The vision of pastorates

Jesus’ great commission is to go and make disciples of all nations, and yet the calling of the church is also to the long term work of spiritual nurture and growth, teaching, pastoral care, outreach and mission. The aim is to help individuals become more mature in Christ and full of the Spirit, enabled to become the people that God created them to be and to pursue the purpose that He intended for them.

There are various different models and structures which churches around the world are using in order to grow disciples. Discipleship will involve teaching and training, equipping and releasing gifts, prayer, encouragement and accountability. We have been running pastorates at Holy Trinity Brompton since 1982 and have found it to be the best way to enable this vital process in our context.  Pastorates strive to embody the HTB vision to evangelise the nations and to transform society.

Christians have always met together, and from the earliest beginnings of the church we can see that members of the community of faith have gathered in both small and large groups in many different settings. No matter what structures are employed it is the values at the heart of the model that are important. The aim is to embody the experience of the early church community expressed in Acts 2:42 – 47:

‘They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.’