Depending on your denomination or church network will depend on what you call them. Priest, Pastor or their personal name who has responsibility for leading the church.
I haven’t ever lived in a time when the role of the ‘pastor’ is under such scrutiny and perhaps rightly so.
In drawing his letter to a close Paul looks at the church and gives his encouragements, firstly to the Pastors and then to the members of the church.
“Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you.” (1 Thessalonians 5 v 12)
What does your Pastor do all day? Have you ever thought about it?
- They work hard.
They are probably doing all or some of this: Prayer, studying and preparing messages, visiting generally, visiting the sick in homes, hospitals and hospices, planning events for the church, sharing the gospel, looking after the church building, keeping a check on the church finances, training of leaders, group meetings from elders to alpha, representing the church in the community (schools work, community events, meeting other ministers of various churches), focusing on missions, thinking of what goes into the church bulletin, national and regional responsibilities and probably lots more. On top of this your Pastor may also be bi-vocational! Depending on the size of the church, where it is and the Pastor’s gifts and abilities will determine if some or all of these functions are done. You might be able to think of even more!
- They care for you.
People are not a commodity to be used as a statistic; or to feed ego; they are people incredibly loved by the Pastor. They know that though they strive to be a good preacher, though they desire to excel in the charismatic gifts and though they pray for more fruit in their evangelistic endeavours, the greatest and most important ability is that of caring for people. They are concerned that people don’t suffer harm in this journey of life. They have the heart of Christ which of course we all should have but more so in the Pastor.
- They admonish you.
Not many like being told they are wrong. We are not wired to correction. Some ignore. Some raise their voices louder than the voice that is correcting. And some lash out.
What drove Bonhoeffer to return to Germany to try and topple Hitler’s extermination of the Jews? It was this famous quote (in the Cost of Discipleship) he gave: “If I sit next to a madman as he drives a car into a group of innocent bystanders, I can’t, as a Christian, simply wait for the catastrophe, then comfort the wounded and bury the dead. I must try to wrestle the steering wheel out of the hands of the driver.”
It is a difficult aspect of the role; to admonish. They are God’s people not the Pastor’s people, so they must not be abused spiritually or manipulated for gain. It is God’s church, not the Pastors church, they are the body of Christ not just a group of people so they must not be disrespected or hurt. He bought them with His blood not the Pastors blood. They are of high value to Him, they are precious and treasured so Pastors must handle with care and not make them bleed for He has already bled for them. And yet it is the role of the Pastor to correct where correction is needed.
Work hard, care and admonish, that is the role of the Pastor/leader of the Church. It isn’t easy. Paul says acknowledge them. Honour them. Respect them.
Recently, a Pastor who gives everything into the church God has appointed her to, told me of 2 ladies who left the church. But they did it in style! They arrived just before the service was to start and handed a whole list of reasons why the church would not grow under the Pastor’s leadership. They then walked out only after one of them handed her offering to the Pastor!
If you have to leave Church then at least do it with respect of the office that God has given to work hard for you, care for you and admonish you.
This is what the Pastor does and they need to be honoured as they serve you by serving Christ.
Missions Paul 