Satisfied

The Church, the body of Christ, is a tapestry of believers who possess different gifts and personalities; and we recognize those who are empowered and placed in positions of leadership.
Ephesians 4 states:
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ...

There are certain calls for people to step up and lead - to follow the Lord and to provide a strong example to members of the congregation.  We are all placed into the body of Christ for a certain function, and our leaders help us to see who God is, what He would want to do in our lives, and to determine our own individual calling and area of service.  As we make those determination, we find that we become one with one another.

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God desires for the body of Christ, the Church, to function at a high level, bringing honor to His name and reflecting the growth of the people.  Our spiritual leaders play a key role in that.  Romans
12 states:
4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function,
5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.

It is Pastor and Staff Appreciation Month, and I want to provide inspiration for you as you seek to affirm and appreciate those who serve in spiritual leadership in your Church; certainly the senior pastor, but also others who are called to serve by leading.

A recent release from the Barna Group examines the attitudes of pastors and provides some insight into their mindset.  The survey summary leads off by saying:

Pastoral ministry certainly has its peaks and valleys, but overall, most pastors are very satisfied with their vocation and feel energized and supported in their work. They particularly love preaching and teaching—a task most feel they are good at—but are regularly frustrated with the lack of commitment among their parishioners. In partnership with Pepperdine University, Barna conducted a major study—The State of Pastors—of how Protestant senior pastors in the U.S. navigate life and leadership in an age of complexity.

Facts and Trends, referencing that Barna survey, stated:

Overall, 72 percent of senior pastors say they are very satisfied with being a pastor. Only 28 percent say they are less satisfied.

Pastors were more split on their satisfaction at their current church: 53 percent very satisfied, 47 percent less satisfied.

It also added:

Most pastors, however, are in the ministry for the long haul. A 2015 LifeWay Research survey found that despite the challenges they face, less than 1 percent of pastors leave the ministry each year.

The Barna summary also indicated that two-thirds of pastors said the component they liked most about their job was "preaching and teaching," with "developing other leaders," finishing a distant second at 10%.  And, just under 6-in-10 rated themselves as excellent at preaching and teaching.  Just under 1-out-of-3 felt they were excellent at connecting with the community and leading the organization.

What is frustrating pastors, according to this survey:

35% indicated that "Lack of commitment among lay people" frustrated them, with 27% expressing frustration with "Low spiritual maturity among churchgoers."  With results just below 20%, you have church finances and church politics.

I can certainly understand the frustration; maybe you've been placed in a position of leadership and are trying to lead, but people may not be following, at least in the way you think they should.  This can be demoralizing for the person in that position.  I would imagine that pastors and other church leaders might experience those emotions, and we in the pews, sort of speak, can help.

We can actually contribute to their level of satisfaction.  Our level of involvement to the church can help; but we do that primarily because we love the Lord and want to obey Him, not to please the pastor.  But, our devotion to spiritual growth pleases God and contributes to the overall health of the body.  So that's how that works...

We can also seek to determine our purpose for being part of the body of Christ as a whole and our individual church body, as well.  We can demonstrate a willingness to learn and to grow in Christ, and God will produce fruit through our lives.  We can look to our pastors to help in that regard, and be sure to affirm them for their role in our spiritual development.

We can also lower our expectations for our spiritual leaders.  Pastors, especially in small to medium-sized churches, are expected to do so much.  From proclamation to administration to visitation, the skill set required is quite broad.  And, volunteers can play a key role in the operation of the church.  So, we can recognize that a pastor can't do it all; I would say that the primary call for many is preaching and teaching.

In this survey, pastors expressed concern over what is termed "church politics."  Because you have a group of flawed individuals, even though bound by the common bond of faith in Christ, there will be times of disagreement and even disharmony.  Each of us can take the call very seriously to build unity within the church.