The pastor drives a nice car, but not too nice. Members appreciate the pastor’s economical thriftiness.It’s a shame (and surely not the church members’ fault) that 70% of pastors report they do not have someone they consider a close friend-but, hey, we all must make sacrifices for the Lord. Of course, if the pastor is invited to join for a night of fun and they don’t attend, it is assumed they are just distant and don’t want to be friends with their members. So in order to protect the reputation of the pastor, they often exclude them from these regular get-togethers.Ĭhurch-goers understand that 90% of pastors work 55-75 hours per week and wouldn’t want to take more of their time. They would include the pastor and his family, but fear others might think the pastor is showing favoritism. People in the church have friends and groups which often get together and share common interests. Members appreciate that the pastor is an outgoing, charismatic, people-loving loner.Even though 35% of pastors feel that the demands of the church deny them from spending time with their family and 24% of pastors resent the church and its effect on their family, that sounds more like a spiritual problem and has nothing to do with the church members. Most members don’t know why that is, since they love their pastor and want the best for them and their family. So you might wonder why 80% of pastors believe the ministry has negatively affected their families, resulting in many pastors’ children growing up to never attend church again. After all, the Bible does teach that “A mocker resents correction he will not consult the wise” (Proverbs 15:12 NIV). If the pastor’s children do not meet up to the members’ expectations, they will kindly and gently, out of concern for their salvation, inform the pastor of their disappointment. When raised properly, they are wholesome kids who never say a foul word, watch inappropriate movies, or rebel in any way. They are expected to know all the answers to Bible questions in Sabbath School and in Bible classes at school. These precious ones are role models for how children are to behave and conduct themselves. Members appreciate the pastor’s children.84% of pastors’ spouses feel unqualified and discouraged in their roles with the church.īut most congregations love the pastor’s spouse and know these statistics don’t apply to them. Research states that 22% of pastors’ spouses believe the ministry places undue expectations on their family. Some churches don’t even have a pianist, so knowing how to play is essential for the church to survive. Members also appreciate how it is automatically assumed the pastor’s spouse will know how to play the piano. Out of respect, members seldom express their disappointment in the pastor’s spouse for not heading up the women’s or men’s group, along with teaching children’s Sabbath School. Of course, if the pastor expects the members to attend these meetings, it’s only right for their spouse to be present! (Sick children at home are no excuse for not attending, since any church member would gladly care for their children during these important assemblies, right?) They work full time and still are expected to make it to all the church services, programs, and meetings. Members appreciate the pastor’s spouse.(All the statistics I cite are from Barna Research and can be found here. Statistics say 45% of pastors spend 10-15 hours per week preparing the sermon, but maybe they should be spending 20-35 hours. Some members appreciate the pastor for providing another heretical or irrelevant sermon that aids in their small group discussions. Anyway, if it weren’t for the pastor’s sermons there would be nothing to talk about during potluck other than the weather, making discussions boring and awkward. Their homilies are so thought-provoking that they leave some members wondering what was learned during those hermeneutic classes at seminary. ![]() Members appreciate the pastor’s sermons.Since the month is just getting started, perhaps I can help you out by reminding you of a few seldom-articulated things the people of the church appreciate about their pastor. Usually congregations will usually take a few minutes during one of the church services for that. It isn’t that people shouldn’t always appreciate their pastor, but this is the month when they’re encouraged to say it. October has been named by someone as Pastor Appreciation Month.
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