Pay tribute to the pastor and his family in every possible way. Honor them on special days—birthdays, anniversaries, Mothers’ and Fathers’ Days. Take them out to eat. Invite them to your home for a meal. The church should set aside a Pastor Appreciation Week. See that they can afford a vacation. Bake them a cake or pie or a pan of enchiladas.
By Shirley Buxton
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“… what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and walk humbly with thy God?”
-Micah 6:8
Paul addressed both the Roman and the Corinthian churches, noting they had been “… called to be saints.” Romans 1:7 and I Corinthians 1:2. Of no small import is such an understanding. To have been called into the position of saint is a prominent honor which should never be disregarded nor disparaged. It is a high calling—of heavenly origin. Such calling extends far beyond that of human summons to take on a transcendent nature, accurately denoted to be within the scope of the highly spiritual.
Many preachers agree that far too long some facets of the work of God have been relegated solely to the ministry, when in fact much of the advancement of the kingdom of God could be assumed by the laity. Once a group of saints understands the authority and power that reside within them, it produces a dynamic church. This is not to diminish preachers, nor is it a failure to recall the respect they deserve. We must have the ministry. We cannot be saved without them. To emphasize this, I again direct you to Paul. To the church at Corinth, he thunders that we are saved by preaching. I Corinthians 1:21 An awakened, anointed saint will do nothing save to enhance and augment the work of her pastor.
It is timely to examine those attributes of which a sterling saint is comprised. Much of the material in this chapter will pertain also to ministers’ wives, for indeed ministers’ wives are first saints. The thrust though will be toward that of the saint who is not a minister’s wife.
Prime in the true saint is a born-again experience and a subsequent walk in the Spirit. It is impossible to be a saint unless these foundational principles are sanctioned and confirmed. It is beyond the scope of this book to delve deeply into the New Testament plan of salvation, but the sterling saint will be sure of her salvation. You will search the scripture for yourself. It is not enough to “parrot” the words of the preacher; you must know what constitutes salvation. How does a true Christian look, act and think? Ask questions of your pastor. Read the Bible. Cherish His Word. Feed on it. Communicate daily with the Master. Love the holy life.
You will endear yourself to the pastor if you have an understanding of what it means to extend the arms of the pastor and his family. You will call people who are absent from church, not asking for an accounting, but telling them sincerely how much they are missed. You will offer to pray and help with any situations that may have arisen, while carefully refraining from unnecessary inquisitiveness. Never will you gossip. Never. At all.
The outstanding saint will be protective of her pastor. You will “guard his back,” defending him against critics and naysayers. Look to the good qualities of the pastor and of his family, recognizing that he is human, that he is fallible and that he will make mistakes. There will be times when he judges wrongly. There may be occasions he says things he doesn’t mean.
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