There was a time when it was easier to pastor a church than it is today. There was a time when churches running 1,000 on Sunday were considered mega. There was a time when churches took what they had in the way of pastoral leadership and pretty much went with it without a lot of complaints.
Those days are no more. It’s a different world we live in.
People demand strengths and excellence and results from their leaders. They look for power in the pulpit and skills in relationships. They want degrees and winsomeness and it wouldn’t hurt if you looked sharp either.
They want good sermons and effective leadership from a pastor who has earned their respect and whom they like.
Just don’t bother them too much in accomplishing this.
Poor preacher. Someone ought to encourage him. Lord knows there are enough forces out there threatening to disarm and disable him.
Today, let’s encourage him. Let’s “give him heart,” as the word “encourage” actually means. Here are three thoughts on that subject…
1. First, let’s pray for the pastor.
“Father, take notice of this one You called into your work. See what he’s up against. He wants to please You more than anything, yet he knows if he displeases enough of the congregation, he’s out of a job and loses the opportunity to make a difference for Thy sake.
“Lift up his heart, O Lord. Encourage him. Give him a strong backbone, a gentle heart, a sharp mind, and deep sleep when he lies down at night.
“Give him a wise and loving wife, one who knows when to rub his back and when to administer a sharp elbow or a gentle kick. Give him faithful children who will be an emotional comfort, a delightful diversion, and the source of terrific sermon illustrations.
“Give him a heart for Thee and a love for Thy people. In Jesus’ name.”
Question for our readers: when we began with “let’s encourage him,” did you expect a list of ways to accomplish that? Buy him a book, send him to the Holy Land, write him a note, give him a raise?
Nothing wrong with those. Everything right with them.
But they do not touch him in the deepest place, that spot variously called his “inner sanctum” and his control center. His heart of hearts.
God alone has the key to that room. He alone can enter and fill it and do the work that needs doing there. That may require healing or cleansing, complete renovation or just a touchup. The pastor may need victory over a habit or the strength to start a new one.
God knows. So, let’s ask Him.
2. So, let’s pray for the pastor some more.
“Lord, I do not know what my particular pastor needs most of all from me. I suppose I know what he needs from his wife and children: for them to love and support him and be happy in their own right. And it’s fairly clear what he needs from the ministerial staff and the deacons: to do their jobs well and be faithful. But what does he need from me?
“It almost goes without saying he wants me to be a healthy, faithful disciple of Jesus Christ. I hope I’m that already, or well on the way. He needs me to be low-maintenance, too. He has so many members, he cannot afford to devote too much time and energy to one.
“So, I’ll pray for him.
“I’ll pray every time I think of him. And when I’m with others in the church, I’ll encourage them to pray for him.
“I’ll try not to pray manipulative prayers. Like, ‘Help him do what we want him to’ or “Lord, send the pastor to visit Sister Helen.’ That kind of foolishness just dumps more expectations on him and adds more worry lines to his face.
“And even though I know it’s a generality that often hides what we ought to be praying, Father, I’m going to ask You to bless my pastor. In the ways that You alone know of, in places You alone can touch.”
“Bless him with joy in his relationship with Thee, deep satisfaction in his relationship with his wife and family, excitement in his relationship with the staff and church leadership, and wisdom in his relationship with the members of the congregation and the demands of his job.”
Prayer is the greatest gift I can give anyone, particularly God’s servant. It’s a gift of faith…
– Prayer is the most faith-filled activity a believer ever does.
– Prayer requires faith because we never see the One we are addressing. Faith prays to the Father in Heaven.
– Prayer requires faith because we rarely will see the results we are requesting. Faith asks and expects.
– Prayer requires faith because if we do not know to what extent God is answering, the easiest thing to do is to quit asking. Faith keeps at it. It prays without ceasing.
– Prayer requires faith because it goes against our natural tendency to do everything ourselves. Faith admits its need, humbles its heart, and calls on Heaven for reinforcements.
3. What’s more, I don’t think I’ll even tell the pastor I’m praying for him.
Something inside me says I should let him know that I’ve gotten serious about praying for him. But even that can be a form of manipulation. The minister walks away wondering if I’m expecting something in return for this or if I’m using prayer to get my way.
Something inside us insists that prayer itself is not enough, that the pastor needs to know I’m praying for him or it won’t be effective. How very foolish.
How counterproductive. How un-faith-filled.
If prayer really does touch Heaven, if God really does want to touch and bless and empower this one I’m lifting to Him with my intercessions, then to pray for him is enough.
I can pray and thereafter leave it with the Lord.
We’ve all seen beginners get excited over some new project and beat up on those who don’t share their enthusiasm. Perhaps it’s best to keep my prayers for the pastor private. At least for a time.
The Lord knows, and He sees. Surely, that’s enough.
And when my pastor’s ministry is going great, when he’s doing a great job and enjoying life, I will thank the Lord for answering my prayers.
When the pastor is growing and making a lasting difference in people’s lives, I’ll believe God is hearing my prayers and will thank Him.
When the pastor’s family is doing well, I will rejoice and give thanks.
And if the Lord takes my pastor from us and moves him to a place of even greater opportunity and challenge, even though that hurts, I will recognize that the Father in Heaven knows best. I will give thanks for His blessings upon this one’s ministry.
But what if my pastor does not seem to do well? What if he falters and stumbles? What if he even leaves the ministry over something in his life?
I will look to the Father and trust Him. After all, the Lord alone knows what is inside the man. Not everyone in every pulpit was called into this work and not everyone calling himself “pastor” has a right to shepherd the Lord’s flock.
I will pray and then I will trust the Lord to do what He decides is best.
“Father, bless my pastor with the touch of Heaven. Whatever he needs most of all today, I claim for him in Jesus’ name, by Jesus’ blood, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.”
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Joe McKeever has been a disciple of Jesus Christ more than 65 years, been preaching the gospel more than 55 years, and has been writing and cartooning for Christian publications more than 45 years. He blogs at www.joemckeever.com.