5 Ways to Bless Your Pastor
I pastored for fourteen years. While I have lots yet to learn, I did come to understand some things. As a person who now attends rather than pastoring a church, some of those lessons have a new meaning. I am assuming that you want the best for your pastor (Unfortunately, I know that is not a universal wish). If you want to bless your pastor, here are five (plus one) easy things.
1. Pray for your pastor and the family. Despite jokes of only working one day a week, it is a stressful job. It is also hard on the family. One of the reasons that I like being an ex-pastor is that my family now has a pastor. Pray for all of them.
2. Don’t put expectations on the pastor’s family. Don’t expect them to be involved in ministry. You do not get two pastors for the price of one. Don’t expect the children to be any more perfect than other children. Families are families and leave them alone.
3. Listen to the sermons. Pastors work hard to put together those sermons. They really believe that the Bible has something to say to your life. It is not a time to check Facebook or to daydream. If you listen carefully enough, you might have something specific to say at the back of the church. Pastors love that.
4. Don’t ask them questions or expect full attention five minutes before the service. I know you are feeling relaxed but it is unlikely they are. Write down your question and contact them during the week.
5. Put into practice what you learn from your pastor. The pastor’s job is not to do the ministry, it is to equip you to do the ministry. Nothing gets a pastor as excited as when they see their congregation motivated and equipped for ministry.
Bonus item: Don’t nitpick the small things. If you think there were too many songs, someone else complained there were not enough. A flood of small complaints can drown a pastor’s joy.
There you go. Are you looking to bless your pastor? Start working on each of these. I guarantee it will make a difference.
Amen to #2. I grew up as a pastor’s kid, in a small town. There was a whole different standard for the pastor’s kid vs all other kids. But in reality, we were just like other kids.
Thanks for sharing. I am quite protective of my kids.
Thank you Stephen. Always enjoy your material. Good insights and I’m with you.
Pastor Adam Barton
Akron, Ohio
Thank you and blessings on your ministry.
Thanks Stephen,
I must admit, to a varying degree I’ve violated at least one or two points you’ve brought up. I have been guilty in the past of breaking #4, for an example, but it’s usually rather 5 minutes after church ended; or 5 minutes before he’s on his way out the door to go home; as most often I failed to get to the head of the line and have to wait until the rest of the people got served first, lol. But that is in the past. I don’t do that anymore.
My pastor however has a neat trick to deal with the “bonus item”: when someone comes up and expresses an issue that they believe needs attention such as a ministry that they feel is not being implemented or how an already established ministry is too heavy on one focus or weak in another, with a smile on his face he says:
“Thanks for the input; what are you going to do about it?”
This usually concludes with the complainer seeing that the issue isn’t as bad as they once thought! lol – My I offer a sixth suggestion to add to your list of five?
#6: “When you see something that you believe is wrong, take the lead in correcting it. Don’t burden your pastor with all the work; ask him to help where he can but you take the lead.”
Thanks again Stephen. I’ve ready a few of your blogs and I appreciate them! đŸ™‚
I like your sixth suggestion. A very good point. I have been a pastor and I still have broken these rules. All we can do is keep trying. Thanks for your comment.
Another excellent, thoughtful, and practical article, Stephen. As a pastor’s son, a staff member, a pastor, an evangelist, a missionary, and now a “member in the pew” (when we’re home), I think I can understand from those 57 years how important your suggestions are. My biggest struggle both before I became a pastor and now when I’m not preaching, my biggest challenge was to critique my pastor’s sermons. The desire was to talk with him or e-mail him after the sermon to share my own “take” that he didn’t mention, but then I realized that doing so would only demean his ministry in his own eyes. So, “mum” was the word. There is no higher calling in the world than that of serving as an undershepherd to a part of the flock Jesus loves.
I would add one even byond the bonus idem.
Give the pastor space to be human in his job. Let him settle onto his job or even back into it after a vacation time. If it is urgent like handaling a death that is one thing, but most stuff though important can bless and be blessed with just a little consideration of timing.
Very good point. Thanks.