Regardless, I wanted to take this time to remind my Christian brethren that there are still good local Pastors who are still holding on to that trustworthy calling. That good steward is right there at your local church; faithfully laboring for your soul every Sunday. Therefore, beware lest we get carried away with the Christian scandals until we under-appreciate the good leaders that are among us. Some of us even have the tendency to love Pastors on TV than we do the men who really know us, and care for our immediate spiritual needs. Have you noticed that there is a difference between a model woman you see on Instagram and your wife at home? The model looks great, everything is perfect and in place, while the housewife has all her faults exposed for all to scrutinize every day. However, the truth is that there is nothing to replace that wife in your life; she is that valuable. In the same way, some of our celebrity Pastors look so cool and super spiritual behind the Youtube screen; with perfect theology and eloquent speech. Yet the reality is that man does not even know your name, nor will you call him in any form of need because he is just not part of your life. The real person that is in charge of your spiritual wellbeing is your local pastor. Whose faults and imperfections you know, yet he is the very man that the good Lord has given to watch over your soul.
Beloved, let us support our local Pastors. I say this assuming that all of us are already regular members of our local churches. Because if you are not involved in any church whatsoever in your life, then be sure that you are outside the will of God. Look for a church, plug yourself in; submit under the leadership of that church and serve the Lord there. Then you will get to experience the struggles that your Pastors go through just to get that congregation going; how they need your cooperation, and your prayers at best.
I saw some statistics somewhere that say that 60% of Pastors quit every month. It is that grievous, more so after this Covid pandemic, that we have seen more churches close never to open again than at any other time in history. In fact, I am a victim of church shutdown. I know the painful experience of being without a church all of a sudden.
We have seen all the criticism and exposure of the bad pastors, yet we still wait to see the celebration of the good ones. Are you telling me that all of a sudden we don’t have any faithful Shepherds anymore? I don’t believe it! If you agree that they are still there then why are we not talking about them; why are we not lending our hand of support to these goodly servants?
How can I support my Pastor?
1.) Being there
Nothing is more encouraging to your church leadership than to see you there. The effort you take just to attend the church they lead means a lot to them. Which means those kind of members that are always on and off in their church attendance (as if church is just a part-time hobby for them), are actually doing more damage than good to the Pastor’s confidence. Just be there in church and your shepherd will feel revived.
2.) Obey him/cooperate
Sometimes we dishonor and discourage our leaders when we fail or even refuse to do the things they ask us to do. Therefore, next time you are asked to lead that prayer, or that program, in the name of heaven and earth just do it! Don’t make any excuses! It is understandable when you are afraid to carry out some tasks for various reasons, however, because you are a believer; for the sake of fellow believers and the glory of Christ, don’t refuse it. Check out Hebrew 13:17 whenever you have time.
3.) Be understanding of your Pastor’s weak points.
Here, I don’t mean sinful behaviour, but I mean that your pastor has many things that they need improvement on – just as we all do. Some of our leaders need to be more caring than they are. Some are too serious while some are too much jokes. Some are too talkative while some are too quiet. Some are too strict while others are too soft in the way they lead. Still there are others that are not Biblically knowledgeable as they should. All these are weak points that you as a congregate need to be aware of and be ready to understand; to love them regardless. Remember, God chose the weak of this world to shame the wise. In the end, that man is your Pastor; God put him there; respect that.
4.) Financial support
Again, I just want to clarify that giving money to the pastor so he could live a lavish lifestyle like a worldly celebrity is not biblical and is a burden to the members. However, there is a Biblical way of supporting your minister. Especially when you see that he is indeed committed to his calling for the salvation of sinners and the sanctification of believers. Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.” (1 Tim 6:17-19). Actually, it’s not wrong for a Pastor to be fully supported by the church fulltime if he has chosen to dedicate his life to fulltime ministry service without a side hustle.
My writing is towards the end. My heart’s desire is that each of us would do our best to encourage those men who lead our churches where we fellowship; to do all we can to lighten the ministry load on them as much as possible. Before our Lord, we would rather be guilty of other things than be guilty of not supporting those faithful servants who have contributed much to our faith in so many ways. I should also encourage that we pray for these men, and I don’t mean that we just say that we will pray for them while in reality, we don’t bother at all. I mean we really take the time to mention them in our prayers. That is all I had for you until we meet again on the other side, blessings.
Sinothi Ncube
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