Designing a Biblical Pastoral Ministry that Begins to Make Maturing Disciples at Cleary Baptist Church, Florence, MS

Abstract

This project is an attempt to design a biblical pastoral ministry that begins to develop maturing disciples. Chapter 1 defines the goals of this project as well as the rationale for the work.

Chapter 2 seeks to establish a biblical and theological basis for pastoral ministry. This is accomplished by examining three biblical texts related to pastoral ministry: Acts 20:28, 1 Timothy 4:12-16, and 1 Peter 5:1-5.

Chapter 3 seeks to establish a model for biblical pastoral ministry by examining the life and ministry of Richard Baxter. A brief biography of Baxter is presented followed by a summary of his philosophy and methods of pastoral ministry.

Chapter 4 describes the biblical pastoral ministry that is developed and implemented in the lives of the people of Cleary Baptist Church.

Finally, in chapter 5, the results of the ministry project are revealed. These results demonstrate that measurable spiritual growth can be accomplished through a biblical pastoral ministry. The results also reveal that little if any measurable spiritual growth was achieved in the lives of those who were not shepherded through the pastoral ministry implemented through this project.