Honor and Pray

We can pray that our pastors and church leaders are strengthened to teach God's Word and model His character in the Church.  We live in an age where the Church needs to be vibrant and strong - the 
apostle Paul wrote to Timothy in 2nd Timothy 4, saying:
1 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom:
2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;
4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.

That passage could have been written today, couldn't it?  This is a great indicator of the relevancy of the Scriptures, and there is a special call on our pastors and those called to spiritual leadership to provide direction for the body of Christ.  We can lift up our shepherds in prayer, calling on God to give them a special boldness for these times.  And, all of us can be determined to be faithful to God's Word and to His service.

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The apostle Paul writes to Timothy in 1st Timothy chapter 5 about the way we should regard those who 
serve in spiritual leadership over us:
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."

We are approaching the midway point of the month of October, which is Pastor and Staff Appreciation Month. While it is important to be praying for and affirming pastors, their families, and church staff members throughout the year, this is a great reminder to take clear and meaningful action to show honor to those who serve in leadership in your church.

One of the most powerful actions you can take - on a consistent basis - is to pray.  At the Baptist Press website, Ray Van Neste, dean of the School of Theology & Missions at Union University, has written an insightful peace about praying for your pastor.

With COVID-19 continuing to affect communities, the operation of churches, and the operation of worship, church leaders are facing particular struggles, and have been for months. Van Neste writes:

How do you continue to provide worship and preaching when you cannot meet together? How do you do that with a limited budget for technology or in places where internet connection is spotty or unavailable? How do you help people stay in contact? How do you care for shut-ins or the sick when you are not allowed to visit them or fear your visit might bring them harm? How and when do you restart services, Sunday School, nursery and other functions? With what restrictions, procedures or requirements?

I remember a chart that was circulating on Twitter that showed the many pressures and questions that church leaders were facing regarding COVID and their response, including the timing of re-opening. That whole issue of re-opening has been a sticking point, a source of conflict, for many pastors; as the university dean writes:

...many (perhaps most) pastors say they have people in their church mad at them either for being too cautious in re-opening services or for moving too quickly in re-opening. Often, the same pastor has people mad at him from both sides. We all know you can’t please everyone with the temperature in the sanctuary, so we sure can’t please everyone when figuring out how best to navigate these new waters. Then, for whatever reason – perhaps because many of us just aren’t at our best in these times – some people feel free to unload on their pastors in graceless ways over these disagreements.

Van Neste reminds congregation members to pray for their pastors, stating:

Pray for your pastor and let him know you are praying. You cherish his prayers in your difficulties, and he will appreciate yours. One of Paul’s regular requests of the churches was, “Brothers, pray for us” (1 Thessalonians 5:19) or “I appeal to you, brothers, … to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf” (Romans 15:30; see also 2 Corinthians 1:11 and 2 Thessalonians 3:1).

You may say, “Well, our pastor is no apostle Paul!” That just means he needs even more prayer.

Good point - none of us has arrived, and we all need to be humble before God, don't we?

So, during this Pastor and Staff Appreciation Month, we can empathize with the unique challenges that our church leaders are facing.  They are navigating the waters of COVID-19, determining how to respond to racial tensions that we see and seeking to respond Biblically, and even desiring to speak (hopefully) to issues surrounding the upcoming election.  Of course, there is the regular proclamation of the Word and caring for the congregation.  We need to pray for wisdom for those in leadership, that they would lead well and adhere to Biblical truth.

In this season of challenge, we need our pastors to be strong and even to challenge us to think Biblically, to respond with Godly wisdom, and to be devoted to Godly principles. And, we need words of encouragement - so that we may know that God is with us and that we can grow in faith through interaction with His Word.