Try Honey

October is Clergy Appreciation Month. It is a time to honor pastors and their families for their faithful service and sacrificial dedication.

The Bible declares, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation, that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!” (Isa. 52:7)

H. B. London, Jr., vice president of pastoral ministries at Focus on the Family, said, “In our tumultuous culture, pastors need encouragement more than ever to keep up the good fight.”

Hopefully, your church is planning to do something significant to express appreciation to your pastor(s) for his (their) labor in the service of the Lord.

My grandfather was my first pastor, and I am sure he had times of trial and testing, seasons of sorrow and stress, days of discouragement and disappointment. He served as the pastor of churches during the Great Depression and got paid in chickens, produce, and canned goods. However, I don’t think I would be in error to say that he was one of the most respected men in the community.

After my grandfather passed away, my father became the chairman of the committee who sought out supply preachers during the period of time the church was without a pastor. We often invited those supply preachers in our home for “Sunday dinner.” I was taught to love and respect those “men of God” who graced our home with their presence.

I grew up thinking that the pastor was worthy of double honor because of his high calling; and I was taught that God said, “Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.”

My father often defended pastors who were unduly criticized and often quoted Isaiah 54:17: “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.”

Yes, there are some pastors who are not worth their “salt” and others who have defiled the office and yet others who have abused their role in the church, but a good and faithful pastor is worth his weight in gold. The apostle Paul spoke of the pastor as a “gift” to the church and in Revelation the apostle John referred to the pastor as an “angel.”

Yet, there is probably not a more demanding profession than that of the pastor of a local church. A pastor is never off duty and virtually everyone lays claim to his time. His work is under-estimated and under-appreciated.

Furthermore, pastors are some of the most criticized and denigrated people on the planet. A pastor would most likely never attempt to tell an attorney, pharmacist, mechanic, or software programmer how to conduct his business, but few people are hesitant to tell the pastor how to perform his tasks.

Scorned and ridiculed by the world and castigated and harangued by people within the church, it is no wonder that pastors are leaving the ranks at record numbers and are wandering from church to church like gypsies.

According to a survey reported by PastorCare Network, 50 percent of those who go into full-time ministry drop out in 5 years; 80 percent of those interviewed believe pastoral ministry has affected their families negatively; 70 percent say the have a lower self-image now than when they started.

Incidentally, the same survey reported that a church that fired a pastor has a 70 percent chance that it will do the same to the following pastor.

If your pastor is not all that he should be, remember the words of Benjamin Franklin, who said, “A spoonful of honey will catch more flies than a gallon of vinegar.”

Here are some suggestions that will bless your pastor: (1) Let your pastor know that you love him and that you are praying for him. (2) Take good care of your pastor’s wife and family. (3) Give your best to the church, not your leftovers. (4) Pay him a fair salary with sufficient benefits, and (5) recognize him during Pastor Appreciation Month in October with a special love offering or a paid vacation.