I Thessalonians 5:12,13
“But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another.”
Those that serve in the ministry are deserving of our respect, cooperation and financial support. This is a difficult job which has endless demands on their time and emotional resources. A pastor’s most visible job is the Sunday sermon. I’ve heard it said that for every minute of speaking, an hour of preparation is required. Most messages are about forty minutes. That’s forty hours of prep work. With all else, that isn’t possible. This may leave the pastor frustrated with not having put in enough prep time.
Another responsibility is pastoral care. Are the needs of the flock cared for? Most churches are about 100 to 150 people. Within that body there are several subgroups; children’s ministry ( nursery, pre-k, elementary, middle school and high school), college age and young adults, couples and singles, empty nesters and seniors, widows and widowers. All of these groups have their individual needs. Most likely each group has it’s own leader who seeks to organize the weekly meetings as well tending to the needs of the members.
In one sense, the pastor is the general and the assistant pastors are the officers. The assistants are taught pastoral care so they perform that and report to the senior pastor. Love can be demonstrated through this organization. The priorities of the pastor go down through this chain.
Staffing is key. Those with like priorities and passion should be recruited. That way the assistants can perform naturally without much direction. Leadership and influence are still required. They have their weekly meetings, staff retreats and campaigns. All this is normal with operations.
Pastor’s have families of their own. Their spouses and children need their time and attention. This is primary to the church. I Timothy 3:5 says, “(but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?)”. Being a loving spouse and parent is where good pastoral leadership is learned.
All this demonstrates how difficult a pastor’s job is. These levels of expectations aren’t much different for those that are assistants. Today’s passage speaks of how they are deserving of our respect, cooperation and support.
Lord, thank You for the leaders You have raised up. Help us to be prayerful, respectful and supportive of them.