DIGNIFY YOUR PASTOR
I attend a monthly ministers seminar with my Grandfather in the faith. I needed to leave earlier that day, so I sent him a text very early in the morning, apologizing that I may exit while he was yet teaching because I had to receive a special guest for our meeting in the church that night.
I ended up staying until the end of the meeting. When he spotted me towards the tail end, he said: “Son, you are still here.” I could not bring myself to exit while he was still teaching.
Friends, dignify your pastor. The way you treat others says a lot more about you. If you are sitting with him one-on-one, would you stroll out to pick a call? How you behave in a crowd speaks volumes. Do not hide in the crowd and act dishonourably. You conclude that no one sees you. Your heart will soon show your acts.
One way to dignify them is by exceeding expectations. When you are rebuked for coming late or dropping the ball in service, don’t ask them if they pay you for what you do. It says a lot about your heart. Some folks today do for a living what they learned in church for free.
The church is the safest laboratory in the world- things that will earn you a sack letter in the world gets you an admonition and encouragement in the church. You must never turn round and now point fingers even if the church is not perfect- you also are not!
Dignify your pastor by communicating effectively. If there is a reason you would not be in church or a meeting, take permission! Send a text. Call them. Let them be able to vouch for you. People have escaped huge problems because their pastors could vouch for them.
Dignify your pastor by refusing to entertain gossip about them. Ensure your space is not the place to dissect how the Pastor preached or his wife’s dressing. Do not put a sword on their backs while you smile at their face.
If you cannot accept instructions from the mouth of a Pastor, you should find another church family rather than cause division because you are disgruntled.
Remember the admonition of Paul to Timothy that those who labour in word and doctrine deserve double honour. Treating your boss with class and your pastor like trash is carnality. You take corrections at work, but you despise rebuke in church.
Dignify your Pastor by giving him healthy feedback. If you enjoy access to him, see his efforts before you see his faults. Ensure that you give him information that will help his work.
If you are on his team, talk like a team member. You will be too busy to point fingers if your hands are on deck. If someone in church raises an issue, speak with the mindset of a team member. Do not say, “That is how they behave,” or “Me, I don’t know o.”
Do not forget that Pastors are human too. They will be held doubly accountable for what they teach and the decisions they make- help make your Pastor’s work easier. Dignify them!