A card or a kind word at the door is good. Your pastor, or your parish priest, needs something more than that. He needs your prayers, and he needs them to be specific. Paul asked for exactly this. He urged the Romans to join him in his struggle through prayer (Romans 15:30). He asked the Ephesians to pray that he would preach with boldness (Ephesians 6:19). He asked the Colossians to pray that God would open a way for the gospel (Colossians 4:3). To the Thessalonians he made the same request in a single short line (1 Thessalonians 5:25). If the apostle needed that, so does the man in your pulpit.
Why the need is so great: Peter Orr, a New Testament lecturer at Moore Theological College in Sydney, Australia, writes at Crossway that every Christian faces difficulty, but the challenges of pastoral ministry are often more acute. A pastor has his own walk with Jesus to keep, plus the task of leading Christians who do not always want to be led and preaching to a world that does not want to hear. Orr has helped train hundreds of men and women for ministry over the last decade. A significant number, he says, now face personal, psychological or relational struggles so intense that many are leaving their posts. One friend wrote to him that he was "struggling to function and on four weeks of medical leave to recover from it all."
Orr points to Paul's own words about the daily weight of his concern for every church (2 Corinthians 11:28). Because pastors teach the gospel and guard the flock, he writes, they are under more spiritual attack than the rest of us, and that attack often arrives as unfair criticism or unrealistic expectations from believers. He adds that it is hard to rebuke a church member, something Paul expects a pastor to do (Titus 2:15), when so many voices say pastors crave power.
So here is a plan for this week, built from Paul's requests. Monday: pray for his soul, that his love for Christ stays warm and his private prayer stays real. Tuesday: pray for protection from the attacks Orr describes, and for a thick skin with a soft heart. Wednesday and Thursday: pray while he studies for Sunday, that God gives him the words (Ephesians 6:19). Friday: pray for rest, sleep and time with his family. Saturday: pray for an open way for the gospel in your town (Colossians 4:3). Sunday: pray during the sermon, not only before it.
Then tell him. A short note that says you prayed for his sermon on Thursday will reach further than a gift card. Orr's article is adapted from his book Fight for Your Pastor. He assumes you already love your pastor. He wants to nudge you to love him on purpose.
Orr does not spare the details. He writes at Crossway that another pastor friend had to take medical leave after serious accusations were made against him. After a year of intense stress the man was exonerated, but the effects remain with him and his family. Of those who leave ministry, Orr says, some go to parachurch work, some to secular jobs, and some leave the faith altogether. He also describes what he calls a general weather front of apostasy, secularism and unbelief. A pastor who stands on God's Word about sexual ethics, gender or the uniqueness of Christ faces rising hostility from the world, and high-profile scandals have left even godly men under suspicion.
The small discouragements add up too. Orr writes that during COVID some members stayed away from church while happily attending restaurants and sporting events. One friend was thanked for his online resources because a family could watch the service at a more convenient time, and at 1.5 speed, so church took less time out of their schedule. Christians can do little to change the weather, Orr says, but they can support their pastors through prayer, encouragement, generosity and forgiveness. Orr and his wife, Emma, have four sons and are members at All Saints Petersham.
Scripture: Romans 15:30, Ephesians 6:19, Colossians 4:3, 1 Thessalonians 5:25, 2 Corinthians 11:28, Titus 2:15
