“Pastor, you need to spend less time with God and more time with us!” 

by | Christian Practice, Church

A long-time church member said this to me in a public church meeting a few years ago. She objected to me going on prayer and sermon planning retreats when I could be visiting her and her friends more.

As pastor, I thought I had two main jobs:

  1. Bring the church before God, get his direction for it, and lead the people in that direction
  2. Teach the people to bring themselves before God, get God’s direction for their own lives, and go there

This woman also thought I had two main jobs:

  1. Make her feel good about herself 
  2. Be there if she ever felt she needed spiritual advice or comfort

Unfortunately, this woman is not an isolated example. Many church folks think the pastor’s job is to do religious things for them (as they pay a lawyer to do legal things), reassure them they’re in good with God, and grow the church. Most pastors understand that their job is to equip God’s people to do God’s work until they resemble God’s Son (Ephesians 4:12-13).

You can’t be a good pastor without loving people, and you can’t equip people without spending time with them. But it’s not up to the people to tell you what that looks like. It’s up to you as pastor to hear that from God. 

Thank you, Pastor, for making the effort to get your priorities from God, and for persevering when your people, God bless them, don’t seem to get it. Some will understand that the best way you can love them and help them is by spending time with God on their behalf and doing what he tells you. As for the rest, as the saying goes, love them all and let God sort them out.

Let me pray for you:

Lord God, I thank you for the pastor reading this. Thank you that they answered your call to this difficult task. Thank you for their love for you and for your people. I pray that you will help them draw even closer to you this week, and I pray that their people would recognize and appreciate that about them. Give them peace, joy, wisdom, strength, support, encouragement, and all the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. 

The above first appeared in the Thank You, Pastor! email letter, issue #1, on Jan. 7, 2024.

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