The Influence of the Pastor's Ability according to Ephesians 4:1-16 on the Spiritual Maturity of the Baptist Church Congregations in the Yogyakarta Region

Abstract

The shepherd has a very important role in God's purpose for His church. A shepherd should have the equipping ability as described in Ephesians 4:12a. This ability is manifested in two ways, namely: equipping the congregation with knowledge and experience of faith. The process of equipping the congregation will lead the Lord's congregation to spiritual maturity which is characterized by the unity of the spirit, the correct knowledge of the Son of God, full maturity and a level of growth that is in accordance with the fullness of Christ. The results of the research conducted using the quantitative research method concluded that the ability of the pastor to equip the congregation based on Ephesians 4:1-16 had a significant effect on the spiritual maturity of the Baptist church congregations in the Special Region of Yogyakarta.