Keep updated! Join the Jesus Cafe mailing list. Your Email Address : subscribe unsubscribe		What Pastors Wish Their Congregations Knew About the Ministry By WMomTCC, June 2000 Web Site of Interest Focus on the Family's Parsonage Did You Know: 40% of pastors, and 47% of their spouses say they are suffering from burnout, frantic schedules, and unrealistic expectations?1 Focus on the Family estimates that approximately 1,500 pastors leave their assignments each month due to moral failure, spiritual burnout, or contention with their local congregations? 2 80% of the clergy felt their families had been negatively impacted by the church? 3 33% consider the ministry to be an outright hazard to their families?4 90% of pastors work more than 46 hours a week? 5 90% feel they were inadequately trained to cope with ministry demands?6 Few church attendees understand the pressures placed upon their pastors / ministers and their families. The above statistics are shocking to most of us. Yet we expect our pastor to be on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to have a flexible schedule allowing him to be available to counsel anyone in any situation, AND deliver dynamic and life changing sermons each week. We want him to attend all committee meetings, staff meetings, elder board meetings and congregational meetings. He is also expected to do all these things with joy and enthusiasm. Take a Peek Inside The Pastor's Home Many of us forget that the ministry family is just that, a family. They, too, have bills to pay, decisions to make, marriages to build up, children to nurture. There's a lawn to mow, laundry to wash, meals to make, soccer games to attend, and all the other normal activities of non-ministry families. The only difference is that the ministry family lives in a glass house of sorts, due to the expectations and pressures placed upon them by themselves and their congregations. How Can You Help Your Minister? Encourage him.* Often times all the pastor hears is criticism. A note of encouragement or a positive e-mail will minister to your pastor's heart more than you'll ever know. Too often we are silent when we are pleased with the sermon or service. Help protect his marriage. Offer to watch his kids once or twice a month so he can have time out with his wife. Let him know you are praying for him regularly, then do it. Invite the pastor and his family over for a casual dinner. No church questions. No relationship problems to solve. No theological wrestlings. Just food and fun. Remember, they are normal people just like you. Encourage your church leaders to protect the pastor's family time. Ask how many hours per week he's putting into the ministry…then ask his wife. Don't let him sacrifice his family to the "god of ministry." Be a trustworthy friend. Few people in full time ministry feel that they have any friends in whom they can confide. Remember, ministers deal with intense spiritual and relational situations on an almost daily basis, yet they aren't to reveal the personal struggles of others. This can create tremendous pressure for the minister. Consider being what I call a "low maintenance" friend. No whining. No complaining. Ask the Lord if He wants you to befriend your pastor. Ask your church leaders to encourage the pastor to have occasional paid days of prayer and solitude. He needs time to be spiritually refreshed. Send him off to a nearby retreat center, or even a park, to have time to read, pray, and reflect. If you think your pastor may be in trouble spiritually, or suffering from burnout, have him contact Focus on the Family's Pastoral Help / Crisis Line toll free, 1-877-233-4455. "Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work" - 1 Thessalonians 5:12, 13 (NIV) The Ultimate Way to Bless Your Pastor The Bible says that we are all ministers of the Gospel. The ultimate act of encouraging your pastor is to take responsibility for your own spiritual growth. Make the effort to pray regularly and study the Bible. Get involved in small Bible study groups or cell groups. My senior pastor loves to get notes, emails, and phone calls from people who are excited about some aspect of their spiritual walk. He especially loves it when a new believer joyfully approaches him and says, "Pastor! Did you know that the Bible says ___________?!" Go ahead… make your pastor's day. He'll appreciate it more than you'll ever know. Next month in this series: How to Minister to the Pastor's Wife Footnotes: Compilation of surveys from Focus on the Family Pastors Gatherings, as quoted in Family News From Dr. James Dobson, August, 1998 http://www.family.org Ibid Fuller Institute of Church Growth, 1991 Ibid Fuller Theological Seminary Survey of Pastors Ibid * I refer to the pastors / ministers as "he" in this article for the sake of uniformity and convenience, and by no means wish to diminish the role of full time female ministers. As for the theological correctness of female pastors, I will leave that to theologians and church leader / elder boards. I'm staying out of that one!
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