A 2022 Barna research survey found that 42% of senior pastors have seriously considered quitting the ministry. 65% of pastors feel lonely and isolated while only 49% feel well-supported by people close to them. Your pastor needs your encouragement!
How can you encourage your pastor in global missions?
Pray for your pastor and pray with your pastor
Prayer is not something you do after you have done everything else you can. Prayer is the primary work! Pray for your pastor. Pray for his relationship with Jesus. Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Pray for his relationships with his family members. Pray as he shepherds the flock of God.
Pray for your pastor to have wisdom to know and be faithful to his role in leading the flock to not only “enjoy God’s grace” but also to “extend God’s glory to the nations.” Also pray with your pastor for God to bless your church to be a blessing to all nations (Gen. 12:1-3, Ps. 67:1-2).
Encourage your pastor
There are many ways you can show appreciation for your pastor’s ministry. Write a note to encourage him. Share with him how a recent sermon has encouraged you. Be on the look out for how you see the grace of God in and through his life and ministry rather than complaining about what could be better. Make sure you acknowledge all the ways that he is serving your church body.
Build a relationship
Build a meaningful relationship with your pastor, finding ways to care for him and better understand where he is coming from. Ask good questions about his life and ministry. Remember your pastor may not have had much exposure to teaching on global missions. Most seminaries and Bible schools don’t require many missions classes. Be patient with him. “Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger” (James 1:19).
Hear his vision for global missions
Learn about your pastor’s vision for global missions. How has his own thinking about global missions been shaped? Are there locations and peoples where he wants the church to give specific focus?
Share what God has been teaching you
After listening and understanding where your pastor is coming from, share what God has been teaching you about global missions and how you are applying this in your own life.
Serve faithfully in the church
Your pastor has many burdens. Be a burden lifter, not a burden giver. Ask him if there are ministry responsibilities you can help carry. Find ways to partner with what your church is already doing locally and globally. Be a faithful mobilizer to connect others to God’s purpose for the nations in your church.
Invite your pastor to come to Engage Global
Bless your pastor by paying for him to join us at Engage Global. Reach out to Walt ([email protected]) for a time when your pastor can go through our training.
Your pastor has many local ministry responsibilities with all of their demands such as studying, praying, preaching, counseling, planning, leading, and local evangelism, discipleship and church-planting. Your pastor will probably not be the hands and feet of the work of global missions through your church. He will likely be the voice and vision for missions. Encourage your pastor in the unique role he plays in seeing God glorified among the nations.
