Every believer is called to "do the work of an evangelist," and to otherwise use the resources God has given them to effectively and meaningfully advance the gospel message throughout their lifetime.
Ultimately, however, the value of all Christian stewardship limited to the integrity of the doctrines it advances, first and foremost being the person and work of Christ, and those doctrines relating to the message of salvation.
The individual believer is accountable before God for his stewardship. But the local church, and the elders and pastors thereof, will also give an account for the stewardship they exercise in their office. The labor of pastor to disciple a congregant clarity of the gospel and maturity in Christ will affect the stewardship of that believer for a lifetime, even after the pastor retires, or the congregant moves to another city.
On the other hand, the failure of pastors to shepherd believers to a mature clarity in areas of Christian doctrine will ensure that most of the tithes, offerings, service and other resources of those believers will be misdirected. This misdirection of resources will continue beyond the life of the pastor, and will continue after a believer has changed churches or moved to another city. Because a lifetime of misguided stewardship could have been thwarted by meaningful pastoring, the pastor who fails to disciple his flock, and get them rooted in the clarity of the gospel, will be called to account, in some measure, for the waste of resources of all of those congregants. To whom much is given, much will be required.
The accountably of the pastor before his Creator is sobering, and they will be called to account. First and foremoset, they will be called to account for the way they used their office to shepherd their flock in the truth of the gospel, and the integrity and defense of that message.
Although the above statement can easily be used to generate a round of pious "Amens" from almost any congregation, the fact is, most churches don't have such a program. A new believer is faced with a smorgasbord of choices for Sunday school or Bible Study . . . from "Surfing through the Psalms" to "How to discover the person God wants you to be," to "Why Men are Wild at Heart." Without question, there is great value in studying the Psalms. Depending on the content, there may or may not be value in be some of the other classes available in the church today. But none of these should be the first serving offered to the congregant. The pastor who comes to realize this, but fails to lift a finger to address this absuridity, will indeed be called to give an account of the stewardship of his office.
To this end:
1) the local church is responsible for implementing an educational program formulated to systematically ground believers in a clear and detailed understanding of the gospel message, and those doctrines that directly or indirectly undermine the integrity of the gospel message; and,
2. to the extent reasonably possible, it is the responsibility of the local church to shepherd believers through such a program, or confirm that they are fully grounded in the doctrines taught therein, and to do so before directing them into other Christian education programs, whether that be "Surfing through the Psalms" or "Why men are Wild at Heart."
(It is to the first of these two responsibilities of the local church that Clear Gospel Ministries is developing a fixed, defined, and systematic program relating to the doctrine of salvation that can be used in the classroom, or in the local church to disciple new believers, and develop an ongoing program of evangelism and discipleship. Our Statement of Purpose further discusses many of the goals and purposes of this program.)
