Respecting our Pastor

         “Never trust anyone over thirty.”  This, the motto of a generation, seems to express a characteristic of modern society.  We don’t like people in authority over us.  In the “good old days” we would straighten up when our mothers would warn us to wait until our Father came home.  The President was respected simply because he held the office, and the Pastor was a symbol of stability and morality in the community.

         Things have changed.  Certain Presidents have dishonored the office by their actions, fathers are often absent, and even our clergy have participated in abuses that sadden the heart of God.  As a result, we no longer respect someone simply because of the office he holds.  We demand that each person earn our respect and we withhold it until he has proven himself worthy. 

         While this shift holds people somewhat accountable, it also adds additional burden to the shoulders of our already over burdened clergy.  Most are good men and women who work long hours for pay that is hardly commensurate with their education and experience.  They give up family time and evening hours to attend meetings and events many of us would and do opt out of.  In addition, they now must prove themselves before they are afforded respect.  Focus on the Family stated, “More than 500,000 serve as pastors in the United States, according to a Barna survey. Other national surveys indicate that ministers are possibly the most frustrated and neglected professional group in the country. Forty percent of surveyed pastors express a desire to leave the pastorate. Out of 1,400 ministers questioned, fewer than 20 percent report receiving any kind of annual recognition. H.B. London Jr. says, ‘We have found that most members of the clergy feel isolated, insecure and only rarely affirmed.’”  

Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. I Thess. 5:12-13

        

Paul tells us to esteem those who labor among us highly because of their work.  He doesn’t tell us to agree with every word that comes out of their mouths, or to look for perfection in the way they conduct business.  He tells us to appreciate them and to treat them with respect.  He also gives us a clue into how to do that.  “Live at peace with one another.”  How much easier could a pastor’s job be if each of his congregants lived by this one rule!

         Give your pastor a lift today.  Be an encouragement in his life.  Write him a note telling him how much you appreciate his hard work.  Call him and mention that you were thinking about a point in Sunday’s sermon.  Even if you don’t agree with him, he will be pleased and amazed that someone listened and thought about what he said beyond Sunday morning.  Appreciate your pastor.  Remember how hard he works tending God’s flock.  Pray for him.  He, like the rest of us, needs encouragement and recognition of a job well done.