What is a Cupbearer?

In antiquity, a "cup-bearer" was the person who not only served the king, but they were the ones who determined if there was poison in the king’s cup by tasting it first. As a result of having considerable "skin in the game," and the fact that cup-bearers had no path to power themselves (they couldn't become king) they became trusted advisers to the leaders they served. Cupbearers support the ones who lead... rather than trying to take over. Perhaps it is helpful to think of their being part Secret Service protective detail, part prophet, and part friend.

There is a biblical example of a godly cupbearer —Nehemiah was an actual cupbearer to the king of Persia. Though in advocating for the city of his fathers, was sent on a mission to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem.

Today, as ministry leaders, we still need cupbearers to make sure we are not drinking poison through our consumption of media, cultural messages, and popular ministry leadership trends. We also need cupbearers to help us stay true to who God has called us to be when we are constantly being enticed to become someone else.

Too often we go it alone and frankly, that is not a healthy option for people who serve a trinitarian God! 

The Cupbearer Serves As…

Photo by Maksym Kaharlytskyi on Unsplash

• A Brother in Arms
• A Confidential sounding-board
• A Spiritual Director
• A Ministry Coach
• A Theological Investigator
• A Missional Incubator

The concept should also resonate with those in Christian ministry since in delivering the sacrament of the Lord's Supper we are literally cupbearers for the people we shepherd. 

Does a ministry like Cupbearers sound helpful to you? We hope so! 

In upcoming posts, we will address each of these listed functions of the Cupbearer in helping pastors to fulfill their purpose and calling. 

Let us know if you think something like this would be helpful to you in your context. 

In our next five posts, we will take a look at why we all need a Cupbearer in our ministry life.