1. Take your relationship
with God seriously. What encourages your pastor the most is when
they see you living out the gospel and putting into practice
Godly precepts.
2. Tell your pastor when you find the sermon encouraging,
insightful or challenging. Most pastors are a little insecure
about their sermons. If your self esteem is running a little low
it takes five positive comments to counteract one negative.
3. Look for ways to honor and thank them publicly. (Individuals
will also pick up that this is not a negative gossiping
church.)
4. Tell their spouse, colleague in ministry or close friend that
you appreciate their gifts and ministry. The positive feedback
will reach them indirectly.
5. Realize that your Pastor doesn't have every ministry gift.
As a part of the body of Christ share your gifts for the building
up of the congregation.
6. Get excited about their vision for your church. Make sure any
criticism is truly constructive.
7. Respect your Pastor's Sabbath day of rest.
8. Look for ways to bless his/ her family.
9. Don't overlook small blessings. A member of our
congregation used to bring me a cup of Tim Horton's coffee
Sunday morning. When bragging to other pastors I would always use
this as an example of how well the congregation treated me!
10. Make sure your Pastor has adequate financial
compensation.
11. Encourage your Pastor to take a Sabbatical or some type of
study leave. Start a "education fund" that the Pastor
can access.
12. Offer a cottage, boat, or motor home for your pastor to
enjoy.
13. Be sensitive when talking about the "good ol' days
when Pastor so and so was here."
14. On social occasions avoid discussing difficult church issues
with your pastor.
15. If you hear someone
criticizing the pastor ask them if they have spoken to them
directly. (See Tim 5:19, Matt. 5:23-24, Matt. 18:15ff)
16. From time to time ask: "How are you doing?" Be
genuinely interested in your the well being of your pastor.
17. Appreciate that your pastor works for more than three hours
on Sunday. During the week they may be involved in Weddings,
Funerals, counseling, planning meetings, problem solving,
visiting the sick in hospitals, planning sermons, and a host of
administrative tasks.
18. Ask your pastor what jobs they find most challenging and time
consuming. Offer to help out in some way.
19. Church Board: Consider setting aside money that can be used
by church staff for confidential counseling. A pastor or church
staff member may not want denominational officials to know about
an issue they are struggling with. Find a way set up this kind of
confidential support.
20. If you are aware of something that is being overlooked at
church consider that God may be asking you to be part of the
solution.
21. (Stay tuned for more ideas - If you have some ideas to
pass on please go to the Feedback
Page)
Enjoy this short video! The one on
the
right is one of my all time favourites. Soooo true!
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