Pastor Appreciation Month, It's Not An Easy Job, Let Them Know You Care

October is Pastor Appreciation Month so if you have a pastor, be sure and let him know you appreciate him.

While you're at it let his whole family know what they mean to you.

No one knows how hard it is to pastor until you do it.

I remember when I used to think they worked only on Sunday.

They work more hours than you will ever know.

They have someone on their heart all the time.

They teach and train.

They  love, encourage and rebuke.

People will come to the church because they preach there, and people will leave the church because they preach there.

Sometimes they call and check on an absent member and the member is touched and feels cared about.

Sometimes they call and the member may feel like they are being hounded.

Sometimes he won't call for fear they will feel hounded and then they are mad and say no one cares.

He knows more about the congregation than he even knows what to do with.

He can never tell what he knows so he carries it with him.

He stands there and listens when one member is upset at another member.

He listens when someone has an idea that isn't biblical but sounds good and he has to try to lovingly steer them the right way.

He is supposed to have all of the answers to all of the questions.

Pastors get to be there for happy things, things like weddings, births and baptisms but the truth is more often than not they are called in for the hard times.

Deaths, marriage problems, parenting problems, financial issues, church disputes.

So it's easy for he and his family to get discouraged.

He and his family often feel alone, because afterall, no one wants to invite the preacher to their party.

Everyone's sorrow becomes his sorrow, their illness becomes his illness.

Being a pastor is a lot like being a basketball coach, when you come in everyone is for you, you are going to change things, you are going to turn things around, you can do no wrong.

Then the new wears off.

Often times the man who was thought to be so right, now seems so wrong.

Don't let that happen.

Do you even have any idea how many ministers leave the ministry each month?

It's estimated to be between 1500 and 1700 each month.

The pain is to great.

The tradition in the church, or the family in the church, or the we've always done it this way in the church, or the don't rock the boat in the church becomes to heavy.

Don't gossip about your minister.

Hold him up.

Pray for him, his job is hard and he is often in a very fragile place.

Pray for his wife.

People will praise her husband and they will criticize her husband and she has to act like a lady thought it all.

She listens to things others would never listen to and she holds her tongue because first and foremost she wants to honor God and protect his church.

So if it's so hard why does he stay?

Because for many, they can't quit.

It burns in their heart like a fire and even though they get discouraged and broken and want to quit, they can't.

They have to get up and tell the old, old story one more time.

So even if you are not that crazy about your minister, even if you think he steps on your toes, even if he can't remember the name of your daughter, have mercy on him.

Have grace for him.

He has a hard job.

Let him know you have his back and you appreciate all he does.

You know how as a parent if your child gives
you a compliment or lets you know something he appreciates about you you feel like you can go for months on that one kind thing they said?

Well it's the same with the pastor.

Help him keep going.

Let him know what you appreciate, get specific, tell him what you appreciate.

You  might just save a ministry.