We’ve probably all been guilty of thinking ‘well, that sermon didn’t really go well. I didn’t get anything from it.’ Maybe we’ve shared that with others, or even told the pastor themselves. But God calls us all to be encouraging towards one another. The Bible says: ‘Encourage one another and build each other up’ (1 Thessalonians 5:11 NIV). And that includes encouraging and building up our pastors and leaders. In fact, the verse straight after mentions our leaders: ‘Honour those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance.’ First up, we need to stop criticising. If a particular sermon doesn’t seem to speak to us, it might just be that somebody else needed to hear it. It’s not all about us. If we go to church expecting to be given something, we’ll probably be disappointed. The pastor can’t meet everyone’s needs – they’re not God. We need to be going to church with an open heart and asking God to speak to us, whatever the topic of the talk. Secondly, we need to be praying for our pastors. They work on the frontline of the kingdom, sharing God’s Word every week. They face struggles, temptations, exhaustion, and stress just like the rest of us. We can also use our gifts and skills to help the pastor, and the church, out. Whether that’s offering the time to put the chairs out, using our musical gifts in the worship team, or inviting people round for a meal. Let’s also stop gossiping and speaking negatively about our leaders. Let’s be people who counter negative talk with positive comments, and correct misinformation with truth. Let’s be encouraging and build up our leaders.

What Now?

Write a letter to your pastor, encouraging them and thanking them for what they do.