Pastors – Word for the Soul

“Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you……lead them by your own good example” 1 Peter 5:2a, 3b NLT

Our church pastors and elders have a God-given task entrusted to them in shepherding or caring for the members in the church they serve. We are God’s flock, the church, His children. So are the pastors and elders. Even though we all are guided by Jesus, the Great Shepherd, the leaders of the church have that special assignment to lead those entrusted to them by loving the sheep, caring for the sheep, and feeding the sheep. And if you look around the church, in fact any church, you’ll realize why we need to pray for our pastors and elders. We are all like sheep and if not guided by godly shepherds we will go our way. We could be a stubborn bunch.

If that sounds a little harsh for some of you. I will just say, me included, if the shoe fits wear it. We are all not that bad, but we are all not that good either. Christians need the guidance of God’s earthly shepherds in the world in which we live. Their teaching, prayers, counselling, wisdom, and love are essential for the members of the church. Yes, there are other fine Christian teaching organizations, but nothing is as valuable as gathering as a church family for worship, love, care, and teaching from God’s appointed shepherds. The apostle Peter instructed the elders of his day to, “Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you (and) lead them by your own good example.” (1Pt.5:2a, 3b nlt) Our pastors and elders have an enormous responsibility to lead us by living a good example. We need to pray they will be able accomplish this unhindered.

For a church family to be well-led, the leadership must be prayed for daily. Satan and his demons don’t take a day off. They are eager to get a shot off at one of their favorite targets, pastors and elders. Leadership needs the encouragement they feel from the Lord through our prayers. Pastors and elders are human just as we are, they are not angels and need the hedge of protection against sin in their ministry. May we all as Christians be praying for our pastors and elders that they receive the encouragement, the care, and the teaching from the Great Shepherd growing deeper in their love for Him, for them to love, care, and feed us, God’s flock, the church of God.

“For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do.” Hebrews 6:10 NLT

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The following is from the Barna Group, April 27, 2022, “As of March 2022, the percentage of pastors who have considered quitting full-time ministry within the past year sits at 42 percent. Over half of pastors who have considered quitting full-time ministry (56%) say ‘the immense stress of the job’ has factored into their thoughts on leaving. Beyond these general stressors, two in five pastors (43%) say ‘I feel lonely and isolated,’ while 38 percent name ‘current political divisions’ as reasons they’ve considered stepping away.” (1)

No doubt, being a pastor is no easy job. It’s not a profession to pursue seeking to become rich, for most anyway, but is a calling to preach the gospel and minister to the church family. Pastors today encounter a host of problems and concerns that their predecessors never dealt with or even thought possible. With that being said God called them both in their time to minster to their generation.

Of the many reasons given by pastors who have considered leaving the ministry, the most disturbing may be the feeling of loneliness and isolation. It is hard to imagine that those who care for so many by personal contact would feel this way. But that is the case for 43% who answered the survey. Perhaps some of these feelings come from a sense of ingratitude and/or of being taken for granted, after all it is the pastor’s job. This should be an eyeopener for all us in the church to be more supportive of our local pastors.

A word of encouragement for all pastors from the writer of the book of Hebrews, which I’m sure you are familiar with, “For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do.” (Heb. 6:10 NLT) And when Christ returns, he will bring with Him your crown of glory to lay at His feet. “And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.” (1 Pt. 5:4 ESV) Yes, your work will never be forgotten by the Lord.

(1) Pastors Share Top Reasons They’ve Considered Quitting Ministry in the Past Year – Barna Group

Tag: Pastors

Pray for our Pastors and Elders

Your work will never be forgotten by the Lord