Before diving into the reasons, let’s just start off with a disclaimer. The pastors we’re talking about in this article are those who take their calling serious; who thrive in ministry; who love living out God’s mandate and place God at the center of everything they do. They uphold truth over relevance; people over profit; ministry over marketing.
5 Ways To Better Appreciate Your Pastor
1. Understand the Weight of Their Calling: When God calls you for ministry, it’s a big deal. You’re now employed by God, working for a new Kingdom. It’s a joyful experience, yet a frightful one. Ministry bears more stress than most professions as it deals with the emotional, spiritual and psychological realm in terms of God and humans. The weight and responsibility of this profession is heavy. Approaching your pastor with this insight gives you an entirely new perspective on their occupation. Their work is more than just an hour-long sermon on Sunday morning.
2. Don’t Put Them On A Pedestal: The highest trees catch the most wind. You can be guaranteed that those in pastoral positions will attract the most scrutiny and judgment. They are consistently under a microscope: how they talk, how they dress, how they preach, what they preach, how they pray. Our reverence for the pastor is often so exaggerated that we wrap them in a bubble of holiness and are very surprised when they act like humans.
3.Your Pastor Is not Superman: Only a super-human can teach, preach, lead worship, minister to the youth, heal the sick, do outreach, head up the building fund, administer the church finances, do counseling and take care of their family all at the same time. Don’t put unrealistic expectations on them. They cannot be all things to all people. They are gifted in certain areas. Let God use that powerfully, instead of sacrificing it by spreading them too thin.
4. Your Pastor Needs Time with God and Family: The church is God’s family, but pastors have a family of their own. Pastors are also accountable to God, which means they need time with God in prayer, study and rest. We have to make allowance for this, or else burn-out and disaster are sure to follow.
5. Your Pastor Needs Encouragement More Than Advice: There is nothing more frustrating than for someone to need encouragement, only to get an earful of advice from a person with absolutely no perspective or insight into their situation. Encourage your pastor. Lift them up. Speak life into their ministry. Remind them of the joy of their calling. Pray with them. Bless them!
Looking for pastor appreciation day ideas? Check out our article on How To Show Your Pastor Appreciation
