INTRODUCTION
Many distinguished books have already been written about the patoral ministry. However, as the churches of the 21st Century move out into the world, the pastoral task has been given to many men and women who are starting new churches or who are leaders of permanent church groups meeting in homes. While the scale of their ministry may be smaller, the inter-personal depth may be greater. The study that follows was written for those who will pastor new congregations and also for many who pastor small groups belonging to the church.

Hundreds of thousands of Christian churches dot the landscape of the Americas from Argentina to Alaska. The same is true of the vast regions of Africa, Europe, Asia and Oceana. While they may demonstrate great differences of culture and custom, they are Christian churches to the degree that Christ is their Head, their Redeemer and their central message.

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To be named as pastor of a church, a new work, or a church outreach group, implies a certain amount of authority as a recognized leader of the members and fellow workers. The pastor's authority, however, is never absolute, and must be backed up by his obedience to the principles of Scripture and the demonstration of Christ's love through his life. As the pastor grows in wisdom and as the congregation sees his wisdom mature, his authority to lead will grow. Pastoral authority is given by the church to a pastor who earns it by his attitude and his actions.

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It is not enough to simply start a church or to pastor a church. A church, as a group of people, can be used for many different things and a pastor is useful to God only as he leads the congregation to do what God has called it to do. This he accomplishes not simply by the different things he challenges the people to do, but by helping them to have their own vision of the true reason for the church.

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When the congregation is new and very small, the few workers are involved in everything and the pastor may be the only leader. As the congregation grows, however, the leadership must be shared because the pastor cannot do it all and other workers should take on different jobs that need their special leadership.

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Of all that God has given us, time is the most important. That is because time is nothing less than the measurement of our lives on earth. Every one of us is mortal, which means that our time will finally run out and perhaps sooner than we expect. What we do with our time is another way of expressing what we will do with our lives.

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When the great ones in the Old Testament, men like Abraham, Moses, Isaiah and Jeremiah, responded to God's call to serve Him for the sake of the people, they became partners with God in the great work He would do. That truth is as real today as it was so many centuries ago. The call to pastor the Lord's flock, be it small or large, is the highest call one can receive, and it is to be a partner with God.

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