pursuing a life of significance

A few days ago I posted Blunt Observations And Bold Questions From Francis Chan.  This was simply a series of quotes that I had written down over the past few years as I have had the privilege of hearing Francis speak at conferences I have attended.  In the comment section Nolan Bobbitt left the following reply:

I wonder how many pastors have had the exact same thoughts as Francis, but choose not to share them because they are scared they would lose their jobs? The sad reality is that many of them would lose their jobs. I praise God that Chan matches his walk with his talk and does both with boldness and courage. May we follow his example, regardless of what it may cost us!

A few days later I came across some articles that I had saved for later use.  Among them was a one caption cartoon.  The scene was a new pastor talking to what appeared to be one of his board members.  The caption below read, “Our former pastor delivered hard hitting truths and challenged us to apply the gospel to our everyday lives.  That’s also why he’s our former pastor.”

Then a few days after that I was doing some online reading and came across a New York Times article that stated, “The findings have surfaced with ominous regularity over the last few years, and with little notice: Members of the clergy now suffer from obesity, hypertension and depression at rates higher than most Americans. In the last decade, their use of antidepressants has risen, while their life expectancy has fallen. Many would change jobs if they could.”  I would encourage each of you to follow the link and read the whole story.

Being a pastor is one of the most demanding roles on the face of the planet.  I want to encourage you today to support your pastor in any way that you can.  Here are a few suggestions that will tremendously help.

1. Encourage your church to give your pastor adequate vacation time during the course of the year.  Do not look to other corporate models to scale his vacation.  His work is like no other.  Regular time off each year away from his/her day to day responsibilities is a must if your church wants a healthy pastor.  Be sure that someone else is covering emergencies while he/she is gone.  They do not need to be called back during this time.
2. Encourage your church to give your pastor two days off during the regular work week.  And then demand that he take them.
3. Encourage your church to allow a sabbatical every three to five years.  During this time your pastor should receive a full salary and not be docked any of his vacation time.  Have the pastor submit a plan of spiritual renewal for his time away from the church that includes personal and family time.  I recommend a period of four to eight weeks.  The church should also put a plan in place to help maintain things for the pastor if he travels during his sabbatical.  (i.e. mowing the lawn, arranging a dog sitter, watching the children, etc…)
4. Treat every month as Pastor Appreciation Month.  This is usually recognized in October, but your pastor needs encouragement all year round.  You do not have to give extravagant gifts.  Small gestures mean a lot.  However, if you have the means to bless your pastor with a great gift (a weekend away, a day on the golf course, family dinner at a nice restaurant, bookshelves for his home office, etc…) then bless away.  Remember, you can never out give God.
5. Pray for your pastor daily.  Pray for his/her family, pray for strength and endurance, pray for holiness, pray for faithfulness to the scriptures as he preaches, pray, pray, pray.  This very well might be the most important thing you can do for your pastor.  If you bear the burden of lifting his name before God, you will be more likely to respond to God’s voice when it comes to your pastor or your church and you will be more likely to meet his/her needs as they arise.
6. Contribute to the work of the church.  There will never be enough people to do everything that needs to be done.  But one more  servant will make a huge impact.  Volunteer and be flexible.
7. Defend your pastor when he is persecuted from within the church.  The Bible is very clear on how to handle conflict and none of us should ever let someone publicly or privately attack or slander the pastor.  It not only hurts him, but the entire church.  These individuals need to be corrected and if they refuse, then removed from the flock.
8. Send your pastor personal notes of encouragement regularly.  Use email, text messaging, facebook, cards, letters, etc… to let him know how much you appreciate a sermon, a visit, his kind words, etc…  You cannot do this enough.

There are many other things that you could do for your pastor.  All it would take is about 15 minutes to make a list and get started.  However, If you and your church would do the few things in this article, I believe you would have a new pastor.  Not a different one, but a new man/woman.

What other things would you add to this list?

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