Killing Pastors

Are you killing your Pastor without even knowing it?

 Let’s just focus on the most visible side of the pastor’s job we are most vocal about

– The Speaking –

Do you understand how hard public speaking is?
Can you stand in front of a few hundred people without shaking?
Can you speak for 30-45 minutes and hold their attention?
Do you think you would be able to do that every week?

 For some of us, that alone is challenging enough – But for some pastors, the challenging part isn’t actually speaking – It’s the judgemental, critical, negative comments and feedback that awaits them afterwards.

That kills them more than you think…

5 Things to Understand…

 You Are Not an Expert
I personally would never go to a mechanic and tell them how to fix a car, despite the fact I have been driving since I was 17. However, since we have been in church our whole life, we feel that gives us the credibility to tell the pastor how they should do their job. Understand that they have education, training, certifications and much more experience than you have.
Telling them how to do their job isn’t your role.

Great Messages are Hard
Did you know most of the “big” pastors you listen to online have research teams that prepare all their messages and series for them? They have tons of resources and help to hit home runs every week – Your pastor probably doesn’t. Understand it’s not fair to compare them to Andy Stanley if you didn’t think the message hit that standard. They are trying their best with the little time they have.

They Don’t have Time – Many people actually feel all the pastor does is just work on Sundays. With everything that goes into your typical week from being a CEO, marketer, entrepreneur, manager, social worker, counsellor, trainer, arbitrator, event planner, fundraiser, they probably don’t have the 30-40 hours it takes to develop a talk to that standard every single week. Understand speaking isn’t the only thing on their to-do list.

You Are Not a Consumer
Just because you show up and put a few dollars in the offering plate, doesn’t mean you are now owed something. Like any product that doesn’t meet our needs or standards, society teaches us to complain and let our feelings be known until we get our way…How did that find its way into the church? Understand church is bigger than just yourself and shouldn’t solely be about what you can get. That sermon last week may not have done anything for you but it might have changed the life of the person sitting behind you.

They are Human
They hurt and bleed the same way you do. Believe it or not, your critical emails are not considered a spirit gift….nor are your words of “wisdom” you give them after they preach. Your negative words and what you say can be very discouraging and damaging. Understand that’s someone’s husband, wife, father, mother, friend you’re killing with your words.

The Proverbs tells us that “the tongue has the power of life and death”

Watch your pastor when he or she steps off the stage after they speak – There’s good chance they don’t look at anyone as those are the most vulnerable moments to any pastor. Can we focus on speaking life rather than death after they speak?

Here’s Your Challenge
After reading this, could you email, text or call your pastor today to encourage he or she a little bit? – And then after you do that, can you develop more positive habits that speaks life rather than death in your church? You have no idea how much of a boost that could give them.

 Mike Gordon

 Ps . Seriously…Message your pastor