One Pastor's Perspective - A Month of Appreciation

October is apparently 'Clergy Appreciation Month'.

I don't know who invents these things, but I want to take advantage of it in a particular way this year.  I would like to use my personal Blog and Facebook space to celebrate, encourage and support pastors of local churches in a concentrated way over the entire month.

But I should make something clear here, right at the beginning.  I no longer serve as a pastor of a local church.  So perhaps I now speak from an 'outside' perspective.  At least as far as an official capacity goes.  Then again, inside of me there is still a pastor.  I think that was true long before anyone called me pastor, and will likely be true no matter what else I might be called in the future.    So my perspective will be anything but objective.

To be honest, I hope to leverage my subjectivity and personal connection to this vocation in such a way that might bring awareness to various issues, ponderings and challenges that are specific to pastoral ministry.

If you're a pastor, my hope is that throughout the month you might be given something truly important, badly needed, or simply helpful for the task at hand.  Maybe this venture of mine will be part of that.  I hope so, but I hope greater things for you.  I hope your people will take the time to thank you for the way you love and serve them.  They can't possibly truly understand all that you do.  But they can let you know how much you mean to them.  I hope they do.  But even more importantly, I hope that whatever is before you in these next four weeks, you might be all the more aware of God's presence and power.

If you're led and taught and loved by a pastor, my hope is that throughout the month you might gain insights into what it's like to lead and teach and love you.  Your pastors study hard and pay attention to their congregations, sacrificing much, so that they can know you and serve you better. It seems only fitting, especially during Clergy Appreciation Month, that we say thank you.

If you've been abused or harmed by a pastor, my heart breaks.  I know this reality in ways that are personally wretched.  And I am so very sorry that someone whom you should have been able to trust broke that trust so profanely.  And this is also true; that's not all of us.  And pastors who are serving in love and faithfulness need to be cheered on so they can keep doing so.

So every day throughout October I will post something, either here or on Facebook only, that in some way acknowledges these spiritual leaders among us.  Scriptures, quotes, book recommendations, stories, ideas about ways to love your pastors, ideas about ways to pastor your people, my own heart ponderings from this new perspective I've been given.  Anything that will bring energy and life and hope to those who labour so beautifully in this mystical thing called a community of faith.