1 Peter 5:1 KJV
[1] “The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:”
The word elder is translated from the word “presbuteros.” This word was used to describe those who were older but eventually came to represent an official in the church. The term we use today is pastor. We know that the word pastor is a biblical term that Paul used in Ephesians to describe one of the speaking gifts given to the church. Pastors are not perfect because they are men who live in the flesh like those in the congregation. However, a true man of God who pastors a church has a unique calling on his life. God is using him to guide and instruct the congregation from the Bible.
I am the pastor of a wonderful church, and I have been given the privilege to travel across this country and be with other pastors just about every week over the past 20-plus years. I can tell you from experience that pastors need encouragement. I hear it all the time when I am with them in meetings. Sometimes, I think it is one of the reasons that I am at that church. When Pastors are discouraged, they will not share it with their congregation because they know how detrimental that can be to a church. Their wives are often in the same situation as a pastor’s wife. This is true even in the best of our churches.
If you want to encourage your pastor, be faithful to the services and events of the church. Say positive things about your church and what is taking place. Do not be a complainer because you have never been a pastor or a pastor’s wife. Also, if you are a lady, give your pastor’s wife the love and respect she deserves. Do not allow other ladies in the church to take her place. You may think this is petty, but I can tell you that genuine men of God are not looking for gifts and gold but for people who will give them respect and serve alongside them. They do not have the time or the nerves to listen to people who want to complain about everything in the church. Hearing the Word of God, winning souls to Christ, and worshiping God are the most essential functions of the church. You need your leader and his wife to be encouraged as they labor in your local assembly. Make it your goal to be faithful, positive, and respectful to the pastor and pastor’s wife that God has given you. Protect them from the mouths of others, and remember that they are not fooled by those who try to flatter them. Actions always speak louder than words, but it does not hurt to give them a kind word now and then.