I wrote yesterday on the need for pastors and churches to find new ways to meet people’s spiritual, emotional, and discipleship needs instead of merely using technology to replicate Sunday morning.

The challenge is that many pastors don’t seem to see the need to find new ways of meeting discipleship needs. For example, several years ago, a pastor, retiring (early) from active ministry, chose for his final sermon instructions from Paul to Timothy. The pastor focused on these four points:

• Be faithful in your duties (1.8)
• Hold on to sound doctrine (1.13, 14)
• Guard your heart and your relationships (2.22-24)
• Don’t be surprised when hard times come (3.12-15)

These are certainly good instructions, and the pastor wanted to make some points to the folks in the congregation upon his departure. But I have to wonder, why did he leave out 2 Timothy 2.1, 2?

You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. (2 Timothy 2.1, 2, NIV)

As advice for members of a congregation, you can’t do better than “be strong in grace” and “invest in others.”

• Take care of yourself–don’t sit back and wait for the next pastor to feed you. Take responsibility to be strong. And you only become strong by daily training.

• Invest in others–don’t think about whether you’re being fed or not; feed others!

I’m afraid those concepts are not on most pastors’ radars. And it’s hard to preach about what you’re not doing. 2 Timothy is written first and foremost to a pastor. And 2 Timothy 2.2 is clear that the pastor is supposed to invest in others so that they become leaders who invest in others.

I’ll have a couple of simple suggestions tomorrow. In the meantime, here’s my commentary on 2 Timothy 2.2, which reads like this in The Message: “Pass on what you heard from me…to reliable leaders who are competent to teach others.”

2 Timothy 2.2: it’s so easy, anyone can do it, even lay people! It’s so important everyone must do it, even pastors!