WORK

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GOAL

  • Every project needs a goal, so that directions can be set.

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  • Philippians 3:14-16
    • V.14: We do not limit our goals to this life. Rather, we fix our gaze on our eternal goal.
    • V.15: Spiritual maturity is important. If we do not yet see or appreciate the need to focus on our eternal goal, we need to pray and ask for wisdom and discernment. God will show us the way.
    • V.16: We should not relax or be complacent in pursuing our goal. We should not lower our standards. We should desire to grow even more than our present situation.

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ATTITUDE

  • 2 Timothy 2:15
    • Seek only God's approval. Do your work to please God and not the members.
    • Work hard to be an effective servant. Do not just take your responsibility casually.
    • Walk the straight and narrow path. Do not compromise God's ways and our MFC mission and culture.

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  • Luke 17:10
    • Have a servant attitude.
    • Desire only to serve God and MFC, not looking to worldly recognition or acclaim.

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METHOD

  • Acts 1:8
    • Rely on the power of the Holy Spirit.
    • You stand as witnesses to Christ, to the power of the Spirit, to the lifegiving support in MFC.

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METHOD

  • 1 Timothy 4:7b-8
    • Enter into and develop a life of piety-prayer, the Word of God, growth in holiness.
    • Consider your priorities. You are a Christian first and foremost, who incidentally may also be a doctor, lawyer, businessman, etc. If we invest ourselves in our secular work, all the more do we need to invest ourselves in the spiritual life.
    • It is difficult to give what you do not have. Your effectiveness as pastoral Servant depend on your continuing growth as Christians.

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METHOD

  • 1 Timothy 4:12-16
    • V.12: Be an example to your members. This is necessary to make your teaching and your leadership effective.
      • Love
      • Faith
      • Purity

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    • V.13: Some important elements of pastoral action in the unit are:
      • Growing in appreciation of Scripture.
      • Teaching members about the Christian life, in the context of our life together in MFC.
      • Exhorting, encouraging, upbuilding members.

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METHOD

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    • V.14: Have confidence that your elders discerned your service and thus the Lord will provide whatever you need to be effective. Boldly claim this and grow in your role.

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    • V.15-16: Take your service seriously and invest yourself in it. There is always the danger of dissipating your energies on many things not central to our Christian life and mission.

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TOOLS

  • Ephesians 6:10-18
    • Our work is part of spiritual warfare, between God and Satan. Thus, our weapons need to be spiritual ones.
    • We do not trust in our natural abilities or worldly wisdom and ways. We may make use of these, but we need to know that these will not win the war for us.

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TOOLS

  • V.18: Prayer is a great weapon.
    • Note 3 things about prayer. It must be:
      • Constant. We do not pray only when in crisis. Rather, we find strength in daily and constant prayer.
      • Attentive. We concentrate every faculty upon God. No limp prayers.
      • Unselfish. Pray more for others, especially your unit members. Do not worry about yourself, because others in turn will be praying for you

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VENUE

  • Acts 4:32-35
    • We do our pastoral work within a network of committed personal relationships.
    • We also work as a network of pastors, supporting one another.

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  • Note that this first Christian community is also our model for our own community life in MFC today. Your service will help us achieve this reality.

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“For our momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” - 2 Corinthians 4:17-18

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We are privileged to serve the Lord. Let us take this charge seriously and give our all, so the Lord can truly use us.

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THE UNIT SERVANT AS PASTORAL LEADER

Unit Servants Training - Session 1

Missionary Families of Christ