the pastor.

This post is purely informational. I do not mean it any other way, so please try not to read it so :) 

I made a brief post with links to some brief articles on supporting the pastor's wife. Check it out and better support your pastors' wives (one wife per pastor, ha!).

This post, though, needs to be a little longer. If you love and appreciate your pastor, hang with me! I promise you will find at least one way to better support or encourage your pastor, which can only have positive results.

As I was "researching" some helpful tips to share from those wiser than me, I stumbled across some comments about, "Well, ya ya ya, these things are true of any [small business owner, person in leadership, etc]." While that may be true, I'm just looking to share from what consumes much of our lives: a pastor in full-time church ministry! (Both of us have dads who serve/served as senior pastors and have been in ministry our whole lives!) 

Without further ado, here are some of my favorite helpful tips on how to support your pastors! I simply chose some I felt most helpful and practical to share. You can always google and read more. :) 

Maybe make a list of your favorites to keep handy! Serving others as a pastor takes more than you'll ever understand unless you're a pastor. Put excuses on the back burner and better supporting your pastors. Don't leave your pastors hangin'! 

{Ideas pulled from: Here and Here  and Here- click to read more I didn't include, or more detail on some of them! Some links I included inline.}

1. Pray for them.
2. Make sure they have sabbath time.
3. Learn how much your pastors really work. 
4. Remember that you called your pastor, not their whole family. [Take the extra minute to read #4 on this list!]
5. Support their vacation time. Continuing education, church-related trips, and vacations are not one and the same.
6. Be present more than just on Sunday. Balance contribution and consumption.
7. Get to really know your pastor.
8. Take them out for lunch and talk about something other than problems.
9. Find ways to help give them a break, from church service or from home responsibilities. [Volunteer, babysit for date night, or "Offer to meet him at his house on his day off to help fix things around the place. Some ministers are all thumbs when it comes to working with their hands ... (like me). Others are too busy to take the time!" (Family Life)]
10. If you like to give gifts, find out what books or periodicals he's been wanting (wives and secretaries are a great help). 
11. Write them a note of the specific (avoid broad statements!) ways you appreciate them or how God has used them in your life.

While we are working on how to better support our pastors as "parishoners" (there's got to be a better word!), I will be working on how to better support my pastor husband as his wife.