Page 18 - Spiritual Covering English

1. For The Pastor’s Sake – Where does a Pastor go in
order to be encouraged and guided when he goes
through personal trials - for example, if he is having
problems in his marriage or in his family or when
members of his congregation are unfairly accusing
him? In these kinds of situations it is often difficult
for him to share what is happening in his life with
members of his congregation. That’s when a more
experienced Pastor who is a spiritual covering can
be his friend, counselor and encourager.
2. For The Congregation’s Sake – What happens
in a congregation where a pastor is abusing his
spiritual authority – for example, he begins to
depart from sound doctrine, or he begins to live
in immorality, or he begins to misuse the funds of
the church, or he becomes legalistic, authoritarian
and a control freak? Who is there to hold him
accountable? That’s when a more experienced
pastor who is a spiritual covering, can step in and
provide spiritual correction, guidance and healing
for the church.

Every church should ask their pastor to define who his
‘spiritual covering’ is and who he is ‘accountable’ to.
Also in order to test the pastor’s accountability to his
spiritual covering, the congregation should require that
the ‘spiritual covering’ visits the church often so that the
members of the church know whom to approach if the
pastor goes astray.
Normally, the spiritual covering of the pastor should be
his spiritual father in the faith – the one who invested
in him and trained him to be a leader. Paul wrote to the

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