Pastor, Be Encouraged

We live in a day where pastoral comparisons are rampant. It used to be that you were only compared to the pastors in your town. Now you are compared to everyone on the continent. It is a reality that can quickly lead to discouragement. What can pastors do to stay encouraged when the comparisons inevitably arrive?

I just checked my Twitter account. I have 262 followers. I checked some well-known pastors and they have as many as 600,000 followers. It doesn’t take a brilliant pastor to figure out that I clearly may not have what they have when it comes to drawing a crowd. However, this reality does not make me less valuable to the One who created me and it surely does not have to be an excuse for me to be ineffective. If you feel the pressure of comparison, here are a few tips that I hope help you pastor well.

  1. Be present with your people. The pastor of the mega church that your people quote on social media will not be the one who is present with them. Be present with the grace of Christ. Love your people well. Let them know what a joy it is to be their pastor. 
  2. Be prepared for Sunday. If someone asks you on Friday what you are preaching on Sunday, it would be a good idea to know the answer. You may not be the most gifted communicator but we all can grow as communicators of the gospel. There is no excuse for being unprepared for Sunday. 
  3. Be praying for your people. The pastors your people quote on social media have likely never approached the throne of God and mentioned your people by name to Him. We live in a society where Oscar winners, movie stars and mega-church pastors receive a lot of attention. Your relationship with those in your congregation is unique in that you have poured your heart out to God on their behalf. Your congregant may talk about the other pastor but more often than not, their heart is for you.
  4. Be pleasant with your people. One of my “favorite” experiences happens when I have preached my heart out, concluding that it may have been one of the best sermons I have ever preached in my life and someone comes up and says, “On the way to church this morning I heard Pastor Popular say ‘fill-in-the-blank’ and it was such a blessing to me.” When you dance in the space of wanting to cry or cringe, celebrate God’s grace at work in their life. Let them know you are glad they are growing in their faith. Being pleasant is usually better than slapping congregants silly.
  5. Be proud of your people. I ask my staff a couple times a month who needs a note of encouragement or who would benefit from a warm, “Thank you!” I order postcards 500 at a time to send to people in my congregation to let them know they are loved. Your congregants will never get one of those from the people they quote on social media. Endear yourself to those in your congregation by expressing to them the joy you find in seeing them serve with gladness. Let them know you are proud of them.

I know that being a pastor can be hard on some, if not many days. I know that comparisons can sting. God knew what He was doing when He called you into the ministry. You may not be “that guy” but you are that man or woman that was called to preach. Focus on how you can improve each week in your ministry and be encouraged.