A Closer Walk

October is Pastor Appreciation Month, and Pastor Appreciation Day is the second Sunday of the month. We might all take it upon ourselves to show appreciation to our Pastors in some way this month. Pastors are often taken for granted, and they have a thankless job. Ever thank your Pastor for what they do? Ever give your Pastor a gift of appreciation?
So what is the role of a Pastor within a local church? "Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness," 1 Peter 5:1-2 NASB. A Pastor's primary responsibility is to shepherd the flock. What does a shepherd do? A shepherd watches over the flock and keeps it safe. In the case of actual sheep the shepherd protects his flock and keeps natural predators, such as wolves, coyotes, and bears, away. It is the same with the flock of God. The Pastor and the elders must seek to keep false teachers and those who would seek to mislead or harm the flock away. The Apostle Paul deals with this in many of his writings.
The shepherd feeds the flock. Every sermon is food for our spirits, our minds, and our bodies. But the Pastor also sees to it that one of his flock who may be in need receives actual food, or whatever help they might need. If the local church has a benevolence fund it is used for this very purpose. And this fund is used with utmost discretion. As members of the congregation we likely won't know who was helped, and when or why.
The shepherd tends to the health of the flock. Those with illnesses or afflictions are checked on and cared for. Pastors make hospital and nursing home visits. They pray for the individual and their families. They comfort those who have lost a loved one through death. If the individual needs care that the Pastor can't provide they can help the individual get in touch with someone that is able to provide the care they need. And the Pastor conducts funerals.
Pastors also perform weddings. Prior to the wedding they provide premarital counseling in order to help the couple better understand what they are getting into, and to help the groom better understand the bride, and the bride to better understand the groom. Pastors perform post-marital counseling for any couples who may be having some difficulty and help them work through the situation.
Pastors provide counseling to any member of the flock who needs to talk about life, struggles, or trials. Pastors can provide Biblical perspective for situations or circumstances. They can help people to see things from a different angle. They can offer wisdom from their own experiences in counseling with others in the past.
A Pastor is a wonderful gift to their congregation. Someone who is called and equipped by God to shepherd the flock in their particular congregation. Consider showing your Pastor appreciation and gratitude sometime this month. And may our Lord bless you in this endeavor.
“And He gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ,” Ephesians 4:11-12 NASB.