FIVE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT YOUR PASTOR

Pastors are often a point of discussion in many circles. It is interesting to hear the different opinions people have about pastors and what they should be doing. Whereas some of the things said are true and biblical, a number of opinions are unbiblical and unhealthy for ministry. So here are five things you should know about your pastor

      Your Pastor is not a sinless perfect Saint

As a matter of fact, you will not find a sinless human being this side of eternity. So, whereas pastors ought to be holy and be an example to the people they lead, remember they still struggle with sin and temptation the same way you do. Yes, it is true, pastors have to battle lust, worry, greed, lying, stealing, anger, etc. Paul says in Romans 7

“For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.  Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.  For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.  For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.”

          Your Pastor is not a “jack of all trades”

The analogy of the church being a body is very instructive. It means every part has a significant role to play for the body to be fully functional and healthy. However, there are people who take the church to be a like a bus, where you can sleep and leave the driver to take you to your destination. Invariably this has led people to come up with all kinds of responsibilities for the pastor. If we summed up everything the list would include among other things: a choir master, an electrician, a sound technician, a security guard, an accountant, a driver, a chief executive officer, a therapist, etc. The apostles asked for deacons so that they may give themselves to “the word and prayer” (Acts 6:1-2). There are things your pastor cannot do, and there are things he should not do for the sake of the health of the church.

        Your Pastor does not know everything in the Bible

This is a hard truth for pastors to admit, but the reality is we do not know everything in the Bible. A pastor should be “able to teach” and know what he is teaching, but there are a lot of things we do not know in the Bible, and it is okay not to know. It’s called being human!

        Your Pastor desperately needs your prayer and encouragement

The problem with thinking pastors are super saints is that you assume they do not need your prayers and encouragement. The ministry can be a lonely, frustrating and discouraging place, and it’s a blessing to the soul to know someone is praying for you and to hear someone offer words of encouragement.  Your pastor like every other Christian needs your prayers and encouragement.

        Your Pastor is not like the other Pastor

Your pastor is uniquely gifted by God and will never be like the pastor before or the pastor after him or the pastor down the road or the pastor in the next town. No two pastors are the same, and God designed it that way. So, do not compare your pastor to another man, do not demand that he preaches like another preacher; on the contrary, demand that he be faithful to his task. It is important that you learn to submit to the pastor you have and not the pastor you wish you had, just as in the same vain, pastors should pastor the people they have and not the ones they wish they had.