Top Ten Priorities for Pastors…

From Brian Croft:

The umbrella to which these top 10 priorities all fit come from the direct command to God’s shepherds to “Shepherd the flock of God among you (1 Peter 4:2).” The shepherds are to watch over the flock as one who will give an account (Heb. 13:17) until the Chief Shepherd appears (1 Peter 5:4). They are…

1) Guard the truth (1 Tim 4.6-7, 16; 6.20-21; 2 Tim 1.13-14; 2.1-2)
2) Preach and teach the Word (1 Tim 4:13; 2 Tim. 4:2; Acts 6.2)
3) Pray for the flock (Eph. 6:18-20, 1 Thess. 5:17; Acts 6.2)
4) Set an example (1 Tim 4.12; 1 Pt 5.3 cf. 1 Cor 11.1)
5) Visit the sick (James 5:14, Matt. 25:31-40)
6) Comfort the grieving (1 Thess. 4:13-17, John 11)
7) Care for widows (1 Tim. 5:3, Acts 6:1-7)
8) Confront sin (1 Cor. 5, Matt. 18, 1 Thess. 3, Titus 3)
9) Encourage the faint-hearted (1 Thess. 5:14, Rom. 14:1)
10) Identify and train other leaders (Acts 6:1-7, 13:1-3; 2 Tim 2.2)

The top 3 are there because without the truth being guarded and preached, we have nothing. I assume no one would dispute prayer for the flock filling in the top 3. Another observation to make is that the last 3 are the ones hardest to prioritize because they are the tasks that have little immediate fruit or reward.