Pastors need your care. They aren't above it, no matter what they may think.
Even as pastors are to care for their congregations, so elders and members of the church should care for their pastors. Pastors need your care–no matter how old, seasoned, gifted, or confident. Today, we will suggest a few ways members of the congregation can care for their pastors. Tomorrow, we will look at a few suggestions for how elders can intentionally care for their pastors.
How members of the congregation can care for their Pastors:
- Hunger to hear the Word of God preached
- Invite your pastor and his family over for dinner (everyone assumes they receive a lot of invitations, but in many cases they don't)
- Pray for him regularly–that he would faithfully preach the Word, seek the Lord, delight more in the Lord, and have a love for the people he is blessed to minister to
- Refrain from Monday morning emails, unless they are an encouragement. Mondays are hard days for many pastors.
- Be willing to graciously challenge him if his teaching or preaching was in error
- Respect his day off. Most pastors work long days and many evenings. They need a good day off.
- Don't expect him to come to everything. Your pastor still loves you even if he doesn't make your child's ballet performance, son's honor society banquet, or even your mom's funeral.
- Send an encouragement card every once in a while
- As tempting as it may be, don't compare your pastor to "celebrity pastors"–Be thankful for him and his labor in your midst.
- Babysit his kids for an evening, so he and his wife can go out on a date
- Insist that the church provide a good salary and benefits for him–be generous.
- If you have a new ministry idea, don't propose it unless you are willing to do the hard work of setting it up and serving to see its vision realized
- Refrain from telling him what you disliked about the sermon as you shake his hand on the way out of the sanctuary
- Speak well of him to others in the congregation
- Have no expectations regarding his wife and her service in the church beyond those you have for any other woman in the church
- Be especially kind to his children
- Understand that your pastor will not be gifted in every area of ministry and be content with that
- Be teachable
- Often remind yourself that he has a lot of different sheep under his care
- Give him the benefit of the doubt regarding decisions, leadership, vision, etc.
- Don't ride your hobby horse too much and too often
- The greatest care you can provide for your pastor is to pursue Christ with all that you are and serve the church with an uncommon zeal and humility
Please suggest in the comments further ways that you have found helpful in caring for pastors. The list should be long.
http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2013/06/27/pastors-need-your-care-part-i/
