Give Honor
Blessed to have this amazing couple as my Pastors! Says this wonderful soul. He is honoring his pastor today. #thankful
We Love our Pastors and family!!!! They have given so much to us, spiritually, emotionally, financially, and physically...We are so grateful and honored to serve with them and Jesus!!!#we show honor
A few years ago, I do not know if it was just a day for this but I was on Facebook and it seemed one after the other post of people giving honor to where honor was due. I have to admit I was a little aggravated yet at the same time....TIRED. After all, we had been through and it still seems we often have broken tools to build with. I just want to look up and say...Thank you so much.... Why do we even try! About the time you think you are on a new level with a group they start acting like they know so much more than the vision God has given the pastor when they actually can not get their own lives together. It just seems to be one fire after another to put out. WELCOME to SMALL church! You scrape, save, give, work, love, spend, please, train, work, work!!! Today I seemed to come upon that same thing one person after another giving honor to where honor was due......
90% of pastors report working between 55 to 75 hours per week and 50% feel unable to meet the demands of the job.
And 70% of pastors feel grossly underpaid.
Most pastors feel unprepared.
90% feel they are inadequately trained to cope with the ministry demands and 90% of pastors said the ministry was completely different than what they thought it would be like before they entered the ministry.
Many pastors struggle with depression and discouragement.
70% of pastors constantly fight depression and 50% of pastors feel so discouraged that they would leave the ministry if they could, but have no other way of making a living.
Wait, this is huge. Let’s pause here for a moment.
This means that half of the 1,700 or so pastors who leave the ministry each month have no other way of making a living. Their education and experience are wrapped up solely in the work of the ministry.
So, not only do pastors struggle with their choice to leave the ministry, they have to worry about how they are going to feed their families.
Speaking of families, most pastors’ families are negatively impacted.
80% believe pastoral ministry has negatively affected their families. 80% of spouses feel the pastor is overworked and feel left out and under-appreciated by church members.
Many pastors are lonely.
70% do not have someone they consider a close friend and 40% report serious conflict with a parishioner at least once a month.
And then there is this:
50% of the ministers starting out will not last 5 years. 1 out of every 10 ministers will actually retire as a minister in some form. And 4,000 new churches begin each year while 7,000 churches close.
"Whether you know it or not, pastors in the church work is very difficult. They do a lot of things publicly like preaching, teaching, visitation, and leading; but they also do quite a bit behind the scenes like counseling, studying, planning, and praying. Unfortunately, for many pastors, it has become a thankless job.
Let me begin by noting some important reasons to appreciate your pastors. First, there are many biblical mandates to do so. For example, 1 Thessalonians 5:12, says, “but we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction.” Additionally, Galatians 6:6 tells us “the one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him.” Finally, in 1 Timothy 5:17, Paul writes, “the elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.” The phrase “all good things” in the Galatians passage and “double honor” in the 1 Timothy passage could even be interpreted as monetary or financial gifts for the pastor.
Pastors need encouragement because of all the pressure and stress that comes with the duties of the ministry. This includes sermon prep, budgeting, setting the vision for the ministry, meetings, training, and last but not least taking care of the congregation members. All this adds up to a lot of hours of stress." Benn Shin
