Who Ministers to the Minister?
For thirteen years, I traveled about the country conducting evangelistic meetings and Bible conferences in churches. I spent a lot of time with pastors. I have personally served as pastor in three churches for at least twenty years. I am currently the president of the Los Angeles Minister’s Council for American Baptist Churches USA. From being a pastor and rubbing shoulders with hundreds of pastors for decades, I have learned something about pastors, namely, being a pastor is a discouraging job.
The sources of the discouragement are many. People do not respond, as they ought. People do not keep the promises they make. People get offended over things they should not. There is never enough money to do what needs to be done. There is more work than week; the job is never done.
People in the church often don’t tell the pastor what is going on, until there is a problem. While that is not the total picture, this much is: most don’t talk to the pastor until there is a problem. From the pastor’s point of view, there is bad news, bad news, bad news, bad news, and every once in a while, a little bit of good news. After a while it gets to pastors, especially if they care about people and most pastors I know do.
Then, there is the reality that will not change. People treat pastors like they do their dentist. Most do not brush their teeth three times a day or they do not floss. They do not go see their dentist for regular check ups. Oh, no, they wait until they get a toothache. With pastors, people don’t come for counsel until there is an abscess! When it comes to counseling, pastors are like doctors who work in ER.
Who minister’s to the minister? Again, there are many sources, but one of them should be YOU. Yes, you the “lowly layman” should minister to your pastor. That is what the Bible teaches. Paul told the Romans, “For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established; that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me” (Rom. 1:11-12). Paul the Apostle taught that believers could and should “encourage” him.
There are numerous ways for you to minister to your minister. One major way is to tell him how he has ministered to you. Don’t just tell him that it was a good sermon or that he is a good speaker. Get specific about how what he said changed your life. Nothing encourages me more that to know someone has trusted Christ or has grown as a result of the ministry of the Word.
So, remember. When you go to church next Sunday. You are not there just to be ministered to; you are there to minister (Mk. 10:45) and one of the individuals that you are to minister to, is your pastor. In fact, according to the writer to the Hebrews, all of us are to be encouraging each other daily (Heb. 10:25).
© G. Michael Cocoris, 9/23/2002
The sources of the discouragement are many. People do not respond, as they ought. People do not keep the promises they make. People get offended over things they should not. There is never enough money to do what needs to be done. There is more work than week; the job is never done.
People in the church often don’t tell the pastor what is going on, until there is a problem. While that is not the total picture, this much is: most don’t talk to the pastor until there is a problem. From the pastor’s point of view, there is bad news, bad news, bad news, bad news, and every once in a while, a little bit of good news. After a while it gets to pastors, especially if they care about people and most pastors I know do.
Then, there is the reality that will not change. People treat pastors like they do their dentist. Most do not brush their teeth three times a day or they do not floss. They do not go see their dentist for regular check ups. Oh, no, they wait until they get a toothache. With pastors, people don’t come for counsel until there is an abscess! When it comes to counseling, pastors are like doctors who work in ER.
Who minister’s to the minister? Again, there are many sources, but one of them should be YOU. Yes, you the “lowly layman” should minister to your pastor. That is what the Bible teaches. Paul told the Romans, “For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established; that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me” (Rom. 1:11-12). Paul the Apostle taught that believers could and should “encourage” him.
There are numerous ways for you to minister to your minister. One major way is to tell him how he has ministered to you. Don’t just tell him that it was a good sermon or that he is a good speaker. Get specific about how what he said changed your life. Nothing encourages me more that to know someone has trusted Christ or has grown as a result of the ministry of the Word.
So, remember. When you go to church next Sunday. You are not there just to be ministered to; you are there to minister (Mk. 10:45) and one of the individuals that you are to minister to, is your pastor. In fact, according to the writer to the Hebrews, all of us are to be encouraging each other daily (Heb. 10:25).
© G. Michael Cocoris, 9/23/2002