11/01/2022
RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE CHURCH TO THE PASTOR⛪🧔📖
a. The church is to pray for their pastor; for God to
give him wisdom to lead the church, and to willingly
follow his leadership (Heb. 13:7).
b. The church is to submit to his God-ordained
authority over the church, so that he may have a joyful
ministry in the church (Heb. 13:7).
c. The church, especially the men of the flock, are
to help him and be supportive of his pastoral ministry
(See Exodus 17:8-13 — two men who held up Moses’
hands in battle).
d. The church is responsible to provide his family
needs as well as the expenses of running the operations
of the office he holds (1 Cor. 9:7-14; 1 Tim. 5:17-18).
e. The church is to protect the pastor and his
family from those who would go about sowing seeds of
doubt and discord among the membership; casting a
shadow upon his ministry and accusing him of misdeeds
in the ministry. It is a dangerous thing to attack this
sacred office; and equally as dangerous to allow others
in the church to do so (1 Tim. 5:19-20; Prov. 6:16-19).
f. The church should exercise firm church discipline
to those who refuse to live in harmony with the other
members; who are bent on destroying the fellowship of
the church (Mt. 18:15-19).
g. The church member should always consult the
pastor first, on any problem or matter of concern, and
not spread talk around until it gets built up all out of
proportion (the devil will see to that). Most often, when
you sit down with your pastor, with an open Bible and
prayer, things will be clearly understood and resolved so
that peace can continue and that misunderstanding doesn’t
create confusion.
h. There can be only one leader in a church.
The pastor is that man. A church cannot survive when
it has a divided allegiance towards more than one leader.
i. When God is finished with the pastor in a church,
He will lead him to another work. Unless he is found
unfit for the ministry, or is guilty of open sin, he is to be
respected for the office he holds by all the members.
j. If any member of the church, after serious counsel
with the pastor, still cannot follow his leadership, that
member should, in the spirit of Christian love, quietly
seek another church and pastor where he or she can
serve the Lord. If that same member persists in trying
to destroy the integrity and ministry of the pastor, he or
she should be dealt with in accordance with church
discipline as found in Matthew 18:15-19.
In summary your pastor needs your help if he is to
be the kind of pastor he wants to be and that God wants
him to be. He deserves your respect. Paul told the church
of Corinth to accept Timothy and to respect him (1 Cor.
16:10). You need to trust your pastor. Some put him
under a microscope and scrutinize his every word and
deed.
Your pastor also needs encouragement. Tell him how
his ministry has helped or benefited you. Offer your
services to him and make yourself available for work he
might delegate to you. When he becomes the object of
criticism, don’t become a party to it. He has enough
problems already without adding to them. Defend your
pastor against those who criticize him. Criticism, even
when the truth, is a way Satan has of getting your pastor
“down in the dumps” and worse still, destroying his
ministry.
Remember him on special occasions such as birthdays,
anniversaries, and a year-end bonus with a church-wide
offering shows him your love and appreciation of his
ministry.
By all means pray for your pastor. This was one of
Paul’s most frequent requests. Your pastor needs men
like Aaron and Hur (Ex. 17:8-12) who will pray for him
and hold up his hands and support him in order to help
him be the kind of pastor God wants him to be. God does
not want church members to tear down a pastor but to
hold him up and build him up with their support and
prayers. It is then that God’s blessings will be poured out
upon the church, and your pastor will be a better man of
God
