Pastor Appreciation Day involves at least three components.
First of all, the words of Paul recorded in 1 Timothy 1:12 is the foundation for Pastor Appreciation Day—And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry. A genuine pastor is only where He is because Christ put him in the ministry. Therefore, “Thank You, Lord, for calling me, enabling me, and placing me in this role as a spokesman for You. All the glory and honor and goes to You! You alone are worthy of the praise and appreciation!!”
Second, appreciation goes to every congregation that faithfully supports, encourages, listens, prays for, loves, forgives, puts up with, laughs with, is longsuffering with, and blesses their Bible-preaching pastor. As I think of this day, appreciation must come from us as pastors to our church family for following us, the under-shepherd leading under the Chief Shepherd of the Church (1 Peter 5:4).
As a pastor, Monday may be a day to rejoice because Sunday was a day of victories, but if so, be cautious. Even if Sunday was a “downer” day in your eyes, be cautious.
After any victory, you are vulnerable for defeat. Just ask Elijah. He had just seen the mighty power of God on magnificent display which wrought a great victory at Mt. Carmel! Then, upon hearing the subsequent news of Jezebel’s threat (1 Kings 19:1-3), he became discouraged and ran for his life!
There we find Elijah thinking unbiblically, living in unbelief, asking God to kill him, tired, weary, depressed, engaged in self-pity, and feeling like a total failure (19:4-10).
Monday’s Ministry Encouragement: Written to encourage you, my friend in ministry, to be refreshed and renewed as we live for Christ and look toward the Bema.
Pastor, you know you need help. You are sinking. You know you are hurting. May I gently ask, “Why will you not seek help?”
Is it because of pride?
Is it because of fear?
Is because of image?
Is because of doubt?
No matter your reason, the way out is to not to run and hide. That is the worst step to take!
Run to Christ. This is the time to pray, to meet with your loving Shepherd in the quiet place. This is the time to take a deep dive into His Word letting the faithful and truewords (Revelation 22:6) wash over your soul. As you read the Word, be honest with the Lord. He is your advocate (1 John 2:2) and friend (John 15:15). He is your Haven of Rest!
Pastors, what was your “Wow” from this past Sunday or even today?
Ministry has its share of woes, wars, and worries. Sadly, we may have been blessed with several “wows” and let one woe come into the picture, and we are immediately overcome with the woe instead of the wow! We are fixated on the woe, and we forget the wow!
We need to rejoice and praise the Lord for the “Wows!”
Today’s “wow” happened during a hospital visit. Jeff has endured major trials in his life such as losing his job, his wife passing away, brain cancer, seizures, having to move out of his apartment, and now knee replacement surgery. As I walked into his room, he greeted me with a smile. After awhile, I read Psalm 61. When I finished with verse 8, So will I ever sing praises to your name, I said, “Jeff, may I encourage you from time-to-time to mute the TV and just sing praises to the Lord?”
In a recent post, I joyfully announced the upcoming transition of ministry after serving as lead pastor for 24 years at Boones Creek Bible Church. Perhaps I did not communicate effectively, so for clarity sake, may I say, retirement is not a part of this transition.
Denise and I will continue to serve at BCBC, but my role will change to associate pastor. This means that I’ll continue to serve by teaching an elective, biblical counselling, leading a small group, visitation, leading the senior’s ministry, preach when needed, etc.
This change allows Denise and me to pursue a passion that has stirred in my heart for a long time and that is ministering to pastors and their wives. I don’t need to look at statistics to know that pastors and their wives need great encouragement. All I need to do is look back over my 40 years of full-time ministry as well as growing up in a pastor’s home to be assured of this huge need. Add to that the number of pastors and wives we have already counseled as well as hearing of needs along the way, we are so drawn to this ministry of refreshment.
Denise and I are available to serve the local church in other capacities as well. Check out the speaking page on my blog for helpful information. Will you prayerfully consider letting us have the rich blessing of coming alongside you and the ministry where you serve to be a refuge and refreshment by the grace of God?
Monday’s Ministry Encouragement: Written to encourage you, my friend in ministry, to be refreshed and renewed as we live for Christ and look toward the Bema.
Are you ministering on a nearly empty tank, yet making it look like your tank is full?
Men, please hear me! You need to get away!
You must have times of spiritual, physical, and mental refreshment! You cannot go seven days-a-week, every week, with your foot on the accelerator pressed to the floor!
No matter what may be your personal or perceived expectations, you need a short or long-term period of renewal and refreshment!
With a heart to encourage pastors, this has been a frequent inquiry.
May I share a recent response in hopes of encouraging you, too?
While engaged in a morning conversation with a pastor of over 40 years experience, I asked, “What keeps you encouraged in ministry?” His reply took him back to his early days. He said, “I had an old pastor say to me, ‘If I had to do it over again, I would spend the first hours of the morning in prayer and Bible study.’ Being young and cocky I bypassed his exhortation and set out to push programs in ministry; to get the job done my way.” With tears now coursing down his cheeks, he said, “In the past five years, God has broken me and made me become a man of intercessory prayer.”
Pastor, there is no greater place to be encouraged in ministry than at the feet of Jesus! John 15:4-5 records the blessed, encouraging, directive words of Christ as He spoke to His disciples in the Upper Room, and now to us, Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
Psalm 73 depicts Asaph wrestling over the apparent prosperity of the wicked in this life versus the sorrows of the righteous. His viewpoint changed when he went into the sanctuary of God (73:17). Spurgeon says it so well in his Treasury of David commentary . . . “His mind entered the eternity where God dwells as in a holy place, he left the things of sense for the things invisible, his heart gazed within the veil, he stood where the thrice holy God stands. Thus he shifted his point of view, and apparent disorder resolved itself into harmony.”
Where is your “sanctuary”? Yes, we are indwelt now by the Trinity (John 14) in the inner man so we do not go to the temple to meet with God, but where is that place to which you resort to cry out to God . . . to share your burdens, your anguish, your sorrows, your discouragements, your need of abiding in the Vine? Where’s that quiet place that in the midst of your darkness you run to your God whose ear is open to your cry (Psalm 34:15)?
Asaph ends Psalm 73 with these words, But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all Your works (73:28).
Pastor friend, after a long day serving on Sunday, the Lord is waiting to meet you in the sanctuary to encourage your heart, to hear your burdens, and to receive your praise.
“If I had to do it over again, I would spend the first hours of the morning in prayer . . . .”
Monday’s Ministry Encouragement: Written to encourage you, my friend in ministry, to be refreshed and renewed as we live for Christ and look toward the Bema.
“I’m a visionary. I make a plan, execute the plan, and then ask God to bless it!”
Pastor friend, is that you? If we are all honest, we have said something along those lines in our ministry lifetime.
As revealed last week, my wife and I are launching out into a new field of ministry (Post #1, Post #2, and Post #3). This is a step of faith., and one we believe is totally of the Lord’s initiative.
I am greatly intrigued by a truth from the life of Christ that I cannot clearly grasp, but it speaks volumes to me. In John 5:19, we read, Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. And He goes on to say are recorded in John 5:30, I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
Here is Jesus, very God, saying that He cannot do anything of Himself, only what He sees the Father doing, and He does nothing of His own initiative.
Pastor, we put so much pressure upon ourselves that is not pleasing to God. Our expectations, the expectations that we think the congregation has for us, the accomplishment of our goals, the false fulfillment of achieving our goals, all lead to a potentially frustrating, discouraging ministry. This path could even lead to a degree of fallout in the ministry.
Men, look at Christ, the Head of the Church, the Head of the local church you pastor. He did nothing of His own initiative, only what He saw the Father doing. Therefore, each of us as pastors must spend time in the prayer closet with our eye upon Him through His Word hearing from the Head of the Church, and then following what He initiates.
With all due respect, everything does not rise and fall on leadership. Everything rises and falls on God. Therefore, keep your eye on Him. What He initiates, He provides for, He is responsible for the results, and He gets all the glory! What you initiate, you have to provide for, keep it propped up, and you get the glory! You may get some results, but your reward is here, not at the Bema. It’s the difference of Christ pastoring His flock through you or you pastoring your flock through you. . . and then asking God to bless it!
There is nothing wrong with planning, setting goals, and executing the plan . . . as long as it was of Christ’s doing, His initiative, gleaned by abiding in the Vine (John 15:1-16)!
What has Christ initiated in the ministry where you serve?
Please read our ministry launch page below and let us know how we can be used as a refuge and refreshment to you, your marriage, your family, and/or your ministry. Most of all, as the Lord brings us to your mind, please, please pray for us! Our utmost desire is for the True Vine, Jesus Christ, (John 15:1) to bear fruit through His branches (John 15:5) for God’s glory! That is totally impossible without abiding in Christ and through Christ (John 15:5).
As a couple, Dale and Denise love to walk with believers through every stage of life. They are passionate about using their home as a platform for the gospel and are eager to encourage couples of every age.
The time will come when you’ll need to step away from being the lead pastor of a local church. Are you prepared? Have you been preparing? Who have you discipled for this position? Will he come from your current congregation?
Over ten years ago, my son-in-law came to serve at Boones Creek Bible Church as youth leader. From there he became the youth/assistant pastor. As of July 30, 2023, he was voted to officially become the associate pastor waiting to be the lead pastor on January 7, 2024.
When I became pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, Graysville, TN, in the spring of 1983, the question of who would “fill my shoes” was not on my mind. I had a lifetime of ministry in front of me!!
fromapastorsheart.com 