Affirming the Shepherds

In Hebrews chapter 13, there is an exhortation to follow the instruction of those who have been
placed in spiritual authority over us. We can read:
17 Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.
18 Pray for us; for we are confident that we have a good conscience, in all things desiring to live honorably.

So, our pastors and church leaders are called to serve with joy.  And, I think we play a role in keeping them encouraged.  In the midst of the challenges they face, the congregation can continue to build them up.  We have a chance, with Pastor and Staff Appreciation Month coming up in October, to think of ways we can provide that encouragement and to comprise a flock whom they are deeply proud and motivated to serve and lead.

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The Scriptures teach us to honor well those who are in spiritual leadership over us.  1st Timothy 5
says:
17 Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine.
18 For the Scripture says, "You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain," and, "The laborer is worthy of his wages."
19 Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses.

We are preparing to celebrate Pastor and Staff Appreciation Month, which gives us the opportunity to honor the servant-leaders in our churches who serve in spiritual leadership and who play a key role in the function of the church and the empowering of the membership to do ministry.  We can be reminded afresh and anew that it is a good thing to show appreciation and give affirmation to people who serve generally, as well as specifically to those church leaders.

You know, there is survey data out there that paints a picture of the pastorate as a discouraged and disliked lot.  Ed Stetzer, who teams up with John Stonestreet for Breakpoint This Week and used to do research for a living at LifeWay Research, wrote a piece for Christianity Today not quite two years ago about statistics concerning beleaguered pastors.  Here's what he said:

The most common stat batted around is 1,500 pastors leave the ministry every month. Recently, I think someone must have decided that number needed updating, so they added an extra 200 and now you hear 1,700 pastors. If you Google it, the claim is everywhere.

The problem is that we cannot find any research that validates those numbers, and the research we do have doesn’t come close to that. The Wesleyan church has done an internal study and LifeWay Research has done some research as well. When extrapolated to the whole of the pastor population, neither approaches 1,500 pastors leaving each month.

He cites a round of statistics from the Francis Schaeffer Institute from a conference held in California over a decade ago which does indicate some trouble, but as Stetzer points out, the survey was not representative and the event could have been targeting troubled ministers.

But, he writes about "other stats" that they say "''backed up' their stats. citing Barna, Focus, and Fuller." But, he said, "None of the ministries cited, however, have these stats numbers. I spoke to both Barna Group and Focus on the Family about their inclusion. Furthermore, I can't find any reference at Fuller."  Now, there is a notation at the Schaeffer site that the data is old.  According to a followup article at Christianity Today, Stetzer even heard from the founder of Pastor Apprecation Day that became Clergy Appreciation Month.  His name is Jerry Frear.

He is quoted as saying:

...my study from 1992 is 23 years old. I would certainly hope there would be changes after more than 20 years of “pastor appreciation” and the spotlight that was shone on the ministry.

Focus on the Family finally did a division of pastoral ministry care following the study. Now, a lot of denominations have someone at the district level responsible for pastoral care. With all of this going on, I would hope that the numbers were better.

He adds:

Over the course of the last two decades, things have changed. The ministry has become a better place to be and people are much more aware of what’s going on with their pastoral leadership and their needs.

 Back to that other Christianity Today piece from Stetzer.  He writes:

The truth of the matter is a vast majority of pastors love their job and don’t think it is harming their family. For example, nearly 8 in 10 pastors (79%) disagree with the statement, "Being in ministry has had a negative effect on my family." A majority (58%) strongly disagree! Most feel privileged to be in the ministry—an overwhelming number, actually.

That number - 93%, according to LifeWay Research.

Takeaways for us today:

#1 - as Ed Stetzer points out, based on that survey from LifeWay, pastors "recognize the challenges that exist in their job, but they love the ministry and aren’t leaving it in droves."  I think that as congregation members, we can remember that yes, there are challenges, and that encouragement can make a difference.

Also, we can guard against being preconditioned to think that somehow our pastors or staff members do not love their job.  If we don't think they're "all in," then that could affect the congregation's enthusiasm.

We can also remember, that as Ed says, "facts are our friends."  The bloated numbers that serve to paint a bleak picture of the ministry don't do the church any favors.  And, generally, when we share information, we have to make sure that it's accurate.

We can rejoice with our pastors and their families - certainly they endure a lot, and are very special people who are following a very special call.  I don't think they would necessarily want or need our sympathy, but, as the Scripture teaches, they are worthy of great honor - you could say, based on the Bible, "double honor."  They're speaking for God, they are a target for the enemy, and they need our prayers and support.