I am not sure who first came up with the idea of Pastor Appreciation, or started it, though I am suspicious that it was the greeting card industry; or perhaps a very overlooked, overworked, under-appreciated pastor somewhere.
I thought I would give a few of my thoughts on the subject and perhaps I can speak for many pastors, to many church members everywhere. The office of pastor is one that, in our modern day, has in many places lost its place of respect. Often times, sadly, it is because of the conduct of a few men who have fallen morally, abused the office of Pastor or who truly were wolves in sheep’s clothing. More often than not, however, it is the result of a fallen, sinful world that men who hold this office are suddenly looked down upon and not up to. It is more of a sign of the times than anything else. Ingratitude is one of the marks of how men and women will be before the Lord’s return, or as the Scripture says “in the last days.” (See II Timothy 3:2) Sadly, this is not typical just in the world outside of church, but typical of the attitude and actions inside the church.
What most all pastors know, and most church members do not know, is this: Every pastor knows what it is to be hated by someone or often times, many people in the church. They know the sting of idle gossip, the pain or words spoken in anger, to have their families maligned, their motives questioned, and their ministry criticized. Here is the sad reality of the life of most pastors according to recent surveys:
- 1,500 Pastors leave the ministry permanently each month in America.
- 80% of Pastors and 85% of their wives feel discouraged in their roles.
- 70% of Pastors do not have a close friend, confidant, or mentor.
- Over 50% of Pastors are so discouraged they would leave the ministry if they could but have no other way of making a living.
- Over 50% of Pastors wives feel that their husbands entering ministry was the most destructive thing to ever happen to their families.
-71% of Pastors stated they were burned out, and they battle depression beyond fatigue on weekly basis and even daily.
-1 out of every 10 ministers will actually retire as a minister.
The church has neglected to understand the greatest tool of a healthy church is having a pastor with a healthy soul.
Discouragement and disillusionment are epidemic among everyone I know in ministry at some time in their lives. There is cynicism and critical spirits that have been developed in many great pastors’ families, because of the ingratitude they are faced with in their ministry. All pastors know that there is a honeymoon period in their church. But should not a proper marriage between pastor and congregation grow in love, appreciation and gratitude through the years, and not diminish?
Being a pastor is the only job that I know that most people have a skewed view of the pastor’s job assignment. There can be an enormous amount of tension between a pastor and church when there exists a differing view of what it means to be a pastor. Why would we have a differing view – do we not read from the same Bible? The problems occur when different factors shape our thinking of our view of the pastor’s role. The same factors that influence our world-view on everything else, shape our view of what a pastor is and does. We are shaped by personal experience, culture, traditions, upbringing, personal preferences, personal expectations, and countless other factors.
Now realizing that we are shaped in our mental view of a pastor by all these factors, should we not make it our objective to discover the biblical portrait of a pastor? When we find that biblical portrait of a pastor, should we not also begin to allow the Scriptures to shape our thinking and adjust our opinions, lest Satan gain a stronghold in our life where we have disappointment with our pastor? The thing that causes the most carnage in church work is this issue of church members being disappointed in their expectations of their pastor.
The Pastor is not a Professional
E.M. Bounds said, “The preacher is not a professional man; his ministry is not a profession; it is a divine institution, a divine devotion.”
The aims of a pastor’s ministry are eternal and spiritual; they are not shared by any of the professions. The world sets the agenda for the professional man; God sets the agenda for the spiritual man. Any profession can become spiritual, but God’s calling cannot become professional. The pastor that does not understand this is set for destruction.
The Pastor is called by God not hired by man
II Corinthians 10:13
I am serving in my church because God called me here and placed me here. I am not here to fill the gap until someone else better can be found. I am here because my God has assigned me this place, to exercise my office as pastor. I am to lead and feed as a shepherd, the sheep are to follow.
The Pastor has a mission not a job
Matthew 28:19
Our mission is to win the world to Christ. Our vision is to be beyond the four walls of the church and to the ends of the earth. We are to make disciples and to equip the saints. That is an enormous job considering that in most churches today, at least 65% of the membership could not be found or tracked with the latest GPS and satellite equipment on any given Sunday. When they periodically return, they ask “why isn’t our church growing, pastor”?
The average church member today is more like a cat than a sheep. And have you ever tried to herd cats? In our modern day, throw away, disposable world, relationships are treated the same way. People leave the church over any myriad of excuses that usually end up in someway as the Pastor’s fault.
Because of modern technology like cell phones and social media, today’s pastor is more on call than ever before; expected to be accessible at all hours, and available to be everywhere at once, to be all things to all people at all time. They are to recognize everyone’s birthdays and anniversaries, make the birth of every baby born, attend every out-patient surgery, give half of all his weekends to performing weddings and the other half to helping those who don’t want to be married any more. Then, in his spare time give himself to prayer and the Word of God to bring to his people on Sunday. No wonder there are so many warmed-over sermons in so many churches.
No pastor walking worthy of his office and most high calling is doing what he is doing for recognition, praise and honor, or for money. A God-called pastor who surrendered to the will of God in his life, and was called by the church to be its pastor, knows full well what Jesus had to say. “I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” John 17:14 Jesus was despised and rejected among men and who are we (as pastors) to think it will be any different in our ministry, if we are truly doing His will? I think the real problem lies in this fact, our churches are so worldly in actions and attitudes that more often than any of us would like to think, it is not the world outside the church pastors are struggling with, but the world inside the church that is causing the pain.
The truth of the matter is simply this, if you have a God-called pastor in the pulpit of your church, as a church member, you need to thank God for him daily in prayer, and thank him personally as often as you can. His family needs your love and support. Give honor to whom honor is due. Don’t worry about doing too much for him and his family, because it should be done as unto the Lord. However, perhaps a church should be concerned when there is not a spirit to do anything or what is worse, how little can we do for the pastor and it be acceptable.
Thousands of church members each week in America get up from the spiritual table that was set before them. They dined on the prepared Word of God from their pastor. They wipe their mouths, walk out of church with a full soul and never thanked the pastor for the meal.
Appreciate God’s Man this month and thank the Lord for him.
