I am truly grateful for my pastor. Clergy frequently
–are on 24/7 call for little pay
–have to minister when they themselves have wounds and struggles.
–experience criticism from congregation and society at large, based on things unrelated to their character or learning
–worry about spouse and children who are put on a pedestal.
I realize that I need to focus more on what my clergy have done, and how I can support them, rather than be just a consumer.
What are you going to do for your clergy this month?
Thanks.
Maybe we can post some appreciation of clergy that have influenced us positively, either past or present.
Has any one of us wanted to be a pastor or priest, and in retrospect, been glad we haven’t? I did think of it at one point–medicine, pastor, farmer, English teacher were my career choices!
I’m reminded of one of my favorite jokes:
An evangelist has just held a revival meeting, and the pastors in town are discussing the aftereffects in their congregations.
The Methodist pastor said, “We did really well. We have 4 new families in our church!”
The Baptist pastor said, “We did really well, too. We have 6 new families in our church!”
The Presbyterian pastor said, “We did really well, too. We got rid of our 10 worst troublemakers!”
My dad, though, never had that option. The business meetings came to him. They were in his living room or at his kitchen table, and he knew that, at any time, a business meeting gone wrong could result in his losing his home, his friends, and his school and ending up somewhere entirely new. Maybe even more than that, he could see a man he revered cut apart by critics, while smiling through it all and then showing up to those same people’s hospital rooms when they were sick or standing over their caskets to recite words of comfort when they died. I never had to see that.