Encouragement at Church: Supporting Your Pastor

Many people often ask a pastor to give of himself and his time without offering to give of themselves. Pastors are also often expected to have super-human capabilities. This creates a distressful situation for a pastor. On one hand they are expected to be perfect and give everything they have in their life to the ministry and on the other hand they are clearly human with limited capabilities. There is good news. You can be a source of encouragement and friendship to your pastor. (The pastoral role is often very lonely.) Here are some ways that you can uplift your pastor in his role.

Offer Encouragement
The most important way to uplift your pastor is to be encouraging. Give your pastor words of encouragement. Most people offer their pastor encouragement such as "good job", "nice sermon" etc. However, very few people take the time to write a letter with detailed encouragement. Unfortunately the reverse is true, many people detail their complaints to the pastor with very specific reasons they are upset and very specific ways they believe their pastor should "improve", but very few people detail the specific ways a sermon has encouraged them or the pastor's counseling was beneficial to them. When you offer encouragement, be specific. Believe it or not, a pastor hears more detailed criticism than anything else. This constant criticism tears down his ministry and his effectiveness. Be detailed in your encouragement and cautious about approaching your pastor with a complaint. If you are an encourager, there is a chance your pastor will hear your suggestion. Please realize that complaints run rampant throughout the church. This makes it hard for a pastor to hear them and for a pastor to remain positive. Please offer encouragement more than complaint.

Recognize His Humanity
Recognize he is human. Every pastor is human and has limited capabilities. If your pastor didn't come and see you in the hospital, perhaps he is overrun with many other tasks and burdens. God did not intend a pastor to be the church for the church. Did another brother or sister come and visit you in the hospital? If so, they are working as the church and Christ's body. If not, perhaps you can go visit someone who is sick or in the hospital next time they are ill. This will help the pastor by encouraging the church. The pastor does not have enough time in the day to do everything everyone expects of him. He must rely on God to direct him towards the most important priorities. This does not devalue you worth in anyway. It is simply to say; perhaps making all the hospital visits is not HIS job. This risk should be done by fellow members in the church. We can all minister to one another and pray for the sick.

Pray for Your Pastor
Pray for your pastor. If you have a specific complaint, pray about it. I would recommend praying about a complaint (and praying for your pastor during this time) for four weeks. If your complaint does not resolve itself within four weeks, then go to your pastor.

Talk to Your Pastor
Approach your pastor directly about your concern; do not hide behind other people. It gives a person a complex if they feel that other people are talking behind their backs. Before coming with your pastor and approach him head on about the concern. If you can't do that, then perhaps it is just gossip and not a legitimate concern.

Learn about Your Pastor
Take the time to learn about your pastor as a person. Every pastor likes to share with the members of their congregation who they are. Members tend to see the pastor as "The Pastor" rather than someone with normal interests and hobbies. You can learn about your pastor by asking questions or inviting him over for dinner. If your dinner request is turned down, realize that the life of a pastor is busy and lonely. Try again! If you keep asking, your pastor will appreciate it! After you have asked a dozen times, he might take you up on it. Everyone likes it when someone takes an interest in becoming their friend.