Pastor Appreciation Minute

While October is supposed to be Pastor Appreciation month, it's usually something like a birthday party or a wedding. People calm down for a few days and celebrate while not fully dealing with their own baggage and poor attitudes that lurk below the surface.

I value team and loyalty in a BIG way. I don't have a problem letting someone go if they aren't loyal or they carry another agenda. A long time ago either Ed Young or Andy Stanley talked about the Pastor's vision driving the car of the church. They drew up on a white-board a car with 4 tires. 3 tires were aligned but one was just slightly turned to an angle. The question "What is going to happen to this car?" Obviously it's not going to be productive and eventually will experience major breakdown. The point was "get alignment or get rid of that faulty tire."

Galatians 6:6
"Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor."

God wants us to value those who teach us the word. Not because the people themselves (in and of themselves) are special but rather because the Word being taught is so valuable to our lives. We should honor and deeply value the teaching of God's word. "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news."

In many churches these principles are no longer taught. In most cases they aren't taught because the Pastors feel that it would be self-serving to teach these principles. I wonder aloud however if this is a problem in itself. Is it possible that God grows people by having them obey him and showing honor, respect, loyalty and humility to those to teach and preach the word? In fact I know it's so.

Fortunately for me I learned this value very early on. In the church I was raised there were many 'Senior Saints' who honored and respected their Pastor. He was treated as a man sent from God to share the good news. He lived a life above reproach and taught the word in such a way as to say 'Thus saith the Lord." I always called him "Pastor" out of respect. (If you attend Focal Point you do not have to call me by a title, I'm just sharing my experience.)

Later in life I sat under Dr. Jerry Falwell. People who haven't spent a day around him or his ministry don't have a true picture of who he is. The people of his church love and respect him. He's a man of God who teaches the Word of God. Later on in life I worked for a man whom I could no longer call "my Pastor". I had gotten to a place where I felt he was only a man who was my boss. I still removed myself from that ministry in such a way as to honor him and his authority as Shepard of that congregation. I believe strongly in Romans 13 and the idea that God can bring down those whom he pleases.

I say all of that to say that I agree with a post I read over on Pastor Steven Furtick's blog. You should check it out ESPECIALLY if you are not a Lead Pastor.