Chancy Gore offers ways to stay connected to your pastor for Pastor Appreciation month. Read more about appreciating pastors here.
Consider these wonderful words and verses as you ponder your responsibility in caring for your pastor, shepherd, and bishop: “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” (I Thessalonians 5:12–13). (See also I Timothy 5:17-19; Hebrews 13:7, 17.)
Biblical and Practical Ways to Help Your Pastor
How can we help? Here are a few helpful and biblical ways we can help our pastor.
- Pray for the pastor’s family daily. (See I Thessalonians 5:25.)
- Offer our pastors love, care, kindness, support, and finances.
- Remember, pastors are human. They need and bleed like the rest of us.
- Don’t tie our pastor’s hands or desire to control them.
- Ensure our pastor takes time for rest, nurture, nutrition, and family time to avoid burnout.
- Serve under and alongside of our pastor. No pastor can build a church and sustain revival and growth alone.
- Be faithful with our attendance and giving of time, talent, and treasures.
- Remember our pastor’s family during special times such as holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries.
- Ensure that our pastors and their families stay within the frequent touch, Word, and nurture of God both spiritually and physically by encouraging them to take vacations and to attend ministry conferences where they can be refreshed in their souls. Remember, we have a direct hand in the pastoral health of our pastors and their families.
- Do not have unrealistic expectations for them.
- Express our love, appreciation, and prayers for our pastors and their families. Ministry in today’s world is difficult. Pressures are high. Constant demands are deep. The burden is heavy. If you have a genuine shepherd leading you, never treat him like a hireling or a temporary babysitter of the flock. If you’ve ever wondered what your pastor’s role or job description in your life is, read I and II Timothy and Titus.
Stay connected to your pastor. While your pastor is not perfect, God’s hand rests on him. God will continue to lead, guide, and speak to him.
The key to our future is within our relationships with God, our pastor, and our church. Always protect these sacred relationships. We need them. Our family needs them. Others need them. They will follow us when we stand before God for eternity. For this Pastor Appreciation month, let him know you care.
Chancy Gore: Bishop | The Refuge Church of the Lake Cities | Wylie, Texas
Resources and Links
The Art of Pastoring: The Art of Pastoring is a collection of essays that reflect on the contours of pastoring a Pentecostal church in the twenty-first century. Written to honor Tim Dugas, all of the contributors to the collection have spent a period of time as a member of a church he has pastored. Geared toward young or aspiring pastors this book combines years of valuable experience with godly advice to create a tool that will greatly benefit young leaders.