Introduction
It is important to understand that serving in the Local church as a pastor cannot be done remotely, therefore remote pastor is not Biblical, and no Biblical church should accept this as the norm.
What does it mean the word remote mean?
Remote: Located far away spatially
If you are a software engineer, cloud, QA Tester, Doctor, etc, you may be working remotely, and from the comfort of your home anywhere in the world, but the work of a pastor cannot be done remotely. And this is one of the reasons why the idea of a General Overseer is foreign to the Bible.
You cannot be distant away from a church and be leading them from afar, and you will never see an example of such in the Scripture. A pastor must be a pastor on site, and not remotely. I am not saying that a pastor should not travel, or go on vacation, but then he delegates the job to a man that is capable of leading the church until he comes.
Remote pastor is not Biblical because of the following reasons that I will be discussing in this article.
Once Saved Always Saved is Eternal Life
ROLE OF THE PASTOR IN THE LOCAL
The responsibility of a pastor does not permit him to work afar from the people, because if you are not with the congregation then you cannot help.
Pastor is a shepherd, and a shepherd must be around the sheep to feed them and protect them from wolves that might want to attack the sheep.
Living in another country, another state, and not being around where the sheep are is not an idea, and it is going to affect the sheep. As a pastor, your job is not only feeding the flock, but you will also watch them, listen to them, and rebuke them when it is needed.
Jeremiah 3:15 And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.
Jeremiah 23:2 Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD.
Jeremiah 23:4 And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD.
OVERSEEING THE CHURCH
Another thing that will make it impossible for pastors to work remotely is the work overseeing the local church.
An overseer is someone who directs and manages something. Being an overseer is great work and a task, and doing it remotely will make you less effective.
When a person is given work to oversee a business, some people want to mismanage, take advantage, and bankrupt that business, how much more when he is not doing the job from a distance, therefore remote pastorate is a fallacy, and wrong in every facet.
Acts 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM
I believe that one of the reasons why we have problems in the world today is that we do not trust God enough to guide and teach us what we need to do. If we follow the Bible, we will never go wrong, but we will go wrong by inventing our own ideas, and ways, and then asking God to bless our ways.
Tattoo Verses in the Bible
The knowledge of God’s word will discourage people from taking the unscriptural position of remote pastor as a way forward.
CONCLUSION
Whether you call yourself General Overseer or you are living in another country and leading the church remotely, it is not Biblical, therefore. If you want to leave the church for another country, then ordain another pastor to lead the church, and you cannot function properly while you are STILL pastoring from another country.
Pastor Sam Adeyemi is one person that came to my mind when I was thinking about the article, he is the Pastor of Daystar church in Oregun, Lagos, and he has been missing in Nigeria for the past church years, and living in the U.S, and leading the church from there.
I have no problem with him leaving the church, but then you can be away for so long, and still claim the pastorate of the church. Remember, being a pastor is not just about preaching and teaching, but leading, and being an example to the flock.
This is an exhortation from Apostle Peter to pastors, and the need for them to do their work faithfully, and seriously.
1Peter 5:2-4 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;
Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.
And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.
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