Have You Hugged Your Pastor Today?

Having served as a pastor for more than forty years I know a little about the trials and tribulations, the struggles and stresses, the pains and problems pastors experience in the course of their ministries. I have a great affinity for pastors, and I love pastors.

Traveling across the state for almost two years and preaching in a goodly number of our churches has given me an incredible love for the God-called men who stand in our pulpits and faithfully proclaim the unsearchable riches of Christ Sunday by Sunday.

Pastors are human and have their faults and idiosyncrasies, but most are faithful men of God who earnestly strive to honor the Lord in their work and witness.

The apostle Paul declares that pastors are God's gift to the church and in the book of Revelation the pastor is referred to as the angel of the church.

I recently returned from a preaching mission in Utah and one associational missionary told me that 6 out of 7 churches in one association would soon be without a pastor. If you are fortunate enough to have a pastor let me share with you ten suggestions about how to treat him.

Love your pastor. Remember he is the only member of your church without a pastor. Bless him with words of encouragement and letters or emails of affirmation. Invite him and his family into your home for a meal. When a pastor knows that he is appreciated he will work even harder to meet the needs of the flock of God.

Pray for your pastor. Ask God to give him the wisdom of Solomon, the compassion of Barnabas, the leadership ability of Nehemiah and the preaching power of Paul. Ask God to grant him a healthy Kingdom family and joy in the building of a healthy Kingdom church. Support your pastor. Be faithful in your attendance, sacrificial and systematic in your giving, available for service and positive in your attitude about him and his ministry. Say "amen" when the pastor drives home a poignant truth in his sermons. Your vocal encouragement of his sermons will challenge him to preach with greater vim, vigor and vitality.

Promote your pastor. Talk him up. The pastor should be the most frequently discussed man in the community. Introduce him to your friends. Speak well of him in the marketplace.

Recommend your pastor. Suggest your pastor as a fitting speaker for civic club events, school functions, community gatherings, corporate meetings, revivals, etc.

Recognize the demands on your pastor's time. Small churches can be as demanding as larger ones. Sometimes the pastor who does not have a staff to assist him in ministry can be as burdened with responsibilities as the pastor of a megachurch.

Preparing messages, visiting the sick, counseling, performing weddings, conducting funerals, mobilizing volunteers for service, planning and implementing the church calendar, personal quiet time and a myriad of other responsibilities can sometimes consume all the hours of the day and require the faithful pastor to burn the midnight oil.

Pay your pastor a livable wage. The Bible says the servant of God is worthy of double honor. Failing to pay your pastor a suitable wage will cause him to feel unappreciated and require him to be preoccupied with financial concerns. Help him to become financially free so that he can concentrate his time and energy on matters that are spiritually productive.

See that your pastor has the help he needs. Some pastors labor without the aid of needed commentaries, study helps, computers, office supplies as well as travel allowances and convention and conference expenses. Offer to drive him to out of town engagements or to ministry assignments where a traveling companion would be welcome.

Help the pastor protect his time with his family. See that he takes a reasonable amount of time off to be with his family and that he has a sufficient amount of vacation time. Give him at least a week for study leave each year the purpose of praying and planning.

Recognize him on special days such as the yearly anniversary of his coming to the church, his birthday, etc. Each year October is set aside as pastor appreciation month. Find a way to make that month significant in the life of the pastor and in the life of the church. Appoint a committee to plan for a meaningful "Pastor Appreciation Sunday" in the month of October.

God's Word urges us to support our pastors. In I Thessalonians 5:12-13 the Bible says, "And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour 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. And be at peace among yourselves."