Good Morning,
Have a great Sunday
God bless
Corinne and Jan
~~~~~~~~~~
October is clergy appreciation month, and the second Sunday in particular is clergy appreciation day. Have you clearly shown your appreciation to your pastor lately? Not many people are aware of all that goes into being a minister or the effect that service has on the clergy and their families. My husband is a retired pastor, so I have an inside view. Many people make assumptions that are not true. In spite of these misconceptions God continues to love us and use us. Here are some falsehoods that some might believe:
"It doesn't take much to become a minister." While in some church bodies a person can simply be "called" without the education, that is often not the case. In our Lutheran church it takes 8 years of college and seminary education including courses in doctrine, ethics, history, learning Greek and Hebrew in order to go back and read the original texts, etc. Their preparation during seminary also includes a year of vicarage, a supervised assignment to a church anywhere in the U.S. It takes a lot of time and hard work to become a pastor in our church.
"They only work on Sundays." In some churches the minister is only part time at the church and must have a secular job to support themselves. That pastor has double duty all week, as members may have needs at any time even when not during their church work hours. For many other pastors the ministry is their full time job. Members often don't understand why it takes full time hours to do the job. They only see the minister working for about an hour or two on the weekend. They do not realize that the pastor has office hours for counseling, meetings, talking with members with questions and concerns, etc. There are also preparations for Bible studies/classes, board and committee meetings to attend, writing for newsletters, phone contacts to make, and sermons to prepare. The longer my husband spent on preparation, often over 15 hours per week, the more concise and clear he could be when preaching. Then there are "calls" to make in person, visiting shut-ins at their homes, sick people in hospitals or other facilities, delinquent members, and evangelism contacts. There are also evening meetings or activities in many churches. Pastors often work well over 40 hours per week and are always on call, 24 hours/day, 7 days/week. This can all be very stressful for the pastors and their families. It is important for the pastor to take care of their own physical, spiritual and mental health and to take care of their own family, which also takes a time commitment. Otherwise the pastor will not be able to serve others well. With a healthy balance, congregational support, and God's help, it can still be a joy to serve the Lord.
"They work for me so I can tell them how to do their job." Ministers actually work for the Big Guy upstairs and sometimes have to do things that are unpopular with some members. They can never please everyone. Some members want a young pastor, others want one with many years of experience, while still others unrealistically want both in one person! Some people want a sermon that sounds like a conversation, others want it to be fire and brimstone; some want topical sermons, others want it to be like a Bible study. When individual expectations aren't met, some people get upset and demand the pastor do it their way. Even if your hands or your ancestor's hands literally built the church building, it is not your church, nor is it the pastor's church - it is God's church. The pastor has the difficult job of doing God's work to the best of his ability with all kinds of different expectations from the members.
"Evangelism is the minister's job." When people outside of the church are approached by a minister, they often assume it is just their job to say those things. But when a friend, neighbor or family member says the same thing to them, it carries much more weight. Each and every one of us is called to share the Gospel with others - not just the pastor of the church. When the congregation in general feels it's the pastor's job to evangelize outsiders, and members are at the church to be served, not to serve others, it becomes a social club and will eventually die. The pastor's job is to equip the members to be able to share the Good News.
"Successful ministry means the church is growing; if it's not growing there is something wrong!" Actually, God calls us to be faithful servants, not success stories in terms of numbers. Sometimes that even means the church will temporarily shrink as things transition, only to become stronger, more focused and grow again. As long as we remain faithful to God's teachings, He well use us for his glory. Hopefully you have a good understanding of what your ministers do in your churches, and this will expand your understanding of what the job might entail. May you show your appreciation in whatever way you feel fitting today and every day, and also thank God for his servant in your midst. Paul's message to Philemon and prayers for him are a great example for us:
Philemon 1:4-7 (NIV) I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus. I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord's people.
Today's Devotional was written by Jan Andersen. The title is, "PASTOR APPRECIATION" She writes about clergy appreciation day and some of the misconceptions about pastors. Jan wrote, "Hopefully you have a good understanding of what your ministers do in your churches, and this will expand your understanding of what the job might entail. May you show your appreciation in whatever way you feel fitting today and every day, and also thank God for his servant in your midst."
Have a great Sunday
God bless
Corinne and Jan
~~~~~~~~~~
Sunday Devotional
"PASTOR APPRECIATION"
written by
Jan Andersen
October is clergy appreciation month, and the second Sunday in particular is clergy appreciation day. Have you clearly shown your appreciation to your pastor lately? Not many people are aware of all that goes into being a minister or the effect that service has on the clergy and their families. My husband is a retired pastor, so I have an inside view. Many people make assumptions that are not true. In spite of these misconceptions God continues to love us and use us. Here are some falsehoods that some might believe:
"It doesn't take much to become a minister." While in some church bodies a person can simply be "called" without the education, that is often not the case. In our Lutheran church it takes 8 years of college and seminary education including courses in doctrine, ethics, history, learning Greek and Hebrew in order to go back and read the original texts, etc. Their preparation during seminary also includes a year of vicarage, a supervised assignment to a church anywhere in the U.S. It takes a lot of time and hard work to become a pastor in our church.
"They only work on Sundays." In some churches the minister is only part time at the church and must have a secular job to support themselves. That pastor has double duty all week, as members may have needs at any time even when not during their church work hours. For many other pastors the ministry is their full time job. Members often don't understand why it takes full time hours to do the job. They only see the minister working for about an hour or two on the weekend. They do not realize that the pastor has office hours for counseling, meetings, talking with members with questions and concerns, etc. There are also preparations for Bible studies/classes, board and committee meetings to attend, writing for newsletters, phone contacts to make, and sermons to prepare. The longer my husband spent on preparation, often over 15 hours per week, the more concise and clear he could be when preaching. Then there are "calls" to make in person, visiting shut-ins at their homes, sick people in hospitals or other facilities, delinquent members, and evangelism contacts. There are also evening meetings or activities in many churches. Pastors often work well over 40 hours per week and are always on call, 24 hours/day, 7 days/week. This can all be very stressful for the pastors and their families. It is important for the pastor to take care of their own physical, spiritual and mental health and to take care of their own family, which also takes a time commitment. Otherwise the pastor will not be able to serve others well. With a healthy balance, congregational support, and God's help, it can still be a joy to serve the Lord.
"They work for me so I can tell them how to do their job." Ministers actually work for the Big Guy upstairs and sometimes have to do things that are unpopular with some members. They can never please everyone. Some members want a young pastor, others want one with many years of experience, while still others unrealistically want both in one person! Some people want a sermon that sounds like a conversation, others want it to be fire and brimstone; some want topical sermons, others want it to be like a Bible study. When individual expectations aren't met, some people get upset and demand the pastor do it their way. Even if your hands or your ancestor's hands literally built the church building, it is not your church, nor is it the pastor's church - it is God's church. The pastor has the difficult job of doing God's work to the best of his ability with all kinds of different expectations from the members.
"Evangelism is the minister's job." When people outside of the church are approached by a minister, they often assume it is just their job to say those things. But when a friend, neighbor or family member says the same thing to them, it carries much more weight. Each and every one of us is called to share the Gospel with others - not just the pastor of the church. When the congregation in general feels it's the pastor's job to evangelize outsiders, and members are at the church to be served, not to serve others, it becomes a social club and will eventually die. The pastor's job is to equip the members to be able to share the Good News.
"Successful ministry means the church is growing; if it's not growing there is something wrong!" Actually, God calls us to be faithful servants, not success stories in terms of numbers. Sometimes that even means the church will temporarily shrink as things transition, only to become stronger, more focused and grow again. As long as we remain faithful to God's teachings, He well use us for his glory. Hopefully you have a good understanding of what your ministers do in your churches, and this will expand your understanding of what the job might entail. May you show your appreciation in whatever way you feel fitting today and every day, and also thank God for his servant in your midst. Paul's message to Philemon and prayers for him are a great example for us:
Philemon 1:4-7 (NIV) I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus. I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord's people.
The following is a link to an article, "27 Ways to Bless Your Pastor During Pastor Appreciation Month" by Mark Dance:
http://www.markdance.net/blog/27-ways-to-bless-your-pastor-in-october
Pastor's Song
sung by
Donna Jackson
~~~~~~~~~~
As always we are praying
for our readers by
Women's Focus Ministries
~~~~~~~~~~~~
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