November 2007 Ordained Servant

From the Editor. In this issue we explore the essential nature of pastoral ministry and the nurture of those who been called to care for our souls. This may seem self-serving since the authors of these articles are themselves pastors. However, I believe that part of what pastors are called to preach and teach concerns what the Bible teaches about the proper concept of the pastor's work—what he does and does not do, and the proper care for them in that calling. Neglected or poorly treated, they will not only fail to be fruitful, but will often leave the ministry out of frustration and sheer exhaustion.

Pastor Cassidy defines the narrow but intense role of the pastor-theologian; and Dr. Van Dixhoorn will suggest important ways to help the pastor maintain freshness and enthusiasm for his work. The concluding article and the editorial examine two underappreciated ways in which pastors and sessions care for the church: praying publicly and maintaining membership rolls.

Over the coming months I will be seeking elders and deacons to write articles dealing with the practical concerns of everyday church life. I believe that such concerns are not unrelated to the spiritual, theological, and intellectual concerns of this journal.

Next issue: Is natural law a biblical category? Professor VanDrunen says yes; Professor Kloosterman disagrees. Also look for a response to the Garcia review from W. Robert Godfrey.

Blessings in the Lamb,
Gregory Edward Reynolds

Ordained Servant exists to help encourage, inform, and equip church officers for faithful, effective, and God glorifying ministry in the visible church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Its primary audience is ministers, elders and deacons of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, as well as interested officers from other Presbyterian and Reformed churches. Through high quality editorials, articles, and book reviews we will endeavor to stimulate clear thinking and the consistent practice of historic Presbyterianism.