Worth Their Weight
“Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to give recognition to those who labor among you and lead you in the Lord and admonish you, and to regard them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 (CSB)
October is Pastor Appreciation Month, which is a strange thing for a pastor to write about. So let me be plain about why it matters, and it has nothing to do with me.
Paul tells a young church to give recognition to the people who labor among them. That word labor means work to the point of exhaustion. He's describing people who are genuinely worn down by the care of others, and he's telling the church to notice.
Here's what most people never see. The pastor who preached Sunday probably sat with a family Saturday night while somebody died. The volunteer who runs your kids' ministry rearranged her week to cover a room that was short two people. The small group leader who asked how you were doing is quietly carrying four other people's crises. Ministry is done mostly in rooms nobody photographs.
And Paul doesn't just say appreciate them. He says regard them very highly in love because of their work. Then he adds a phrase that sounds unrelated until you've been in ministry: be at peace among yourselves. Paul knew that nothing wears out a shepherd faster than a flock at war with itself.
You want to encourage the people who lead you? Be easy to lead. Show up. Serve something. Tell them one specific way God used them, not a generic compliment they'll forget by Tuesday. Pray for their marriage and their kids, who pay a cost most churches never count.
An enormous number of faithful leaders quit every year, and almost none of them quit because the work was hard. They quit because it was hard and nobody noticed.
Name one person who has fed you spiritually this year. Tell them today, specifically. You can assume somebody else will encourage them, or you can be the one who actually does it. They may be closer to quitting than you know.
Prayer
Lord, thank You for the people who have poured into my life and pointed me to You. Protect the pastors, leaders, and volunteers who serve when nobody is watching, and guard their families. Make me easy to lead and quick to encourage. Show me one person to thank today, and give me the words. In Jesus' name, Amen.
October is Pastor Appreciation Month, which is a strange thing for a pastor to write about. So let me be plain about why it matters, and it has nothing to do with me.
Paul tells a young church to give recognition to the people who labor among them. That word labor means work to the point of exhaustion. He's describing people who are genuinely worn down by the care of others, and he's telling the church to notice.
Here's what most people never see. The pastor who preached Sunday probably sat with a family Saturday night while somebody died. The volunteer who runs your kids' ministry rearranged her week to cover a room that was short two people. The small group leader who asked how you were doing is quietly carrying four other people's crises. Ministry is done mostly in rooms nobody photographs.
And Paul doesn't just say appreciate them. He says regard them very highly in love because of their work. Then he adds a phrase that sounds unrelated until you've been in ministry: be at peace among yourselves. Paul knew that nothing wears out a shepherd faster than a flock at war with itself.
You want to encourage the people who lead you? Be easy to lead. Show up. Serve something. Tell them one specific way God used them, not a generic compliment they'll forget by Tuesday. Pray for their marriage and their kids, who pay a cost most churches never count.
An enormous number of faithful leaders quit every year, and almost none of them quit because the work was hard. They quit because it was hard and nobody noticed.
Name one person who has fed you spiritually this year. Tell them today, specifically. You can assume somebody else will encourage them, or you can be the one who actually does it. They may be closer to quitting than you know.
Prayer
Lord, thank You for the people who have poured into my life and pointed me to You. Protect the pastors, leaders, and volunteers who serve when nobody is watching, and guard their families. Make me easy to lead and quick to encourage. Show me one person to thank today, and give me the words. In Jesus' name, Amen.
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