I served many years as a church Pastor. During those years I was privileged to work alongside many lay leaders who selflessly gave of their time and resources to advance the ministry of the church. My denomination is The Salvation Army and so the size of my congregations varied from city to city. Their were some appointments I served that had few leaders and others that had strong leadership. Sometimes, activities like Sunday School, Men's and Women's groups, youth groups and more had to be led by my wife and I while other times we were in appointments where we were blessed with leadership which helped carry the responsibility.
I have always been very grateful to all of those who offered themselves through church service. My wife and I continue to hear from many of them, now many years later. What a blessing they were and continue to be.
Today, I am reminded how important it is to value our helpers in the faith. It occurs to me that there are many ways we can support them. Here are a few.
Pray For Them
Mostly, our partners in ministry need your prayerful support. They are needful of this. Most have accepted responsibility that is critical to the spiritual growth of the church and for some this is an enormous task. Pray for each one by name daily!
Encourage Them
From time to time, leaders may become discouraged in the course of fulfilling their function. There are many reasons for this. Church members may criticise their efforts. They may not always see results from their efforts. Some may suffer from burn out. Still others may be under attack from Satan himself. Whatever feelings they may develop, each needs to know they have the support of their Pastor and Church Staff. As each Pastor knows, leadership can be a lonely endeavor.
Take time to let them know they are appreciated. If they are being unfairly criticised by others, let them know that you are in their corner. You may even choose to have a chat with those doing the criticising. Pray with them. If they are not seeing the results that they expect from their ministry let them know that God works in His own time and way and will always honor their efforts.
Equip Them
Make room in your schedule to provide your leaders with the tools they need to accomplish their ministry task. Nothing can be more frustrating than to have a feeling of being ill equipped. Training is critical to their ministry effectiveness.The more they learn, the more confidence they will have.
Thank God for Them
Get on your knees before a Holy God and thank Him for those He has sent your way. Be sure, they are a gift from God.
God works in wonderful ways His purpose to fulfill.
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