Etiquette For Assistant Pastors

Etiquette For Assistant Pastors 

In the ministry it is good to start with the good foundation of working under the superiority of a senior pastor or General Overseer  . However , there are some moral etiquette that every child of God must exhibit , if indeed , he wants to be a successful subordinate pastor to the senior pastor .  There are some behavioral qualities that are required of you as an assistant pastor .Let us consider , these qualities in a prayerful mood ;    

 1. Respect you senior pastor

Every assistant pastor must know that one day he too will be  senior pastor ,and for that matter you have to respect your senior pastor. This is very important , because it will attract the blessing of service upon your life . If at any time you disrespect your senior minister , you are giving room for the enemy to destroy your future ministry .

What you sow is what you reap in the ministry , if you are fond of disrespecting your senior pastor or General Overseer it will result in abasement of your future ministry . The scriptures declares :.'' Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour'' Romans 13:7

2. Use his rightful title to introduce him 

Whenever you are talking ,or referring to your senior pastor , learn to use his rightful title in office . Do not just mention his name ,rather use his ministerial title that denotes his office in the ministry , this is how you also contact the grace of God upon his life . Anytime you refer to him by his office title , an auction is released . Titles like , pastor , Rev. Dr. Bishop , Archbishop , apostle , prophet , Seer, G.O , Evangelist , bible teacher ,  are very needful to refer to when talking about a man of God . 

3. Do not expose his weakness 

Every man of God may have his own peculiar weakness , but you as an assistant pastor  , should not expose his secret sin . Especially in front of the congregation. . Try as much as possible to cover up for his weakness .  

4. Honour him as a father in the Lord

Try as much as possible to  show him the honour of a spiritual father or father in the Lord .

'' Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour  '' Roman 13:13-14

5. Pray for him 

All ministers of the gospel  need  prayer  , in the same vein , your senior pastor needs it more . Praying for your senior pastor will bring more grace into your life and ministry   . 

6. Serve Him like your master 

You have to be under the service of the man , if anything you must see him as your master , you must serve him with the excitement that you will receive grace upon your . Be completely under the service of your senior pastor .

7. Do not talk about him badly 

Do not say bad things about  your senior pastor in public or private, This will give him a poor self image

8.  Follow his vision  

If God has deemed it fit that you should work under someone's ministry , then you should know that you are the armour bearer . This means you have to follow your senior pastor's vision, and personally work on it so long as you are in that ministry . Do not initiate  another vision aside from your senior pastor's vision , so long as you are in his ministry .

Follow his vision with your whole heart , and work for the success of the vision , remember it the vision for his ministry that the Lord gave him  . So ultimately it is the Lord's vision that you are working on . 

9. Acknowledge him often 

Always acknowledge his presence , even when he is not the one ministering , Let his presence counts to you and the congregation . In his absence speak good things about him to the congregation . 

10. Give testimonies about him 

Always try to give testimonies of the good things about him and what the Lord has used him to do in your life or for others to the congregation . If you do it for him, in the near future , your own assistant pastor shall do the same for you . 

11. Do not lie against him 

It is a hideous sin to lie against your senior pastor ; that is when you fabricate stories against him to some members because you need some favour from them . When you do this you are sowing a seed of destruction into your destiny , you are a deceitful worker , and that means you will attract a curse like Gehazi the assistant of Elisha .  '' Cursed be he that doeth the work of the LORD deceitfully, and ...'' Jeremiah 48 :10

12 . Do not breakaway with his members 

Do not break away with your senior pastors members , in case you decide to start a ministry of your own . If it becomes possible for you to start your own ministry , try as much as possible to start it in a different location , such as a town or city that is far from the mother church .

Avoid influencing members to follow you , rather start afresh with new converts or new members in a new locality far from your mother church . And always make sure you do not offend , challenge , slander, or offend your senior pastor before leaving the church . Leave in peace , after you have prayerfully decided to go .  

13. Do not connive with anyone against him 

It is important that you do not take sides with anyone against your senior pastor . If you connive with a member to fight your head pastor , you are sowing a bad seed in your own ministry , which you will reap some day . If a member or members rise your senior pastor , do not join them in the act ,beware ! 

14. Respect his wife 

You need to respect your head pastor's wife , no matter who she is ? She is one flesh with your head pastor and for that matter she deserves to be treated well with all the respect and honour due her . Your senior pastor is your father in the Lord , and his wife is your mother in the Lord . 

15. Treat his children well 

Treat your senior pastor's children well , like your brothers and sisters in the Lord .Give them the necessary help , and good treatment for the sake of your senior pastor .

16 . Learn from him 

It is important that you learn a lot from your head pastor  . You should know that working under his ministry is a divine arrangement for you to learn something for your future ministry. So do not take him for granted , do not despise his anointing  nor the grace of God upon his life . 

17. Let him be your mentor 

You need to see him as your mentor , learn to be like him , absorb all the virtues in his ministry , listen to his messages even in your home .Learn his ways of doing ministry and pray  for the grace upon his life to become your portion. 

18. Regard him as your superior 

Regard him as your superior , irrespective of your age , spiritually he is your head , you must submit to him in the ministry . He is an authority over your head , you must submit to his leadership and honour him as such .

19. Do not entertain members who talk against him 

Do not entertain church members or people who talk so badly or complain all  the time about your senior pastor . Please do not join them to talk against your head pastor . Instead you have to defend him as much as you can , providing explanations on his behalf . 

Do not provide a safe environment for anyone to talk against your head pastor , it is important , discourage any bad conversation geared towards tarnishing the image of your senior pastor .

Etiquettes For Treating A Guest Minister

At times there is the need to invite a guest minister to preach in your church , especially from another town ,city , nation or continent . This demands that you should give the guest minister good hospitality .  There are etiquettes that govern the way a guest minister is treated in the church of God . If you as a pastor invite someone who travelled to preach the gospel in your church  , there is a way you treat the guest minister that will bring glory to God . The following  are  the ministerial  ethics and the etiquettes  that qualify the way you treat a visiting  preacher of the gospel .   

1. Pay for all expenses

If you deem it fit to invite a guest speaker , you must understand that you as the host will bear all the cost and expenses involved . Under no circumstance should you leave bills unpaid or make it the responsibility of your guest speaker . There are expenses like fuel , transportation, lodging, flight or ticket ,etc that the host minister must be ready to cater for . 

It is unethical to invite a guest minister from far , when you know that your ministry cannot afford to pay for the expenses nor the bills . Please consider the cost first before inviting a guest minister .

2. Provide adequate funds 

It is important to give the guest minister enough funds that can cater for all travelling expenses , if need be even before he set off to come for the ministration . After ministration , make sure you give the visiting speaker enough financial remuneration or honorarium . Bless the visiting speaker adequately , with enough cash , so that God can bless the church . Many guest speakers have been left stranded after honouring  an invitation to preach the gospel in another  town ,city or nation , because the money the host church gave them was not enough .  

3. Take Care of  food 

Make sure that your guest speaker eats adequate food that is hygienically prepared , spiritually safe , environmentally clean . Food can be a blessing or a curse , if your guest speaker eats food that is demonically polluted , it will affect him spiritually and bring spiritual attack to him . 

Make sure the food is good , prepared by the right person , served by the right person ,and the man of God eats in a good environment . 

4. Good accommodation 

If you invite your fellow man of God , give him the best hospitality that you can afford in a nice accommodation . You should know  that a guest speaker always comes in the spirit of an angel , who wants to bless the church and take the church to another level . 

So you have to treat him more or less like an angel of God , so that the spirit of God will use him to bless the church and the congregation thereof  .Give him the best accommodation ever , in fact you need to invest in giving the guest minister a good lodging in a nice environment .This will invoke the grace of blessing upon the host church . 

5. Introduce him by his desired title 

It is important that you introduce him by his right title ; titles bring responsibility , auction , honour and a sense of humour . Titles also portray an office , from which the preacher is going to function . 

Do not ignore the title the guest speaker carries , bears or desires to be called , it is a sign of  covenant of his office  and ministry to God . Ask him the right title he wished to be introduced to the congregation ,such as pastor , teacher , evangelist , prophet , apostle , Rev. , Bishop , Seer , G.O , Dr. etc .

''He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. . ''  Matthew 10 :41

So receiving a minister by his title , brings gracious reward , if he is introduced as a prophet to the congregation , a prophetic grace will visit the congregation,  if he is introduced as an apostle , apostolic grace will be released upon the congregation , while he ministers . 

6. Do not arrange false miracles with the guest speaker 

We are in the end times where a lot of satanic ministers have joined the bandwagon of deception . These parade themselves as ministers of the gospel and introduce fake miracles , and arrange testimonies with fake members to deceive the congregants . Try as much as possible never to arrange any such miracles with visiting ministers of the gospel . Neither should you invite any such false ministers into your pulpit , who come in to introduce false miracles into the alter of God . Beware !   

7. Give the Guest minister the theme ,

As much as possible give the guest speaker the  theme or the topic to preach on , this will keep him on track , especially if it is the first time he is being invited into your pulpit .  Many guest speakers have caused confusion in host churches , by preaching even against the church doctrine .

8. Give the guest  minister time to minister 

Guest ministers must be given a time limit to minister on your pulpit to the congregation . This is important , because every church has a time culture that the congregation is used to , if the guest minister over uses the time , it will affect the attendance of consequent church meetings .

Church members may not turn up well if another guest speaker is to come . If you give a guest speaker time to minister , it helps him not to overdo things during the duration the ministration .

9. Interrupt if the guest is deviating 

There is a need to protect your flock from wolves in sheep's skin , so anytime you observe that the guest speaker is preaching or doing something that can affect the church in a negative way , you have the right to interrupt . For instance, if he is preaching  against your church doctrine , such a message will scatter the flock of God , you have to interrupt and stop him . 

Or if he is giving false prophecies , you have to stop him. If the time is overdue , you can stop him if he is pushing people to fall down by force , you have to stop him . You as a host minister has the final authority in the church , you gave the microphone to him , you have the right to collect it from him if he is deviating .

10. Do not harm the guest speaker 

Please , no matter how evil you are as a pastor, never harm your guest speaker , an innocent minister of God who has come all the way from another place to minister in your church must not be taken for granted . Because God is with him , and the Lord will take vengeance. 

11. Invite someone you trust 

Whenever you are thinking of inviting a guest minister , you must try to invite someone you trust , or know about his ministry very well .Many wolves have come in sheep's clothes , so you must pray and seek the face of God , whenever you want to invite someone into your church as a guest minister .

12. Make sure he is following your church doctrine 

Always make sure that the guest minister is preaching and doing everything according to your church doctrine . In the early days of my ministry I invited someone who came to preach against one of our doctrines ; he actually preached against the use of Olive oil to pray for people .Meanwhile , we have being using it to pray for our church members and anointing them with oil .

So I had to try and clear the air of the doctrinal confusion he came to create in my ministry then . Some guest ministers lack ministerial etiquette so they behave anyhow wherever they are invited to preach , beware ! 

Qualifications For A Man Of God

'' This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, Sober , of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.8 Likewise must the deacons be grave, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;9 Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.10 And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless.11 Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.'' 1 Timothy 3:1-11 

1.Blameless,

To be blameless means that there is no fault with you , no charges against you , nor anything bad against you . A blameless person is innocent , has nothing to do with the evil that happens , and that is one of the qualifications of a minister of the gospel .

As a man of God you are expected to be blameless , when it comes to the sinful things that people are doing . You cannot be a minister of God , and there are so many faults against you that are somewhat true . Members can accuse you , and point fingers at you , ' you have done this ' you have done that ' and it is all true . Pray for the grace to be blameless as the minister of the gospel .

The fallibility of your human nature does not guarantee that you should do all kinds of sinful things , so that people can put all the blame on you. 

2. Husband of One wife 

The man of God must be married to one wife at a time , he should not indulge in polygamous marriage . As a minister of the gospel you must avoid having sexual relations with women more than the one wife . A man of God must marry only one wife ,there is no place for a second wife ,or 'side chicks .  

God created one wife for Adam , Moses the man of God married one wife , Isaiah the prophet had one wife , Joseph had one wife that is Mary the mother of Yeshua ,and Peter the apostle had one wife   ' 

3. Vigilant

Every minister of the gospel must be vigilant in watching and observing the word of the Lord This means the man of God must be watchful , in all things , been careful to obey God's word . The scriptures declares , ''Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.'' 1 Peter 5:8-9

4. Good behaviour 

It is important that any man of God put up the best of behaviour worthy of emulation , because he is a leader of God's flock . People of God are looking unto him as a minister to be their role model . So people cannot afford to learn wrong behaviour from you . Wrong behaviours like , high temperament , full of insults , abusive , insolent , disrespectful , womanizing and the  like .                  

5. Good hospitality 

Good hospitality is an aptitude that is strictly required , because you might need to entertain strangers in the  near future . This is very important because , even angels might come down to you as visitors  ,and you have to entertain them anyway . 

''Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.''  Hebrew 13:2

6. Apt to teach 

Teaching is a necessary requirement for the minister of the gospel . When God calls you , he will give you the teaching anointing , so that you can teach the people of God . Every pastor or minister of the gospel who cannot dissect the word of God to the lowest understanding  of the simple person , must pray for the grace of teaching .

7. Not Given to wine

As a man of God you should not drink any  alcoholic drink that causes intoxication in one way or the other . This will ruin your ministry and disqualify your holy calling as a minister of the gospel .  '' not given to wine'' means that a pastor or leader of God's flock should not be a drunkard in any way possible . It is necessary ,so  that you can attract a holy anointing of God . 

According the scriptures strong drink is designed for fools who are distressed and ready to perish in hell , '' It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink:5 Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.6 Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.7 Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.''  Proverbs 31:4-7 

8. Not Striker 

A striker is a violent person , a bully who delights in, forcing , beating or fighting people to do their bidding  very often . A man of God must not be a bully in any way possible , rather be gentle and earn the respect of the people .

9. Not greedy 

A servant of the Lord must not be greedy nor show any sign of greediness in his or her life . If you are a man of God avoid being greedy . A greedy person is someone who wants all for himself , even what belongs to another person , he wants to get it in addition to his own . 

Greediness is the nature and character of satan , he is the greediest being who influences human beings to be greedy for things , to the extent they are not satisfied with what they have . A greedy person can have so much , yet is never satisfied with it and still wants what belongs to others .  

10. Patience 

Any man of God who does not have patience will fall into temptation , because he cannot wait upon God ,due to his impatience . An impatient person will always end up giving up in the ministry . So patience is a sure qualification for any man of God who wants to do ministry until Jesus comes . 

 12''This is so you won’t be lazy but follow the example of the ones who inherit the promises through faith and patience.''  Hebrews 6:12  It is only the patient who can inherit the promises of God .

11. No brawler 

Brawler is a person who engages in rough or noisy fights or quarrels, especially habitually. Imagine a man of God who engages in noisy fights and quarrels  . How badly it will affect the kingdom of God , and the church congregation he represents . It is not befitting for any church leader or minister of the gospel to be a brawler . It destroys the healthy image of the man of God and the name of God is blasphemed in the process .

12. Not a Novice

The minister of God should not be a novice , that means , he has to be matured in the Lord , in the word of God , and above all he should be a christian for a lengthy period of time . 

Here the church is admonished  not to be in a haste to make any person a church leader or appoint new converts as ministers of the gospel . It is very important because , the leader must be first of all a christian with a proven character that the church members can attest to . Without experience of the born again life , a person is not verified as a christian leader .

The scripture gave a reason that , such a person is capable of becoming proud ,and eventually fall into the devil's trap of destruction, '' Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.'' 1 Timothy 3 : 6 

13. Ruling your house well

Another area that is very important is when the man of God does not know how to rule his own house very well . He cannot keep his house in order , the wife is not submissive to him for one or two reasons , the children have gradually gone astray from the Lord .

As a leader in the house of God , the first thing you should lead is your family ; your wife and children  must be your first ruling of your spiritual authority , then the church second . You have to teach your family first before teaching the church members . Pray with your family first , before you pray with the church congregation , worship God with your family , before leading the congregation to worship the Lord . Consider God's testimony about Abraham and how he ruled his family ;

''19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him ''     Genesis 18:19

14. Good report 

Any minister of God must have a degree of good report from people within and without . The people in the church must have something good to say about the character of the man of God .  At times people may lie against you or say bad things about you. But that is just once in a while, most people in the church will have a good report about you  .

Although according to scripture , a true man of God is characterized by  both good and bad report '', by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true;'' 2 Corinthians  6:8 Those who disagree with your ministry might say bad things about you .However , you will also find those who are partakers of the grace of God upon your life , giving good testimony about your ministry .

15. Sober 

• Sober is defined as '' not affected by alcohol; or not drunk.''  and the second meaning is 

'' serious, sensible, and solemn.'' A minister of God must be by himself , at all times , be who he is in his normal , serious ,sensible and good mood , so that God can use  him .  

Etiquette For Guest Ministers

In the vineyard of the Lord , at times it is required that you, as a minister of God , might be invited to minister in a church located in another city , nation or town . There are behavioral  conducts that are expected of the man of God , when it comes to professional etiquette that will give glory to God , and bring promotion to your ministry . Let us have a look at those etiquettes that are a sure expectation of  you as a guest minister .  

 1. Do not demand a fixed price

    When you are invited to a place to minister the word of God , do not demand for your own fixed charge ,on the host . You have to avoid a situation where you will have to charge the host church a certain amount of money as your honorarium  . 

However , if it is international , or a far place where transportation or flight ticket is involved , your host must agree to cater for the transportation and all flight ticket bills before you go . 

2. Do not share the Benediction 

A visiting preacher must not share the benediction , nor give an announcement in the church . All such things are done by the host church . As a guest minister your responsibility is to preach , prophesy, cast out demons, make altar calls or raise funds , afterwards give the microphone to your host and sit down .

3. Keep the time 

Be sure to keep the time that your host church gives you to minister . Some churches are time conscious and they have organized their congregation to keep the time, so as a guest minister make sure that you comply to their  time culture .

4. Reverence the host minister

It is important to honour the guest minister , choose your words carefully when talking to him , use the correct words of respect to talk about him to the flock of congregation . Do not give him instructions as to what to do , or how to do things in his church in front of the congregation . If you have any suggestions , talk to the host pastor in private or his office .

5. Do not try to connect with the members in private

Do not connect to the members of the host church in private , such as exchanging numbers without the knowledge and consent of the host pastor . Or inviting them to visit your church or sponsor your ministry without the consent of the host . Many guest ministers have used this way to mislead members of their host churches in which they ministered .

6. Do not give negative prophecy to the host minister in public 

If you receive a prophetic word for the host , it is good to declare it openly , if it is a positive message such as promotion , growth , prosperity, increase etc. However negative prophecies such as death of the pastor's relative, warning of mismanagement of church funds , or the pastor's adulterous affair , such messages should be delivered to the pastor alone . Prophet Nathan rebuked king David in private , about his adulterous affair with Bathsheba .

It is not conducive to give negative prophecies to a leader in the presence of a church congregation , especially if the leader is willing to make an amendment . Some messages can destroy the healthy image of the pastor and it will go a long way to affect his integrity and his credibility in the presence of the congregation.   

7. Do not demand for expensive treatment 

As a guest minister you should not demand for expensive treatment by your host church , such as a five star hotel ,expensive food of your choice , a rented vehicle to move around etc . This is a  very important precaution because the host church may not be in a position to  pay for all the cost . Let the host church carry you alone , according to their own choice and capacity .

8. Do not overstay your welcome

Leave town immediately as soon as you finish your ministration { This is for those invited to another town , city or nation to preach}, and the host pastor sees you off , bids you goodbye . Avoid lingering around town or hanging out with the church members to avoid temptations . Many a minister have messed up in the sin of fornication or adultery  , because they did not leave town immediately after they had finished their ministration . If you want to hang out around town then you must go with the host pastor or his appointee .

9. Do not raise funds and demand a particular percentage 

Do not accept an invitation on the grounds that you will raise funds and share the proceeds with the host pastor , where you would agree to take a certain percentage for yourself . Do not agree with the host to sell any product for money to the congregation . This is a spiritual exploitation , and you frustrate the grace of God upon your life .

You can raise funds through the normal way , do not agree with the host to mesmerize the congregants to exploit money from them , let them give freely because they are touched by God , just call the amount that you want the people to bring after ministration and the spirit of God will move them to give as much as God is providing . And do not demand for a particular amount after you have ministered to the people or you have raised funds , let the host church decide whatever they want to give you .

10. Do not ask the members for money or anything 

Do not go on your own way , in privacy or publicly to demand money for yourself from the host church members  . Do not collect money or raise funds in front of the congregation and put it in your pocket , you have to put it in the offering bowl .  Aside from money do not ask members of the host church to give you gift items of any kind , you want there to minister to their souls and not collect their gifts .

If they choose to give you any gift item , show it to the pastor or tell the person to inform the host pastor before giving you any gift item . 

11. Do not speak bad about the  host minister

Do not speak badly about the host pastor to any church member or in front of the congregation , it is unprofessional and very bad to do so . You are actually destroying the work of God , if there is anything you feel is not right , then tell the host pastor himself instead of telling third parties . This act is diabolical,  malicious and very destructive to perpetuate as a minister of the gospel . Miriam and Aaron did it , and the Lord punished  Miriam with leprosy .

12. Say good things about the host minister

On the contrary say good things about your host minister , especially to the congregation and the members . If you have any misgivings you need to tell the host minister himself , this will help build a healthy moral image about the host pastor and his ministry .

13. Do not correct the host minister in public 

If you see the need for you to correct the host minister , please do so in private and not in front of the congregation ,or when others are watching or listening . He is the leader of the flock , his mistakes must be corrected in private .

14. Do not preach against the doctrine of the host church

Do not preach against the doctrine of the host church , even if you do not agree with them or you notice some errors in their doctrine . Rather you can correct it in his office or privacy , that is the modesty of ministry .

As much as possible do not preach against the doctrine of the church , because you will end up scattering the flock the local pastor has gathered instead of building them up .  Doctrinal issues are best corrected by the host pastors themselves and not a visiting pastor .

15.  Minister your best whether the turn up is good or bad 

Anywhere you find yourself , try as much as possible to minister your best to the flock , whether the turn up is good or bad , just do your possible best . Minister at your full length and capacity , preach well , pray well with them and do whatever you would have done better had it been a huge crowd . This is your way of faithfulness in the itinerary ministry. At times it happens like that , when God is testing our integrity and faithfulness in the ministry. 

16. Go with your spouse 

As much as possible , anywhere you are invited to preach the word of God , try to go with your spouse if you are married, in order to avoid temptations . Many travelling ministers have fallen prey to the temptations of adultery or fornication , because they left their wives behind and travelled to other cities or nations for ministration .