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SUPORT YOUR LOCAL PASTOR
October is officially, “Pastor Appreciation Month.” As a pastor’s wife, I can assure anyone that my husband does appreciate the beautiful cards that we have received through the years. However, let me state the ways in which most Pastors feel truly appreciated.
October is officially, “Pastor Appreciation Month.” As a pastor’s wife, I can assure anyone that my husband does appreciate the beautiful cards that we have received through the years. However, let me state the ways in which most Pastors feel truly appreciated.
The first task of any parishioner is to pray for their pastor. Assuredly, your pastor prays for you. There’s a certain pressure on a pastor; eyes look more closely at pastors to see if they’re staying honest. A pastor needs prayer to rise above the temptations that beset every single human being on the planet. Pastors need prayer as they go into spiritual warfare for their sheep, and as they prepare the word to give to the flock. And while you’re at it, pray for your brothers and sisters in the faith; prayer truly changes things for the better.
Secondly, appreciate your pastor by reading your Bible. Quit expecting the pastor to spoon-feed you the Word. It has been said that “knowledge is power;” if you read your Bible every day, the power you will receive to live and function is this world will truly be powerful. Also, if you read the Bible, you will not be tricked into believing a false doctrine, and you will not get offended by the truth that pastors must sometimes mete out when they see a wrong being done.
Speaking of offenses, a really wonderful way to appreciate your pastor is to quit complaining. If you attend a small church, instead of complaining about a lack of children’s programs, youth programs, or a program that you feel your church should have, step up to the plate, dig in, and help make that program come to pass. If you attend a large church, quit complaining about how there’s no place for you. Make friends with those in the department that you’d wish to be a part of, be ready to volunteer, and with time, you will be trusted to take on more and more responsibilities. Quit complaining about the length of the service; if you’d go to Disneyland, you would be waiting in line longer than the duration of a complete worship service.
Another way that you can appreciate your pastor is to tithe. Yes, I’m talking about money, and no – that’s not all churches think about. But if you don’t tithe, then how in the world are those programs that you’d like to see at your church going to come to pass? When the church asks you to pay a tithe, they are not asking for all of your paycheck – they’re only asking for ten percent; Uncle Sam asks for more. And, in all reality, it is not the church that asks for a tithe; it is written in the book of Malachi. Besides, the majority of money that goes to a church pays for the electricity, the heat, the air conditioning–all of those wonderful items that help to make your time at church a more enjoyable experience, or to help someone who encounters a financial emergency.
Fifth, to appreciate the pastor, please respect the pastor’s family. Most times, your pastor’s spouse met and fell in love with the person behind the collar; most spouses did not go to Bible College. If the pastor’s spouse did not know Scripture before, they will definitely make sure they know Scripture almost better than their spouse within two years of the pastor’s tenure. Please don’t criticize the spouse if they work outside of the home, or if the house is not pristine. Please don’t criticize the pastor’s spouse if they stay at home and have a pristine home. Please don’t criticize the pastor’s spouse if the children are too perfect, or if the children are not perfect enough.
Come to think of it, the pastor’s children did not go to Bible College, either; they’re in the midst of being trained up in the way that they should go. So, please, do not judge the children if they belch or go to the kitchen to get a cup of water because they’re thirsty. They’re only children; and in small churches, your pastor and spouse no doubt could call your place of worship their second home. If your pastor and spouse are leading worship, don’t look condescendingly at the children if they don’t sit perfectly still; sit beside the children and help support the pastor’s family. Ask the pastor to watch the children so your pastor can get a date night with their spouse.
Lastly, pray some more. Your pastor is the one you call in the middle of the night when there’s been an accident or sickness or death. Your pastor is the one who will travel to the hospital at a moment’s notice to make sure you’re okay and comforts you as you shed tears of sorrow or joy. Your pastor is the one who stays up late in the night following your telephone call praying for you. Your pastor is the one who is trying to help you if you need a helping hand. Your pastor is the one who is doing more than speaking a few flowing words of encouragement and admonition on Sundays, your pastor is at the front of the spiritual battleground, doing battle on your behalf. Please help lift up your pastor so that your pastor – and the pastor’s family -- can stand longer and stronger on your behalf. If you follow these few instructions, then your pastors will truly know that you appreciate them.
1 comment:
Hi Becky. Thanks for sharing what WE can do to help out our pastors and their family. It certainly has its own set of struggles, I'm sure. I think sending this one into the local paper is a great idea. Keep on writing! I enjoy it, as well, and whether anybody appreciates it or not, it helps to release that desire to get it down in written word.
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