Have you noticed—October is Pastor
Appreciation Month?
Some churches and individuals make a
big deal out of it and have a church supper in honor or their pastor/s—complete
with gifts. Some congregations even send their pastor and spouse on a cruise or
similar vacation.
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| Your pastor prays for you. |
Then of course there are other
congregations that don’t even know the occasion exists, or perhaps pretend they
don’t.
It seems that many people are clueless
about just how tough it is to be a pastor. Some believe their pastor simply
reads his/her Bible, prays, and visits sick people. The reality is that the job
of pastor is much more demanding and complex than that.
I didn’t grow up in a pastor’s home and
I’m not a pastor’s wife, so I’ve not have that personal experience. But I’ve
know many pastors and have been friends with several pastor’s wives and
children. I’ve observed some of the many trials and challenges they go through
on a regular basis.
In an article written by Philip Wagner*, himself a pastor, he says
that Peter Drucker, the late leadership guru,
said that the four hardest jobs in America (not necessarily in order, he
added) are:
·
The President of the
United States
·
A university president
·
A CEO of a hospital and
·
A pastor
He
goes on to list some of the unique problems pastors face. Here’s a brief
synopsis:
1. Pastors face a lot of criticism
from many directions and for many reasons.
2. Pastors experience a lot of rejection
due to the nature of their position and the nature of congregants coming and
going.
3. Pastors often face betrayal,
as they work with their staff and minister to people. It’s not unusual for a
pastor’s staff or church member to turn on them due to personal conflict or
simply not getting their way.
4. Pastors often suffer loneliness
due to the fact that they often find it hard to have a close friend.
5. Pastors grow weary
due to the numerous hours they spend attending to their many responsibilities.
6. Pastors often have many disappointments
and frustrations. Pastors’ salaries are typically average or below the norm
and many pastors must have another job in order to meet the financial needs of
their families. And they often have no good way to measure their successes and
accomplishments. This can be very frustrating.*
So
have you thought about the
difficulties faced by pastors, their wives and their children?
Most
pastors have such a passion to serve God, lead people to Christ, and equip the
body, they push on through many hardships and trials—with God’s help. But if
you could interview a large group of pastors, almost all of them would say
they’ve experienced many, if not all, of the above challenges at one time or
another.
In
Mr. Wagner’s article, he went on to tell a few things Christians and church members can do to help pastors:
1. Pray for your pastor, that
he/she will hear clearly from God.
2. Protect your pastor. Don't
get involved with gossip and complaining of other church members.
3. Encourage your pastor. Find
ways to help lighten the load and let him/her know you care and want to help in
any way you can.
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| Baby Dedication <> Happy Time for Pastor |
These
three things appear to be very simple and I believe the Holy Spirit can show us
other things we can do for our pastors that are specific to their individual
needs. When we, as church members, do the above three things with diligence and
sincerity, it can make a huge difference in the lives of our pastors and their
families. And just think of the benefits for the church as a whole as well.
AND
since this is Pastor Appreciation Month, perhaps a gift card or some such
gesture of appreciation is in order. Ask God to help you come up with the best
way to bless your pastor/s.
*
Italicized sections are paraphrased from Philip Wagner’s article, “The Secret
Pain of Pastors and Church Leaders.” To
read the entire article, go to:
©Connie
Wohlford 2016
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