Encouraging our Pastors

This the first of two segments on ways that we can encourage a vital but often under valued support person in our lives, our spiritual leaders, such as Pastors and Reverends. They unfortunately are the most vulnerable but often forgotten victims of loneliness and burn out. Major obstacles faced by many of our spiritual leaders today include the fact that they are “spiritually exhausted, stressed out, have few friends and have little support.”

Those conclusions are based on a study done across six denominations called “Clergy Well being: Seeking Wholeness with Integrity,” by Rev Andrew Irvine of the Presbyterian Theology Institution of the University of Toronto. The results of the survey showed that seventy seven percent of spiritual leaders felt more like chief executive officers than ministers, eighteen percent could not identify a close friend in church and eighty percent felt guilty if they took any time off, despite working an average of fifty hours per week or more.

After viewing those statistics, I wondered “what is it that we can do to encourage those who have made it their life’s work to encourage us? Research on this topic, revealed no shortage of suggestions on how to encourage our spiritual leaders. One of the most practical and direct ways that we can do that is to simply tell them that they make a difference in our lives and in our Christian walk. But it is most encouraging to them, when we are specific.

For example, telling our spiritual leaders that their sermons are “excellent” is appreciated. However, what they really need to know is that they are helping us grow in the Lord. Therefore when complimenting our leaders, we should also indicate how what they said or did is making us think or act differently, for the better.

For instance, your leader may preach a sermon on the importance of getting into the habit of daily intercession for our loved ones. You might respond in person or by email and say. “Pastor / Rev, as a result of your challenge, I am now not only reading devotions on a daily basis but I am praying for my family more regularly as well.” That compliment not only communicates appreciation but also specifically indicates where your spiritual leader is making a positive difference in your walk with the Lord.

So, if you are wondering where to start in order to encourage your spiritual leader, why not take the opportunity to tell them as specifically as you can where they have made a difference in your life?

I’d love to know what you have done in order to encourage your pastor or Reverent! Send me an email if you like!!

Next week I’ll have some more tips on how we can encourage our spiritual leaders.

- Terry Harris

Diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy when he was two years old, Terry Harris in the opinion of many experts within the medical and education professions, would never walk, talk, read, write or go to a regular school. It was recommended to his parents that he beplaced in an institution. In 1995 Terry graduated from Brock University with a B.A. in English Literature and obtained a degree in marriage and family therapy in 1999 from Tyndale Seminary.