Hello Elijah, I am happy the articles on this website have been a blessing to you.

(a) A pastor is the shepherd and the head of a Church. He is one of the office-holders of the Five-Fold Ministry which comprises Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers.

Ephesians 4:11-13 states: And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

The qualification to be a pastor is in 1st Timothy 3:1-7.

1 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.

2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;

3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;

4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;

5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)

6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.

7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

The above qualification does not allow a woman to be a pastor since the headship of the home is linked to the headship of the church. For a detailed study into this topic, read the article entitled The Truth About Women Preachers on this website.

(b) It is an honourable thing to desire the office of a pastor. The problem, however, is that you are worried about your past even though you have repented and are now a changed person, as you said. When Christ forgives, He truly forgives. Let no man, including yourself, judge your past. Paul, Peter, Moses, Abraham etc. all had their past but they did the work of God because God called them out of their original state and made believers out of them. A Christian's past is in God's sea of forgetfulness. So be a Christian and move towards the mark of your high calling.

(c) Your past affecting or not affecting your forward march, depends on you yourself. If you truly believe your past has been forgiven because you have repented, live as such. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit (Romans 8:1)

Dear Believer, a person who claims to believe but lives contrary to the Word is not a believer because faith without works is dead. He or she is a prisoner of Satan and not a prisoner of Christ. Every person is either a prisoner to Christ or to Satan. There is no middle line. Repentance is key to Salvation. If the person truly genuinely repents, God will save them. If that person does not repent, he or she will go to hell. If that fellow is a true believer but slips into sin, bringing reproach to the Word, God may take him or her from this world to save their soul.

1st Corinthians 6:9-10 states:

Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

I must also confess that God does not save or condemn any man based on the behaviour of other people. Not all who claim to believe the message of the hour are believers. When the crow eats the food reserved for the dove, it does not make it a dove. By their fruits we will know them. So look beyond the human veil of others and go for the precious pearl – the revealed Word of God.

The message believer who lives anyhow is not a message believer though he claims he is. No one can meet God and remain the same. On the other hand, the message believer whose desire is to fulfill the will of God is blessed of God even before he fulfills that desire. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled (Mathew 5:6). So hungering and thirsting after righteousness in itself is a blessing.

It is good to look up to your pastor for leadership, if he is a true leader but if your pastor stands between you and God (the Word), you have no option but to declare your stand for the Word against your pastor. You must always look up to the Word. It is the final authority. If you call your pastor God Father, how will you call God? The Bible says in Mathew 23:9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.