How to Minister to Your Minister

Did you know that October is Pastor Appreciation Month?
I want to know who made that decision.Why October? Why not June? Why a month and not just a week? Does that mean that for the other 11 months of the year you can take you pastor for granted?

I'm being silly, of course, because I do think it is important to acknowledge the hard work that pastors do. I have thought about this topic off and on for many years as I have gotten to know various pastors and their families -- not that I have felt particularly neglected in this area because we have been blessed throughout the years. But sometimes I think that churches kind of inadvertently overlook the needs of their shepherd.

So how do you minister to your minister? How do you show him appreciation? (And forgive me for using the masculine to describe the minister because I, being a woman, am married to a man who is a pastor. That's kind of the perspective I have on the matter. If you're the parent of a child at First Baptist in Richmond, however, you might want to take what I'm writing here and apply it to Rachel -- your child's minister.)

I would suggest that you follow five principles in ministering to your minister.

1. Survey the need.
2. Ask for God's guidance in meeting the need.
3. Pray.
4. Act.
5. Follow up.

When reaching out to the people in our community, this is what we do, isn't it. 

So let's apply this to our ministerial staff.

Think about these five things. Tomorrow I'll expound on them.