Merry Christmas, Pastor - Part 5

Gift #5 – The Gift of Helping

This final blog on gifts for the pastor is for those who want to give something that some might consider more ‘substantial’.

As was previously stated, Pastors are on call 24/7 and often, particularly in smaller churches, pastors are not paid enough, if they are paid at all.  I know many of my fellow pastors who have to work a second job and sometimes that job is their sole source of income.  This creates and considerable burden for those pastors as after working a 40+ hour/week job, they still have to put in 40+ hours/week preparing messages and doing the other duties of a pastor.   My family has been blessed in this area.  We are by no means wealthy, at least not financially, but our church does pay us enough to live on and we appreciate that.  However, if I may be so bold, I would like to speak for those other pastors who have greater financial needs than I.  Here are some gift ideas.

1.       Pay the pastor his due.   First and foremost, if the church has the funds, pay the pastor what you can.  Some people seem to have the attitude “Lord, if you’ll keep him humble, we’ll keep him poor.”  What a sad indication of the state of their spirits.  Pastors aren’t looking to get rich, they simply want to be able to feed, clothe and shelter their families.  If the church fails to pay the pastor a reasonable salary when they are able to do so, they are in violation of God’s Word.  1 Timothy 5:17-18 says, “Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially they who labor in the word and doctrine. For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The laborer is worthy of his reward.”  This clearly indicates that the pastor should be adequately compensated for his labors. 

 It serves no one to have a pastor whose family is hungry and destitute or to have a pastor who is so exhausted from laboring to support his family that he cannot do the labor necessary to support and grow the members of the church into greater spiritual maturity.  If the church can’t commit to support him, take periodic love offerings for him.  While these may not allow him to support his family without another job, it will help ease the burden and provide some encouragement for him as he will be able to see that the church does see and appreciate the work he is doing.  It isn’t about the money but money is a factor.

2.       Help the pastor with projects around the house.  Whether the pastor lives in a parsonage or he has his own home, there are always things that need to be fixed.   It is entirely possible that the pastor doesn’t have the expertise in plumbing, electrical, flooring, etc. to fix the things that are falling into disrepair around the house.  If these things need to be fixed, and they do, the pastor is left with 2 options, somehow find the money he needs to hire someone or try to do it himself when he has no time and/or no expertise in this area.  If he has no time, they only way he can do it is through sleep deprivation which is unhealthy.

 If he has no expertise in the area he risks making the problem worse or having the project which needs an immediate fix take weeks or even months to fix.  Either way, the stress he will feel will work against his effectiveness as a pastor and not only does he lose, but the church loses as well.

3.       Buy him a book, software, CD or DVD that will enhance his ministry.   Let me clarify this.  I don’t mean that you should buy him a book with the thought of “This will straighten him out.”  What I mean is find out what books, CDs, DVDs and software he has been wanting but unable to get and get it for him.   This shouldn’t be too difficult as you can discover this through a casual conversation or ask his family.

4.       Buy him a gift card to one of his favorite restaurants.   Pastors and their wives enjoy eating out just like most other people.  Sometimes it is not economically feasible and so a gift card is a good way to go.  Why not just give cash?   Because the cash will be used to pay other bills (and there are always other bills) and he as well as his wife need some alone time with each other and the opportunity to decompress in a fun way.

5.       Send him to a conference, convention or retreat.  Every year I go to Pigeon Forge, TN in March to attend the ReFRESH in the Smokes Conference put on by Sherwood Baptist Church.   While this conference may not be everyone’s cup of tea, I thoroughly enjoy it and though it is called a conference it has the feel of a retreat.  There are about 7 hours of worship and preaching each day for 3 days but the afternoons are free and I find myself being challenged, refreshed, strengthened and encouraged.  Like I said, it may not by your pastor’s cup of tea, but there are many good conferences, conventions and retreats that are available and even affordable.  My encouragement to you is to find one that is suitable for your pastor and pick up the cost of it for him and let the church help with it.

There are many other things I could go into when it comes to giving gifts to the pastor than what is contained in these blogs, but it is my hope and desire that this will help inspire you to care for your pastor in a way that is meaningful to him whether the idea is here or something that you came up with yourself.

Merry Christmas and God bless you!

Merry Christmas, Pastor - Part 4

Gift #4 – The Gift of Respect

Many will say, “I do respect my pastor!” but often pastors feel disrespected and even castigated.   The ‘joke’ is that Pastors have the easiest job in the world because they only work 1 day a week, one and a half if there is a mid-week service, but the reality is that pastors work hard and this is not a Monday – Friday 9-5 job.  The person who God has called to the office of Pastor is on call 24/7.  We try to take a day off each week, yes, just a day for many of us. but we get called upon during our days off and even, at times when we are on vacation hundreds or thousand miles away.   When we leave the office, the burden we carry doesn’t stay there like it does with many other jobs.  Why is this?  Because being a pastor is neither a job nor a career, it is a calling from God and God doesn’t call anyone to part-time service.  He didn’t call us for a job, he called us to be generals in a spiritual war which is fought at all times.

So, “How do people show disrespect and how can this be changed?” you might ask.  Here are some examples of disrespect and what can be done to correct them.

1.       Showing up late.  Your pastor is busy juggling a hundred balls and his time is valuable.  When you have scheduled a meeting with him, whether it is a private meeting, a committee meeting or one of the services of the church, show up on time.   When you are late it says three things 1) “You aren’t important”, 2) “Your time is of no value” and, 3) “You have nothing better to do anyways”.  If you consider when people show up late for the services of the church you can add “Your work you put into planning this service is meaningless” and, “You have nothing of value to teach me today” to those unspoken statements.

The disrespect is compounded when you consider that in disrespecting your past that you are also dishonoring God and calling His wisdom and provision into question since it is God who called the pastor and put him in that position of service and authority.

2.       Feeling the need to correct everything.  Some people feel the need to find some fault in everything.  “You misspelled this word”, “A better verse is…”, “Your grammar was wrong”, etc.  Pastors are willing to receive correction, particularly if there was a theological problem that was stated or implied, but finding fault in everything just for the sake of keeping him ‘humble’ is wrong, sinful, ungodly and just plain discouraging to him.  If the pastor used a double negative, let it go.  If there is a typo in the bulletin offer to help out by typing the bulleting for him or at least proof read it before it is printed.  Anyone can find problems, the godly response is to offer a solution and get involved with that solution.

3.       Being uncommitted!   We discussed this already in a previous blog, but it needs to be said again.  Be committed!  I weary of asking people if they can do something and having them not commit because something better might come up.  I guarantee that you will not lose out on anything by serving God and committing yourself to His work.  I used to love watching NFL Football but in the last few years, because of my ministry, I have seen, maybe, 3 games.  Do I miss it sometimes? Sure I do, particularly when the Steelers are in the play-offs, but then I realize that what I am doing for the Lord is far more important and I don’t feel deprived anymore.  God’s calling is greater than the NFL and I have come to realize that I don’t need the distraction.

Another way of demonstrating a lack of commitment is failing to make a specific appointment when meeting with the pastor.  I know we use the excuse that we don’t know what will happen, but being committed means that we make it a priority and will do everything in our power to keep that commitment, even if it means cutting something else short.  I long for a return to the days when a man’s word was his bond and he wasn’t afraid to say “I will do it.” or, “I will be there.”

4.       Failing to take advantage of the training opportunities that your pastor makes available.  This is personal to me, very personal.  Training is important and it is a priority for, if not all then certainly for, many pastors.  The problem today is with our hectic schedules in seems to be extremely difficult to find time for the one-on-one training or even group training.  One of the possible solutions I found is trying to utilize online training opportunities.  I subscribed to an online training service and invited about 20 members to join (no cost to them) and take advantage of training I set up for them.  It has been about 6 months now and not one person has taken advantage of it.  This is $40 a month out of my pocket and I don’t mind doing it, but now I realize that people don’t really care enough to even check it out and offer feedback.  It is disrespectful to discount the input of the man God has placed in your life to help guide you into Christian maturity.

5.       Spreading discontentment.  For some reason miserable people aren’t happy (if they ever are) if they aren’t spreading their misery around.  They don’t like something the pastor did or said and so instead of doing the godly, biblical thing of going to the pastor and talking about it, they go out and talk to other people about it.  This will often manufacture a problem that didn’t, and even still doesn’t, exist.  I am getting more and more convinced that Satan has begun profoundly seeding churches with goats, wolves in sheep clothing and all manner of nefarious disguises to distract and discourage not just the pastor but the church as well by sowing seeds of discontent.  This weakens the church, its testimony and distracts us from our mission of spreading the Gospel and discipling believers into a more mature faith.

If someone comes to you with a complaint about the pastor or the church, ask them, before they get another word out of their mouth, whether they have talked to the pastor yet.  If they have not, remind them that Jesus Christ, the Mighty God, the Savior of our souls, the Counselor, has expressly told us how we are to handle disputes in Matthew 18:15-17 and tell them to talk to the pastor.  If they choose to continue tell them to be quiet.  I f they still want to continue, walk away, and do as that passage says, get a witness ort two and talk to that person.  Don’t allow that person to pollute your heart and mind.  If every committed Christian would do that these revilers would leave the church and the church will be strengthened.

This is all for now.  Next time, perhaps later today, I will post a final blog about what to give your pastor if you really want to do something that you might consider “more substantial”.

Merry Christmas, Pastor - Part 3

Gift #3 – The Gift of Friendship

Everybody needs friends, but for some reason people don’t perceive that pastors have this same need.  No admittedly, some pastors have promoted this idea by separating themselves from their congregations and developing close friendship exclusively with other pastors, but it is important to note that this is found nowhere in Scripture.

Pastors need friends.  God made us to be social creatures.  He wants us to have fellowship with Him as well as other believers, specifically believers of the local church.  We see this in Acts 2:42, “And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”  We see no separation into classes of Christians.  Different offices? Yes! Different classes? No!  If you were told that you couldn’t develop friendships with people of different financial means simply because you make too much/too little money you would be offended and rightly so.  If you were told that someone couldn’t be friends with you because you are to low or high on the social ladder, again, you would be greatly offended.  Why, then, do we put that same expectation on pastors and keep them at arm’s length?  Pastors need fellowship within the church just as much as anyone else.

I am thankful for the group of men that I have the privilege to meet with every other week.  We hold each other accountable (yes, me too!) and encourage each other in the faith.  We share our problems and burdens.  It saddens me when I realize that not every pastor has that privilege.

What do I mean by friendship?  Here are four things that the Book of Proverbs says about friendship.

1.      Friendship is proven in the hard times.  It is easy to have friends when times are good.  During the good times we are popular, everyone is happy and life is good.   Who wouldn’t be a friend?  The reality is, however, that true friendship is only revealed in the midst of trials and adversity.  When times are rough and your life seems to be disintegrating, when people have risen up against you, it is at these times that you find out two things.  1) Who is my friend? And, 2) Am I a true friend?  Proverbs 17:17, “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”  A true friend is always there for you.  He always loves you and he won’t leave just because times are hard.

Pastors, all pastors, go through difficult times with their congregations.   It is those times when the pastor finds out whether or not he has any true friends.  All too often his “friends” and “supporters” sit on the sidelines while the jackals are trying to tear him to pieces.  Instead of getting into the fray to help and defend the pastor, as a friend would, they sit back and then after a brutal beating come with ‘words of comfort’ like “I’m with you pastor.” Or, “We support you pastor.” All the while, keeping silent and never lifting a finger as he is being assaulted.  If you would be a friend to your pastor, don’t let him stand alone.  Get in the fight and defend him.  The aid you give in the fight in defending him will do so much more that the first aid you give him after he has been emotionally and spiritually wounded.

2.      The ties of a true friend are stronger than family bonds.   Proverbs 18:24 says, “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.”  Too often people feel the need to defend family rather than truth when sin in practice and sinful attitudes are being dealt with.  When this happens the pastor is often confronted with not only having to deal with a particular person’s sin, but often finds himself abandoned by his ‘friend’ because they feel the need to be loyal to their family member.  What about loyalty to truth?  What happened to loyalty to God’s Word?  Why is the blood tie between blood relatives stronger that the sacred blood ties created by the blood of Jesus Christ?  If you would be a friend to your pastor stand by him when he is dealing with your family and their sin.

3.      A true friend will correct his friend, even when it is hard and may seem hurtful.  All too often friendships are dissolved because on dared correct his friend.  Interestingly enough, Proverbs 27:6 addresses this and reveals that with friendship must sometimes come pain.  It says, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.”   Pastors, like everyone else, need to be made aware of their blind spots.  We are not above correction and, in fact, must be open to legitimate correction.  I have seen where people have seen a blind spot in me and let it go to the point where it became a legitimate problem because they were afraid of hurting me.  Believe me when I tell you, finding out that they saw this and let me continue was FAR more painful than the actual correction was or would have been.

4.      A true friend will make you a better Christian, a better citizen and a better person.  Proverbs 27:17 tells us, “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.”  A friend will sharpen, or make better, the person to whom he is a friend.   Friends don’t let friends wallow in self-pity.  Friends don’t let friend sin with impunity.  Friends don’t let friends continue in weakness.  Friends don’t let friends believe a lie. Friends work with each other to lift each other up, to help each other through hard times.  Yes, they give us a shoulder to cry on when times are hard, but they are also there to tell us it is time to get over it and to move on.  They lift us and carry us if necessary, all the while, helping us grow stronger in body and in spirit.  They will challenge us to draw closer to God, to be more biblical in our thinking, even if it seems hurtful or mean.

Pastors need all of these things in a friend.  As a pastor, I need to know that it is OK for me to be Mike and not ‘Pastor Mike’ all of the time.  I need to be able to be open and vulnerable with some without the worry of it being held against me.  I need to know that there are people in the congregation who want me to succeed in God’s eyes, even if they don’t like the direction God is leading and support His will without attacking me.  I need to know that at least some people will correct me in love and not try to kick me out because I am human.  I believe that there are many other pastors out there that need this as well.

Merry Christmas Pastor! Part 2

Gift #2 – The Gift of Encouragement

The second gift to give your pastor is the gift of encouragement. How can you be an encouragement to your pastor? It is quite simple! NOTICE: I did not say easy.

1. As I discussed in my last blog post, SHOW UP for the services of the church. Be faithful. Be there when you don’t feel like it. Be there when someone has invited you to something “fun”. Be there when you don’t think the message is relevant to you.
Before I was a pastor, I always found that I seemed to get so much more out of the message on those days when I thought I had something better, more fun or more interesting to do but made the decision to be faithful to God and my church.

2. STOP complimenting the message and START applying it. I have to admit, I really enjoy having people come up to me after the service and tell me, “Great message.” Having said that, those words are hollow if there is never a change in their lives. I mean, how good can a person truly believe a message is if they never apply it to their lives? Do they mean “It really gave me a warm fuzzy feeling” or, do they mean “I’m really glad that you preached that so that _______ could hear it because he really needed it” or, do they mean “I’m comfortable with what you preached because you didn’t step on my toes.”?

I recently had one of the members come up to me after the AM service. Several people shook my hand and complimented the message but this lady came up, said nothing about this message and proceeded to tell me how my previous Sunday’s message had impacted he life that week and how she had applied it to a difficult situation. This was far more encouraging than a hundred compliments. Pastors don’t want to be great orators; we want to see lives changed through the ministry of the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.

3. Pray for him. We have trials and struggles just like everyone else. We experience crisis of faith. Just like everyone else we often struggle with balancing our duties to our congregation with the duties to our families. We carry a heavy burden of things that we often are not able to share with others because of the discretion expected from pastors. These things wear on us. Because of these factors, we covet your prayers. I am convinced that I would not have survived two years as a pastor without the prayers of faithful Christians.

4. Allow for failure. We certainly don’t want to allow for things like affairs and other moral failures that violate the qualifications of a pastor but we do need to allow for other types of failure that are part of the human experience.

All too often congregations buy into the myth that pastors are super-Christians who have already arrived. We aren’t super-Christians. We aren’t perfect and we will fail on occasion or perhaps even more often. Not all of our ideas are going to be home runs, some will, in fact, be strike-outs. We will sometimes say something that is hurtful without intending to be hurtful. We get tired and irritable just like anyone else. I’m not making excuses, just expressing reality. Too often when a pastor makes a mistake, makes an unfortunate turn of a phrase or even just fails to shake a hand or acknowledge someone at the local grocery store, the offended person decides that he is unsuitable to be their pastor and either leaves the congregation or seeks to have the pastor removed.

Let me say this, when I am shopping, I am not typically looking for someone with whom I can fellowship; I’m looking for what I am purchasing. If you are offended that I didn’t come up and say hi to you, why shouldn’t I be offended that you didn’t extend the same courtesy to me? Is it just my responsibility to be sociable and extend the right hand of fellowship to you but not your responsibility to do the same for me?
Am I not allowed to accidentally rearrange words? Should I be equally offended when you do the same? We need to stop harboring grudges and start working out our problems with each other in a biblical fashion, according to Matthew 18:15, “Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.” And Matthew 5:23-24, “Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.” Go to him and talk about it. Work it out biblically and the body will be strengthened.

When your pastor makes a mistake, lovingly point it out and give him the opportunity to make it right. He isn’t perfect and he knows it. But working through these issues with him, you will draw closer to each other and closer to God. You will show him that he is not alone, that he can be human and can show his weakness without worrying about losing his income.
It should be noted that while being a pastor is a source of income, most pastors aren’t in the ministry for the money. Instead we do it for the love of God and out of love of the congregation. That having been said, we still need to be concerned with providing for our families and worrying about losing our ‘jobs’ will only magnify every problem. Pastors should have the security of knowing that they won’t lose their income over every silly dispute that comes along.

5. Offer to help. It is one thing to come up with a ministry idea, it is entirely another to offer to help. Many people seem to think that the pastor has the responsibility of leading each and every ministry. This is unrealistic and ultimately self-defeating for the church. If the pastor takes on this type of responsibility he will burn out, become discouraged and possibly leave the ministry, leaving the church without someone to fill this vital role. But, if the pastor has someone who can take the leadership role for that ministry, he can devote time to developing that leader and others within the ministry.

One of a pastor’s greatest joys is being able to disciple other believers leaving a legacy behind that will strengthen the church and prepare it for the trials and tribulations that will come. This is part of the ministry that Paul modeled as he invested in the lives of Timothy, Titus and John Mark, developing these young men into vital leaders who could take his place when he was no longer able to lead. What a great encouragement it would be to see the church’s work force double and see people committing themselves to Christ, not only for salvation but also to living for His honor and glory in every area of their lives.

Merry Christmas, Pastor!

Here we are in the Christmas season and everyone seems to be busy running around like chickens with their heads cut off. We have parties to go to, special dinners to make, family and friends with whom we reunite, if only for a short time and so many presents to give. While it is true, as Jesus said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." We always seem to get stressed trying to buy that 'perfect' gift. We want to give, but we also want to ensure that the person receiving the gift will really appreciate and value it.

Most of us have felt the sting of having a gift that was given thoughtfully being unappreciated. This has resulted in one of the biggest fears of gift-giving, the fear of rejection. This fear is often magnified when we give gifts to people of influence in our lives, spouses, employers, supervisors, teachers, and pastors.

I can't speak for those other people, but I can address pastors. Have you ever wondered what to get a pastor for Christmas? Sure we like all the regular gifts we receive like gift cards, food baskets, cash, and the like. These are all greatly appreciated and needed as well. But there are some things that are more important to a pastor, things that are of greater value. So, if you want to know what to give your pastor this Christmas (this also works for birthdays, anniversaries, etc.) then peruse this list of ideas.
In the coming days leading up to Christmas I will be writing various articles on how you can bless your pastor this Christmas and in the coming years. These articles aren't necessarily in any particular order. It is my desire that these will help motivate the church to greater commitment to Christ, which is ultimately the best gift you can give your pastor.


Gift #1 - Commit to being faithful to the ministries of the church. There are three aspects to this gift.

Commitment - I don't use this word lightly. Commit to it. Make the decision to attend the service whenever you can. I know, and most pastors understand, that in this day and age it is difficult and sometimes even impossible to find a job that doesn't have you working at least some Sundays. That having been said, commit to being in church when you aren't at work. This kind of faithfulness needs to be decided in advance. Make that commitment now. Be a Daniel. Daniel 1:8 says, "But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself." He made the decision before he was confronted with the situation so when the pressure came to compromise he stood firm in spite of all of the peer pressure to give in. We should be as committed to God, and more so, than we are to our jobs. If you wouldn't let fatigue, discouragement, minor aches or a bad day keep you from working, you certainly shouldn't let it keep you from joining the body of Christ in worshiping the Savior who gave all for you.

Faithfulness - It should be noted that faithfulness isn't measured by how committed you are when times are good, rather, it is measured by how committed you are when times are hard. Anyone can be faithful to the church when they are feeling good about it, but when times are hard and you don't think that you are getting anything out of it, when you don't think that your presence matters, it is then that we see the true measure of your faithfulness. All too often we see people fall away from the church because life is perceived as bearing down too hard. It is at these times when we need to be in the fellowship of other believers, particularly those in the local church where Jesus Christ has called us to worship and fellowship. How else can we fulfill the commandment found in Galatians 6:2, "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." It is exactly in those hard times that we need to band together most. Here's a little realized secret: There is always someone in the church going through hard times. Even though you may not feel the need to fellowship and worship faithfully, someone else needs the encouragement that only you can provide. The church, the body of Christ is at its strongest when all of its members are present.

The Ministries of the Church - Why the ministries of the church? Why not minister through all of the other social programs out there? What do I mean by ministries?

Why the ministries of the church? Because this is where God has called you. There are many reasons why people attend different churches. They like the pastor. They have a ministry relevant to me. They are big (often this means I can hide and nobody will notice me). They are small (often this means I can get more attention). They have a ministry in which I can serve. While all of these, and others, can be valid reason why we attend a certain church, the only reason that matters is, "This is where God has called me." If God called you to this church, he has called you to be faithful to its ministries.

Why not minister through all of the other social programs out there? There is nothing wrong with being involved in many of the other charitable organizations out there but remember, God has called you to this church for a reason, and that reason isn't to keep a pew warm. He wants yo to serve a vital function in the body of Christ. Consider this, these other things you are doing for charitable organizations might be a way of indicating God's call on your life and ministry. Is working through these organizations opening doors for you to share the Gospel? If not, consider talking to your pastor about creating an outreach within the church based on your passion to serve. In this way you can continue to minister and also have greater freedom to share the Gospel. Over the years some formerly strong Christian organizations have compromised the Gospel or even stopped sharing it altogether in order to achieve a social goal. If this is the case with organizations you are helping consider changing your focus to serve God in a more effective way.

What do I mean by ministries? I mean the services of the church, the outreaches of the church, the fellowship of the believers and any other opportunities that are available in your church. Do you need to be involved in every ministry or outreach? Certainly not, nor is there a one size fits all ministry. Having said that, consider the importance of the worship services of the church, to yourself as well as to your pastor. I believe that Potluck Suppers and food fellowships have ways of revealing what our true priorities are. How many people have you seen that seldom darken the doors of the church but always show up for potlucks, food fellowships and other similar events. This clearly reveals our hedonistic tendencies. We show up for a perceived physical benefit, but choose to ignore anything that 'only' has a spiritual benefit, forgetting that the spiritual is of eternal value. This kind of attitude breaks the hearts of most pastors because it reveals the lukewarm carnal attitudes of these people. How do you change these attitudes? Get under the ministry of the Word of God through the services of the church and personal Bible study.Consider the importance of the worship services of the church, to yourself as well as to your pastor.

How does this affect the Pastor?

The labor of the pastor - Your pastor labors over each and every message he gives. Contrary to popular belief, these messages do not just 'pop out' without significant preparation. Pastors labor for hours over each message, researching, studying and, praying. These labors are not as physical as many jobs, but they are still physically, emotionally and spiritually exhausting. His labor is no less for 1 than it is for 100, but still his labor is for the Lord and those whom the Lord has placed in the flock for which he cares. It is disheartening to put 30+ hours into a service and have few people attend. Remember that the pastor is accountable to the Lord for all those He has placed under his authority as the shepherd of the flock. Hebrews 13:17, "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you." This is not a burden that is taken lightly, but it is carried because of the love of the pastor for the congregation. It is to your profit to honor the work and ministry of the pastor.

The discouragement of the pastor - One of the most discouraging aspects of being a pastor is seeing the unfaithfulness of many of the congregation. After spending hours preparing for each message, to have only 15-25% of the congregation show up for a Sunday evening or Wednesday evening service can be disheartening. I realize that often people don't show up for a Bible study or service because they are tired, but I can assure you that the pastor is tired as well. Sundays are the most exhausting day of the week for most pastors as they pour everything they have physically, emotionally and spiritually into the messages that God has directed them to give. How would you react if someone was complaining to you that the pastor didn't show up for an evening service for no good reason , even if you had no good reason for not being there either? Would you consider the pastor unfaithful? Derelict in his duties? Would you suggest that he be removed?

Each part of the body of Christ is of equal importance. They may not have the same function or the same prominence, but they are, in fact, of equal importance. Because of their equal importance they are all equally important to the ministries of the church.Consider what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 12:12-26, "12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. 14 For the body is not one member, but many. 15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? 16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? 18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. 19 And if they were all one member, where were the body? 20 But now are they many members, yet but one body. 21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. 22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: 23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. 24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked: 25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. 26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it." We cannot underestimate our importance to the body of Christ. We need each other and the faithfulness of the congregation is a vital factor in keeping your pastor encouraged.

Courageous - A Must See Movie!!!

It has been a few years since I posted. I apologize for that.  My last post was about the movie Fireproof so it is only fitting that I review (without spoilers) the movie Courageous.

My wife and I went to see a pastor and community leader's preview of the upcoming movie Courageous two weeks ago.  It was a long drive to Pittsburgh but it was worth it!

I don't want to give anything away so I will simply say that Courageous has become my all time favorite movie.  It is a heartwarming and somber tale of the importance of fatherhood and reveals at least a small piece of why our society has fallen to the depths it has.

You can really see the growth that Sherwood Baptist Church has achieved in every aspect of making movies.  The script is excellent as is the cinematography and acting.  I found myself wanting more and it is my hope that when this movie is released on DVD that they will give us a director's cut version that will include the scenes that were cut simply to fit the movie into the two hour maximum time that theaters prefer.

Often you hear in reviews, "I laughed and I cried" and this was never more true than in Courageous.  They expertly cut the tension of the drama and action with scenes of tenderness and humor.  The reality is, I was weeping through half of the movie as I was drawn into the story.  Not all of my crying was because of the drama, in at least one scene I was laughing so hard I was crying.

Not only was I entertained by a great story, but I was also stirred by the revelation of my own inadequacies as a father.   I realized that I need to improve greatly in the fatherhood that I am modeling for my sons and in how I demonstrate manhood to both my sons and daughters.

Courageous opens in theaters on Friday, September 30th and I want to encourage everyone who is reading this to go see it on opening weekend.  This will help increase the number of locations where it is showing and by extension, allow more people to see the movie.

As far as the PG-13 rating it received goes, this is an entirely arbitrary rating.   There is no foul language of any kind, no blood, no gore, minimal violence (a couple fights as police apprehend suspects and a bloodless shootout) and no sexuality.  I have seen PG movies that were FAR more graphic in all of those areas.

For other pastors and ministry leaders out there I want to exhort you to not only go see Courageous on opening weekend, but to encourage your churches and ministries to go see it on opening weekend as well.  I plan on making this a church activity on opening day.  I realize that this is probably considered very unorthodox, but it is worth it and I can do it with a clear conscience.

To see the trailer, other scenes or video of the production just click on the word Courageous wherever you see it in this blog.