Archive 7c Assistant Pastor

How is one appointed?
· With a measure of informality. It is clear this is so from the way Mark and Timothy were appointed. Even the appointment of Elisha is a very private thing. It is interesting that although the appointment of Paul and Barnabas was done with fasting and prayer and the laying on of hands the decision to take Mark was quite different. The laying on of hands should not normally accompany the appointment of an assistant. He may attend church officers meetings but he would not be made an elder.
· But with great care. Informality should not suggest lack of care. Do not appoint just anyone. John Mark was well known to Barnabas and had grown up at the heart of the church. He undoubtedly showed qualities that drew Barnabas and Paul to him. We read of Timothy (Acts 16:2) that The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. No doubt their recommendation was important in commending Timothy to Paul.

What does it take?
Obviously, as in any spiritual work, one looks for someone who is godly. He also has to have certain skills of leadership and initiative. There is also the need for a measure of courage and self-sacrifice. John Mark showed a certain amount of character in being willing first to leave his family and friends in Jerusalem for Antioch and then to leave for Cyprus with Paul and Barnabas at the start of the first missionary journey. Sea travel in those days was perilous and Mark cannot have known what he was going to meet with. Sadly, when they reached Pamphylia, however, he was just not up to it and returned home, much to Paul's sadness. Timothy showed a similar courage in being willing to leave his home and loved ones in Lystra. This included undergoing the painful operation of circumcision for the sake of the gospel. He showed even more courage when later Paul began to send him on trips on his behalf such as that into Macedonia (Acts 19:22). We sometimes think of Timothy as Timid Timothy but I think we will find that was not his temperament after all. Being a 21st Century assistant pastor in the west probably does not demand the same level of self-sacrifice and courage as being a 1st Century assistant apostle but it does call for such things. Pray for such people.

What does he do?
Bearing in mind the above data I think that we can list some three possible roles that we can expect an assistant pastor to fulfil.
· Apprentice. In Php 2:22 Paul refers to Timothy and says as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. In days gone by it was the pattern far more than now for sons to follow the same trade as their fathers. Conveniently this meant they learned their trade directly from their own fathers. No doubt Jesus learned from his earthly father Joseph in just this way, serving an apprenticeship in the little workshop next to the house in Nazareth. Paul refers to him elsewhere as his true son in the faith and here he seems to have in mind the apprenticeship idea. It was an apprenticeship in the work of the gospel. We do not know how long Timothy's apprenticeship lasted but in that time he had opportunity to observe Paul and learn from him what preaching and ministering the gospel was all about. Apprenticeships can be of varying lengths. A year is rather short, five years rather long. Perhaps three years is best. Whether the minister is old enough to be his assistant's father or not that is the sort of relationship that should be cultivated in the Lord. They are to be master and apprentice, teacher and student, father and son. The role is very much a learning one.
· Helper. Elisha is referred to as Elijah's attendant and John Mark, Timothy and Erastus are spoken of in similar but different terms. Clearly these men were involved in a certain amount of labour on behalf of those who they were under, though we have no details of what they did. We make jokes about apprentices brewing cups of tea and assistants carrying the minister's bag and so on and certainly we do not want to suggest that an assistant is to act as a skivvy to the minister. However, there is bound to be a certain amount of menial work - work for the minister. Even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve.
The idea of help also emphasises that the assistant's role is not to do anything hugely different to what the pastor does. Rather, his role is to supplement and strengthen, to assist and augment what is already being done - preaching and teaching, counselling and evangelising. This is to be done not in competition with the minister but in order to develop and extend what he has already begun. The assistant is to be a loyal supporter of what the minister is trying to do, making up for him, perhaps, in areas where he is less strong or too busy with other things.
· Deputy. There were clearly times when at least some of the men we mention acted as deputies for those they served. We mentioned how at one time a lack of consecrated priests meant a need for more Levites than would otherwise have been necessary. There are times when assistant pastors act in a stopgap role. If the minister falls ill it is to the assistant that the church officers will probably turn first to carry on the work. Again, it is clear that when Paul sent Timothy and Erastus to Macedonia it was because he himself could not leave Ephesus. For the same reason, along with others, Paul also later sent Timothy to Corinth. He wanted the Corinthians, he says, to imitate him. Unable to go himself he did the next best thing and sent Timothy. Clearly this takes time but Paul could say of Timothy (Php 2:23) I have no-one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. He was glad to have such a person as deputy.
One hears of instances where a minister sends his assistant to deputise and there are complaints - not because of any incompetence on the assistant's part but because 'it's not the minister'. Paul seeks to nip this attitude in the bud in 1 Cor 16:10, 11 If Timothy comes, see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you, for he is carrying on the work of the Lord, just as I am. No-one, then, should refuse to accept him. Send him on his way in peace …. Congregations and others need to know that if an assistant deputises for the minister they should make him feel quite at home with them for he is carrying on the work of the Lord, just as the minister. No-one, then, should refuse to accept him.
To sum up, an assistant does very much the things that the minister does, though hopefully with fresh insight and initiative. Sometimes he will do things with the minister, sometimes instead of him. All the while he is learning the ropes, training for his future work in pastoral ministry.