helpChurch members can glorify God and aid their congregation by sharing the load with their pastor. Church members must cease expecting the minister to be a visionary AND administrator AND counselor AND visit everyone AND preach/teach solid messages three times a week (Sun AM, PM, Wed) AND devote the proper time to prayer required to fulfill his call AND deal with his own personal issues from living in a broken world. Hebrews 13:17 is not a popular verse but here it is anyway…

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

No one is perfect. No one is good at everything. No one has all the spiritual gifts. Everyone has a weakness, blind spot, short coming, and needs help. This is why Paul wrote about the BODY of Christ in 1 Cor 12:4-26. The pastor/preacher/teaching Elder is to be gifted to pray and minister God’s Word. If everyone was called to do this, there would be no need for that position.

The minister is expected to be Jesus (Perfect) in every interaction with every congregant. It doesn’t matter what is going on in his own life… it doesn’t matter what emotional difficulties he has… it doesn’t matter what pressures he is under. The only thing that matters is that the preacher is to hit every ball out of the park. Throw a touchdown every time. Make every free throw. Get every decision right. Never make a mistake. Problem is, there are multiple people evaluating him, all with different expectations!

The remedy? Pray for the pastor, don’t prey on him. Take the unnecessary load (According to Scripture) off him. Put YOUR gift into operation in the church so the pastor can fulfill his call to pray and preach. When you notice him struggling, find ways to HELP. Truth is, he may be doing the best he can in an area he isn’t gifted in because someone else (You?) is supposed to be using their gift in that area.

The church is NOT to function like the world. It is to function according to Scripture and God’s command. Business models, expectations, and practices have no place in the church. Problems crop up when people expect the church to function in a manner not found in Scripture.

As was said by the Chairman of Deacons at FBC-Dallas when W.A. Criswell was called… “We don’t let our Pastors fail.” Oh that more churches would have that attitude and take that approach.