Me? How can I help my church leadership do a better job?

Have you noticed your pastor (or ministry leader) has been a little off his game lately? Are his sermons or devotions seeming to lack energy or that ‘wow' factor? 

Being a pastor can be one of the most stressful jobs on the planet. Why? Because he has to deal with the likes of you and me on a daily basis. He carries with him our hopes and dreams and does his utmost to see them come to pass. He takes us at our worst and offers us a shoulder to cry on, a leg to stand on, and a board to sound off of. He also has to personally see to it that you are being challenged to change and stimulated to grow spiritually. That is a tall order for one man, especially when your church has more than a dozen people in it. Being married to a pastor has helped me realize there are a good few things you and I can do as church members that can help carry that load.

So how can you help your ministry leader?

1               Resist the temptation to criticize. (Luke 11:46)

Criticism helps no one. It is empty of hope and actually does more to suck the life out of your pastor than anything else. If you see an unmet need in your congregation, it is very likely the Lord is burdening you to find, and/or be, the solution to that need. Pray, seek counsel, and then act. Come up with a Biblical solution that is practical and possible. Then go to your pastor and share your vision to help. If your pastor or leadership do not see it is a possible solution, listen to their reasons. You may have to go back to the drawing board and prayer closet. Do not be too proud to do so. If your leadership like your idea and give you the green light, but you believe you cannot be part of that solution for reasons of time restraints, ask the Lord if He is asking you to sacrifice something in order to do this. Perhaps He wants you to team up with someone with specific giftings. It is my experience that if you care enough about the people in your church, you will find the time to take care of the need the Lord puts on your heart. Imagine, if everyone did this every time he or she felt the need to criticize, how our churches would burst into life!

2               Pray, pray, pray. (Eph. 6:12-18)

Much of our battle as Christians is spiritual in nature. We do not fight against flesh and blood, and we certainly do not fight against the very person God has put as our leader/s to help guide and grow us. Your pastor, your pastor’s wife, your eldership or youth leader is not your enemy; Satan is. He is constantly looking to destroy unity, discredit leaders, and discourage the church as a whole. Be alert for such patterns. Take up the position of watchman. Pray; on your knees, in your closet, with a fervent and unrelenting heart. Help carry the burden spiritually. Do you know how many people each week ask a pastoral team to pray for them? Of course pastors pray, but oh, how you could be holding up weary arms by returning the favor?

3               Do not judge, you're not qualified. (Rom. 14:13, Luke 6:42)

Judgment always comes from a place of pride, of believing you have sufficient knowledge to be in superior position than those you judge. God is the only one qualified, because He is the only one who knows the true heart motive behind any action. Always give your leader the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps he was just hungry. Most pastors don’t have the luxury of a leisurely Sunday morning breakfast! Perhaps there was actually good intention behind the decision or action that you did not agree with. Perhaps your pastor was not being selfish in suggesting someone else preach next week. Perhaps he was seeing an opportunity to encourage Mary or John to grow when he asked them instead of you to help with the communion. Jesus spent much of his time discrediting the Pharisees’ self-proclaimed right to judge. Would He do the same with you and me? Watch out for those logs in your eyes and hearts!

4               Encourage. (1 Thes. 5:11)

Every Monday morning brings the same question to a pastor’s heart, “Did I do a good enough job encouraging my flock this weekend?" Self doubt is a leader’s worst enemy. If you felt challenged by his sermon, tell him so. If you feel encouraged just by knowing he will always be there every Sunday (even when he has taken so many flu meds that he is seeing double!), tell him. If you feel spiritually safe under his care, tell him. If you are glad he stood in the gap and prayed for you this week, tell him so. Do not take his care for granted. He does it under conviction from God, not because you deserve it.

5               Be a team player, (and be the one to run for water too!) (1 Cor. 12:12,14:26)

The church is a body, each member has it’s own vital function to perform. If you have a ministry, do it with integrity and without complaint. Show initiative, search out ways to improve what you do: research, study, practice. Do not expect your leader to walk you through with baby steps holding your hand. He may not physically have the time, and believe it or not, a pastor cannot be an expert in all fields. If you find yourself with extra time, look for others who may be struggling and offer a helping hand. If you do not currently have an official ministry, ask the Lord what He would have you do in His church. We all need each other and are all ordained to care for and love one another, (1 John 3:23, Heb. 10:24-25). Pastoring was never intended to be a one-man (or even a ten-man) job. Church was never meant to be a place you visit on Sundays and passively observe. It is not a building. It is not an institution for religious ceremony. It is a living, breathing organism, whose purpose on Earth is to show the world who Jesus is, (John 13:35). If you are part of the church, do not fall into the trap of believing your role in it is any less important than anyone else’s including your pastor's.

      Eph. 2:19-22. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

May we all do better at bringing His glory to where we are.