October is Pastor Appreciation Month. I found this out from one of my fellow classmates during our Wednesday evening Bible study. When it was turn for our pastor to take the podium he made a joke and said! Yes, this is “Pastor Appreciation Month!” Therefore I want to name a few members of our congregation who I feel a tremendous amount of gratitude towards for their love and support. He then proceeded to pour out his appreciation towards these members.
Wow! This is just like our Pastor to always be thinking of others! I am sure he knew that “Pastor Appreciation Month” is a month in which the congregation takes the time to show appreciation for their Pastors! However, he turned the whole thing around and commenced to show appreciation for members of the congregation.
Some of the Pastors ‘duties under the umbrella of “Shepherding the Flock”
Practical duties!
The Pastor’s primary duty is to feed the flock from the word of God.
1. At all times he must put his family’s needs first! 2. Answer an endless number of phone calls daily and even in the middle of the night! 3. Visit the sick and elderly on a regular basis 4. Prepare sermons for funerals 5. Perform weddings 6. Teach adult bible studies 7. Prepare weekly sermons
The Pastors duties as taught in the Bible
8. Over see all the duties of the church (Acts 20:28) 9. Share authority with others (1st Peter 5:1-3) 10. Shepherd the church (1st Peter 5:1-2) 11. Teach the word of God and pray (Acts 6:4 & 1st Timothy 5:17-19) 12. Resolve doctrinal Issues (Acts 16:6) 13. Be a Godly example for the church (1st Peter 5:1-2) 14. Pray for the sick (James 5:14)
He is only one man!
A pastor must keep in mind that he is not alone and like the Apostle Paul says in 1st Thessalonians 5:16-18 (New International Version) 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. To pray continually means to always be in the spirit of prayer and have the awareness that God is with you always!
Delegation
This is why the church elects elders and deacons! Also the congregation needs to take some of the burden off the pastor’s back. A pastor must keep in mind that it is not his responsibility to satisfy the needs of everyone who calls upon him, but, he is responsible for directing them to where they can get help. There are many times when he will direct them towards the Word of God so that they can work things out themselves.
Of course there is much more to be said about all the duties of being a pastor of a church, but, I will not elaborate at this time. I just want to remind everyone to pray for their pastor.
Here are a few suggestions for “Pastor Appreciation Month!”
1. Invite your Pastor and his family out to dinner or to your home for a home cooked meal. 2. Give your Pastor a gift card for his favorite restaurant or any other type of store that he frequents 3. Offer to baby sit one evening a week so that your Pastor and his wife can have a date night. 4. Offer to do some type of chore for your pastor or his wife. Mowing the lawn, shoveling snow, wash his car, etc. 5. Ask God to direct you towards some avenue in which you can be of help to your pastor and his family!
As we fellowship with our Lord in our daily walk with Him, and, grow in our knowledge of the Scriptures, God will open up new windows of opportunity in which we can not only help our pastor, but, the entire church body!