appreciating your pastor: from the heart of the pastor’s wife

Ladies ~ allow me to introduce you to Amy Hickman. She serves along side her husband Jeff at Life Song Church in Lyman, SC. I asked her if I could feature a part of her blog post

This is what she said.....

October has been dubbed, “Pastor Appreciation Month,” but for me, the wife of a Pastor, I’ve learned the importance of appreciating my pastor husband everyday. The Scripture is full of mandates and encouragement to honor, respect, esteem, and pray for our pastors/leaders. It is, for me, one thing to love and support my pastor simply because he’s my husband, but quite another to esteem and respect his leadership as a major contributor to my spiritual growth apart from what he already does to spiritually lead our home. My husband has been my pastor for 15 of the 17 years we have been married, and over the years, there are some specific things I’ve learned show him great appreciation as my pastor.

*Pray for him. This may seem so obvious, but it’s what makes or breaks our pastors. Why? It is not simply that we pray, but rather what we pray. My prayer for my pastor is that God keep him clean and close. Satan seeks to fire darts at this man of God as often as he can get to him. Praying your pastor stays clean and close in his relationship with God is his protection from attack, moral failure, depression, along with a host of other attempts to discourage him…BUT, it’s also a contributor to seeing him soar. Pray for your pastor!

*Love and respect him. This is absolutely no different than what I pray for him as his wife, but it is also so important for me to do as someone under his leadership.

Be responsive to your pastoral leaders. Listen to their counsel. They are alert to the condition of your lives and work under the strict supervision of God. Contribute to the joy of their leadership, not its drudgery. Why would you want to make things hard er for them? Hebrews 13:17 MSG

One of the best ways I can respect and listen to him is to do it in joy. Constant complaining, negativity and “cup half full-ness” is not helping, but rather hindering, him soar as a leader. We won’t always agree…no one does, but I can follow him regardless of not agreeing by esteeming him. It is sad to see in many churches that people identify themselves with just where they go to church, and in turn make the life of the pastor miserable by disrespecting his leadership. Support your pastor and love him. Love covers everything.

*Don’t just be hearers, but be doers. When we believe in a pastor’s vision that God has uniquely given him, we appreciate our pastors when we do our part to fulfill the vision. I don’t know of a better way to appreciate your pastor than to take his passion and make it your passion. Together this will change lives and that’s when we see souls saved and changed.

“Along the same lines, the Master directed that those who spread the Message be supported by those who believe the Message.” 1 Corinthians 9:14 MSG

Believe in your pastor’s vision, and support him by seeing that vision come to life!

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