Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. Acts 20:28

1 Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. 1 Timothy 3:1-4

Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. James 3:1

12 Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance. 13 Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. I Thessalonians 5:12-13 (NLT)

TATAKE HOME THOUGHT One Way You Can Care for Your New Pastor Is By Learning How to Value Him

HOW TO VALUE YOUR PASTOR VALUE HIS GIFTS

HOW TO VALUE YOUR PASTOR VALUE HIS GIFTS VALUE HIS PERSONALITY

“GIVE ME THE RICH BROWN LOOK” X

HOW TO VALUE YOUR PASTOR VALUE HIS GIFTS VALUE HIS PERSONALITY VALUE HIS NEEDS

HOW TO VALUE YOUR PASTOR VALUE HIS GIFTS VALUE HIS PERSONALITY VALUE HIS NEEDS VALUES HIS REPUTATION

HOW TO VALUE YOUR PASTOR VALUE HIS GIFTS VALUE HIS PERSONALITY VALUE HIS NEEDS VALUE HIS REPUTATION VALUE HIS FAMILY

HOW TO VALUE YOUR PASTOR VALUE HIS GIFTS VALUE HIS PERSONALITY VALUE HIS NEEDS VALUE HIS REPUTATION VALUE HIS FAMILY VALUE HIS MINISTRY

HOW TO VALUE YOUR PASTOR VALUE HIS GIFTS VALUE HIS PERSONALITY VALUE HIS NEEDS VALUE HIS REPUTATION VALUE HIS FAMILY VALUE HIS MINISTRY VALUE HIS TIME

HOW TO VALUE YOUR PASTOR VALUE HIS GIFTS VALUE HIS PERSONALITY VALUE HIS NEEDS VALUE HIS REPUTATION VALUE HIS FAMILY VALUE HIS MINISTRY VALUE HIS TIME VALUE HIS CALLING

“Century after century, Christians continue to take certain persons in their communities, set them apart, and say, ‘You are our shepherd. Lead us to Christlikeness.’ “Yes, their actions will often speak different expectations, but in the deeper regions of the soul, the unspoken desire is for more than someone doing a religious job. “If the unspoken words were uttered, it would sound like this:

“We want you to be responsible for saying and acting among us what we believe about God and kingdom and gospel…We believe (in) all of this but we don’t see it. “We need help in keeping our beliefs sharp and accurate and intact…We want you to give us help.

“Be our pastor…in the middle of this world’s life “Be our pastor…in the middle of this world’s life. Minister with Word and sacrament in all the different parts and stages of our lives. “This isn’t the only task in the life of faith, but it is your task. We will find someone else to do the other important and essential tasks.

“One more thing: We are going to ordain you to this ministry and we want you to vow that you will stick to it. This is not a temporary job assignment but a way of life that we need lived out in our community. “We know you are launched on the same difficult belief venture in the same dangerous world as we are. We know your emotions are as fickle as ours, and your mind is a tricky as ours.

“That is why we are going to ordain you and why we are going to exact a vow from you. We know there will be days and months, maybe even years, when we won’t feel like believing anything and won’t want to hear it from you. “And we know there will be days and weeks and maybe even years when you won’t feel like saying it.

“It doesn’t matter. Do it “It doesn’t matter. Do it. You are ordained to this ministry, vowed to it. “There may be times when we come to you as a committee or delegation and demand that you tell us something else than what we are telling you now. Promise right now that you won’t give in to what we demand of you.

“You are not the minister of our changing desires, or the minister of our time-conditioned understanding of our needs, or the minister of our secularized hopes for something better. “With these vows of ordination we are lashing you fast to the mast of Word and sacrament so you will be unable to respond to the siren voices.

“There are many other things to be done in this wrecked world and we are going to be doing at least some of them, but if we don’t know the foundational realities with which we are dealing – God, kingdom, gospel – we are going to end up living futile, fantasy lives.

“Your task is to keep telling the basic story, representing the presence of the Spirit, insisting on the priority of God, speaking the biblical words of command and promise and invitation.” from “Lashed to the Mast” by Eugene Peterson

Value Your New Pastor’s… Gifts Personality Needs Reputation Family Ministry Time Calling

And now, friends, we ask you to honor those leaders who work so hard for you, who have been given the responsibility of urging and guiding you along in your obedience. Overwhelm them with appreciation and love! 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 (The Message)