1 Thessalonians 5:12-13
And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves.
October is Pastor Appreciation Month. This month churches will have a Pastor Appreciation Day Service to honor their pastors and associate pastors and their wives. I’m sure there will be cards and gifts and flowers and warm hugs to let them know how much we love them. And we do – we are truly blessed with wonderful men and women of God as our leaders.
But is it enough to take just one day out of the year to say thank you for all that they do for our church and its people? And are cards and gifts enough? Let’s think about it this way: If a husband only brought his wife flowers and told her he loved her once a year on their anniversary, how good would their relationship be the other 364 days of the year?
While it’s great to have a special celebration once a year, we need to make sure our pastors know we appreciate them all year round. Despite the fact that they often exhibit superhuman abilities, pastors are just people after all. Like us, they need encouragement from time to time. They need to know that their flock cares, respects and appreciates them. They really don’t expect special gifts or offerings, but I am sure those are appreciated. I certainly don’t want to discourage anyone from giving gifts, money or gift cards or other tokens of appreciation, but I think there are some other ways to really show your appreciation for your pastors. (Note: These apply to pastors, associate pastors, youth pastors, etc. both men and women, but I will just say “pastor” to cover them all.)
1. Show the pastor respect. Romans 13:7 says to give honor to whom honor is due. The Pastor is the head of our church, just as Christ is the Head of The Church. He should be addressed as Pastor or Reverend or whatever title he has in your church. You may be on a first name basis with him, but at least during services and official church activities, he should be addressed properly. I think it’s best just to address him that way all the time. Give honor.
2. Pray for the pastor. Our pastors are at the top of the hit list for Satan, our Enemy. After all, they are preaching the word and working to bring salvation to the unsaved. They are the leadership of the church, and you always go after the leadership in battle. If the wolf takes out the shepherd, then the sheep are easy prey. We need to keep them in prayer daily. God has sent these men and women to be our leaders. Jeremiah 3:15 says: And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. Pastors have a big job. We probably don’t know more than half of what they do. Give prayer.
3. Support your pastor. You may not always agree with everything your pastor says or does. He can’t make everyone in the church happy at the same time. The worst thing you could do is to go behind his back, telling everyone that he is wrong and why. Then you are undermining your pastor, which causes a lot of harm within the church body. Our earlier scripture from 1 Thessalonians reminds us to be at peace among ourselves. 1 Chronicles 16:22 says: Saying, “Do not touch My anointed ones, And do My prophets no harm.” If you have a problem with your pastor, go talk to him. I am sure he will listen and talk things out with you. Give support.
4. Get over yourself. I started to say be less sensitive, but I think “get over it” goes to the heart of the issue. Don’t get offended so easily, because an “offense” is a baited trap. James 3:16 says: For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. If the pastor didn’t shake your hand before service, go shake his. He may have meant to say hello and was sidetracked by another member of the flock that needed him. He is one person and he can’t be there for everyone at the exactly the same time. But Jesus can. So if the pastor isn’t available at the very second you need him, call on the One who is always there for you. The pastor wants to be there for you, but he can’t read minds. He can’t go see your uncle’s cousin’s girlfriend’s boss in the hospital if he doesn’t know he is there. And he can’t be in two places at the same time, but he will be praying for you even if he can’t be there in person. Give him a break.
5. Walk in your calling. I think the pastor would appreciate this so much. If every person in the church would walk in their calling, the pastor’s job would be so much easier. Romans 11:29 says: For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. They are also non-transferrable. They are your gifts and callings, not the pastor’s. But when you don’t do your job, he has to try to pick up the slack. So if you have been called to teach, then teach. If you have been called to sing, then sing. If you have been called to greet, then greet. Whatever it is you have been called to do, commit to doing it. Give your commitment.
If you haven’t told your pastor how much you appreciate him, now would be a great time since it is that time of year when we recognize our pastors for their hard work. A card, a note, or just a warm, sincere thank you in person would be a great way to start. Then you can remember to give all these other things year round. Keep them in your prayers daily. Also remember our pastors’ wives, the First Ladies of the church. We can all show pastors our appreciation by loving them the way they love us.
Source: www. spiritlifefellowshipchurch.com
