Pastors are men raised and qualified by God (1 Tim 3:1-7) for the work of ministry. The authority that pastors have within the church begins and ends with the bible. God calls us to honor our pastors, especially those who work hard through the preaching and teaching of the word of God. They do hard work which requires dedication, but our pastors are also sheep that need to be encouraged, instructed, and edified for God’s glory. They follow Jesus, our Great Shepherd, along with us.
The well-being of your church will depend on the well-being of your pastors, and this is why I want to give you some suggestions on how to encourage your pastor.
1. Pray for them: It’s common to see people asking their pastor to pray for them, and it’s good for a pastor to keep a prayerful posture. Ask your pastor how you can pray for him, for his family, and for the message on Sunday. This will encourage him as he sees how God is putting people in place to intercede for him. It is a blessing for any of us to hear of people praying for us intentionally for specific things in our lives. Edify your pastor as you pray for them.
2. Encourage them: Pastors have public lives which makes them an easy target for criticism, even though criticisms are important to remind us that we are not perfect. Many times our pastors receive unjust criticisms that they carry with them. Look for specific ways or things that your pastor does well or parts of his preaching and encourage him for the things he does well. But be specific in your words of encouragement. Generalizations can give the impression that we are just being polite and not whole-hearted. Edify your pastor through your words of encouragement.
3. Serve them: Pastors serve the church through the teaching of the word of God and the daily task of giving personal care to each of the sheep that God has entrusted to them. Sometimes we do not appreciate the gift that they are to our churches, and this is why we ought to serve them in practical ways. We can have him and his family into our homes for dinner, or hang out with them to relax in such way that they feel appreciated. Edify your pastor as you serve them.
4. Volunteer to serve at church: Many times our pastors are doing a lot of things because there are not many people willing to volunteer to do simple tasks. Because of this, some pastors deny themselves of needed personal time including their studies and counseling. Volunteer to serve at your church. Your pastors will appreciate it but volunteer to do something you actually will do, and begin with something small. If you have a family, ask your pastor or think of some things that you can do together. It could be different things like greetings, bulletins, handing out information, nursery, etc. Edify your pastor as you volunteer to serve at church.
5. Support his decisions: It’s no surprise to see a congregation rebelling against their pastor when he is not interested in scratching the itching ears (2 Tim 4:3) of a carnal and immature congregation. If your pastor is being biblically faithful, then that is a reason for you to support his decisions and ministry projects for the local church. Do not rebel against him because he doesn’t do what you want but support your pastor because he does what God wants him to do. Edify your pastor when he makes biblical decisions for God’s Glory.
Pastors are called to instruct, guide, and care for the local church, which is the bride of Christ. The church ought to be beautiful in purity, holiness, obedience, unity, harmony and love. We can do this as we seek each other’s well-being as well of those who guide us to know Jesus deeply. Edify your pastor, he is also part of the church.
“Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith. Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.” - Hebrews 13:7,17
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