Setting Up Your Pastor, to Pastor

The calling of the Pastor is a consuming one.  Even after the offices close, the Pastor is still thinking about how he can better explain a key point in his upcoming sermon, about what he needs to communicate at next week's deacon meeting, and about what he can say to console the church member who just lost a loved one. This is all on top of leading his household.  These are things that many churches never consider when they bring on a Pastor.  In light of this, I felt compelled to create a short list of some things that churches can do to allow their Pastor, to pastor.

These are things that have personally blessed me in my time as a Pastor:

1.  A Continuing Education Fund

A continuing education fund is a great way to keep your Pastor sharp, refreshed, and knowledgeable about the subjects that he is teaching and preaching about.  This fund can include books, schooling, and certifications.  The best part about including the books in this fund is that the Pastor gets to keep them!  I cannot express the freedom I have personally enjoyed in being able to order books at leisure to help me adequately prepare for a specific study.

The Father's House Foundation in Glen Rose, Texas provides a unique way to keep your pastor educated and refreshed in their Pastor Tour Program.  For more information, visit fathershousefoundation.com.

2.  A Conference Fund

Conferences are another way of keeping your Pastor refreshed and educated with what is going on in the religious-political world around him.  Many churches are a part of local, state, and national conventions which are continuously expanding and changing.  It is important for your Pastor to know what is going on in these conventions because your church supports them financially.  If he is going to lead you correctly, then it is important to give him the opportunity to attend these conventions, especially the state and national ones.  Also, it gives him an opportunity to connect with friends that he has not seen in a while (which encourages him) and to build networks with new friends around the state and nation.

Two great articles on networking can be found on lookslikereign.com:  Networking (1) and (2)

3.  A Hospitality Fund

A hospitality fund is a great way to cultivate an opportunity for your Pastor to be able to reach people in a unique way.  The fund reaches the churched, unchurched, and soon-to-be-churched.  That is, this fund can be used to take staff members out for their birthdays, to take a prospective member to lunch, or to purchase a meal for an atheist that your pastor met in town and wants to converse with.  In any case, this frees up the Pastor to be able to do this without having to worry if he has the funds in his own bank account to do so.

4.  Strong and Supportive Leadership

One of the most important things a church can do to help their Pastor succeed is to provide strong and supportive leadership.  The lack of leadership, or the lack of support from leadership, is one of the leading causes of the premature exodus of a Pastor.   I cannot count how many times I have heard of a Pastor leaving or having a difficult time ministering because he doesn't get along with the leadership.  A Pastor is, by definition, God's shepherd called to lead a faith family in a certain direction.  He needs the freedom and support to do so.  This is not to say that the leadership can't step in if the Pastor is out of line (everyone needs accountability), but it needs to be done in a biblical and loving way.  This means not talking about the Pastor behind his back, or undermining his authority in nonsensical ways.

5.  Prayer

Prayer is the most important item on this list.  This includes prayer for your Pastor and prayer with your Pastor.  Consider having a weekly time in which you can gather with others from your fellowship to pray with your Pastor.  This is an incredible time of fellowship and support and any Pastor worth his salt will welcome such an opportunity with open arms.  When you pray for your Pastor individually, make sure to let him know every once in a while.  It will encourage him in ways that you can never imagine.

I am sure there are countless other items that can, and should, be added to this list, but these are just a handful of things that I believe will help your Pastor, pastor.  They give him freedom, encouragement, and support that will cultivate an environment for him to seek the Lord's will out without having many unneeded hindrances.