I’m not a pastor. But I can tell you what a good pastor does and doesn’t do. Because, (1) the Bible describes such things and because (2) we can all distinguish between good and bad kings, even though we’re not kings.
A good pastor should encourage his people to reach the lost. That is, after all, what Christ commissioned us to do (Mt. 28.19-20). “The work of an evangelist” is also part of a pastor’s God-given job (II Tim. 4.5). The pastor is God’s gift to the church for the express purpose of building up the church (Eph. 4.12). In fact, the New Testament repeatedly places the gospel-spreading responsibility on pastors and speaks of the people as sharing that ministry of the gospel (Rom. 15.19-20; I Cor. 9.16; Gal. 2.2; Eph. 3.16; compare to Phil. 1.5; 2.22; 4.3).
A good pastor should never discourage his people from reaching the lost. Just to throw some practical application out there, a pastor should train his people in evangelism. He should see to it that church systematically reaches the community in which it lies. He should also promote the daily personal evangelism work that his people can do: encourage them to be in the world but not of it (John 17.15-18). Things like soccer teams and community orchestras are excellent arenas for young people to be salt and light (Mt. 5.13-16).
A good pastor cares for his people. His desire is to see them grow; he puts their growth and their needs above his own concerns. I Pet. 5.1-3 clearly describes a pastor’s responsibility to his flock. It’s presented in a series of “should do”s and “shouldn’t do”s.
A pastor should: shepherd his people (feeding and tending), work willingly (out of personal desire), exercise oversight, work eagerly and be an example.
A pastor should not: act like he’s serving against his will, work for money’s sake or domineer over his congregation. “Domineer” is a key word: in the Greek translation of the OT, it was used to describe the conquest of the nations around Israel; in the Gospels, Christ used it to describe the Gentiles’ ruling style that was unfit for the kingdom of God; in Acts, this word describes the demoniac’s physical overpowering of seven men. This type of authoritarian leadership is an absolute NO for Christ’s undershepherds.
Don’t misunderstand me! Authority is a must for the pastor: when he preaches, he ministers the authoritative words of Almighty God to his people (I Pet. 4.11). Authoritarianism, however, is entirely inappropriate and unseemly for pastors. It is a sincere grievance to me when I catch the rare story of a pastor whose domineering authoritarianism hurts his people. How unlike the good Shepherd whom we serve!
May God give all his ministers grace to serve humbly, lovingly and wisely!