A thought jumped into my head in the middle of yesterday’s message at church and I thought I would explore it a little more here in blog form. However, before I do, I want to let you, the reader, know that I am making some assumptions. If you do not fall into these assumptions, this blog may not be for you. I am assuming you are a Christian involved in a Christian community through a church. I am assuming you enjoy this church and have a pastor that is faithful and caring that you wish to encourage. If you fall outside of these assumptions, some of my other posts might be for you but this one might not fully apply. With this in mind, let’s move forward…..
Many pastor’s feel encouraged with nice words people give to them after a message that they enjoyed, a sincere inquiry of how they are doing from someone, or, in the rare occasion, a card of appreciation from someone they care about saying a simple “Thanks”. These things are priceless even if they are just sparked in October by Hallmark (October is Pastor Appreciation month…. don’t forget!) However, these are not the bullet points I wish to cover in this posting (though they are vital to the pastor).
I believe there are more basic and critical ways to encourage your pastor that can be the difference between them having freedom in their ministry to follow the Lord without pause and pushing them closer to burn out. Here’s a few thoughts….
– Be Faithful in Showing Up – There is little that steals the passion from the pastor than spending half the week in prayer, study, and preparation for the Sunday morning message and having half of the people not show up. Especially when it is a message that the pastor is convinced can be blockbuster to bring growth and change in people he/she cares about. Also, often times the message series is designed to move the church community forward and closer together and then the attendance is so disjointed, it doesn’t take at the level it could have.
What is our commitment level to our church community? What is our commitment to be under the teaching and shepherding of the pastor you trust and want to encourage? Pastor’s have seen people plan around work schedules, vacation schedules, family plans, and even work out plans with more diligence than their spiritual lives.
When I worked as a youth minister, I had several families ponder why their kids did not make church an important part of their lives after they graduated. However, those same parents were hit and miss as their kids grew up as they put every other activity as a priority over church.
There are good reasons to miss church so don’t get me wrong. However, you would be amazed at some of the excuses your pastor has heard. Be an encourager and show up on Sunday morning….
– Be Faithful in Your Giving – I’ll admit it up front, I believe that tithing (giving to your church home 10% of what God entrusts yu with) is Biblical today. Even if you don’t, as a Christian, you can’t escape that all we have we are to use as good stewards to bring glory to the name of the Lord. One of the primary sources we have to do this is through our church.
I am convinced that if everyone was faithful to tithing to their church (I’m not even talking about offerings at this point), the church’s financial needs would be covered. More than that, if everyone was faithful, they would be opening the door for God to move to provide for them financially as well according to His promises.
However, there are more excuses about the economy, bills need to be paid, and forgetting to tithe while on vacation and never getting around to remembering to pick it back up. The simple fact is we all have 10% of what God gives us. It doesn’t matter how much that is, it only matters that we are faithful.
Far too many pastors have to spend time worrying about cash flow taking away from ministry efforts. Worse yet, too many people bash their pastor for doing so when the person complaining is the one not being faithful. Yes, I know of some pastors that are corrupt in this area but not yours….. we have already established that you trust and care about yours. Don’t let them have to worry and sacrifice for the financial health of your church and you not doing your part.
– Be Faithful in Giving of Your Talents – If your church is worth it’s keep, there will be more activities than Sunday morning that needs leaders, servants, volunteers, and those how work the front lines. I love hearing stories of the community being impacted when the body comes together to each do their part to be answers to prayers and see the love of Christ in action.
However, I have often seen the pastor trying to wear several hats to fill in all the spots they couldn’t find someone or when volunteers back out at the last second (keep your commitments….). That’s not thier role. Our teachers are to equip the church to do ministry, not carry the full load themselves so being faithful with your gifts and talents are critical. Jump in!
That’s my initial thoughts. I’m sure a pastor or two might be reading this hoping I was going to cover thier saleries or benefits and to be honest, it’s pretty important to take care of your pastor and his/her families in this manner as well. However, that’s not really in the scope of this post so maybe another day.
What other ways can you encourage your pastor?
About Tom Hypes
