Twelve Reasons I Love My Pastor

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I love pastors and others who serve churches vocationally. But I must admit, I don’t verbalize or write about that love very often. Shame on me. Allow me to take a few moments to articulate some of the reasons I love my pastor.

  1. I love my pastor because he studies and preaches the Word faithfully. He is consistent every week.
  2. I love my pastor because he is a man of prayer. He knows he cannot lead and shepherd our church in his own power. He is totally dependent on God.
  3. I love my pastor because he is always on call. His workweeks are long. He knows his vacations and days off will often be interrupted by crises and deaths, but he doesn’t complain. He views it as a part of his call.
  4. I love my pastor because he is there to celebrate my victories and to comfort me in my difficulties. His life is a roller coaster of emotional events, but he remains constant and strong for our church.
  5. I love my pastor because he leads our church with a vision. And he constantly seeks to make certain it is God’s vision and not his own.
  6. I love my pastor because he endures criticism from church members. And though the critics hurt him, he perseveres and loves them anyway.
  7. I love my pastor because he is authentic. He does not act spiritually superior or condescending. The pastor I see in the pulpit is consistent with the pastor I see in other settings.
  8. I love my pastor because he bears the burdens of leading many people without complaints or self-pity. He hears of so many challenges and problems in others’ lives, but that does not deter him from listening and praying for us.
  9. I love my pastor because he is sacrificial. He seeks to put us church members before himself. He is a selfless man and a grateful man.
  10. I love my pastor because he loves to share the gospel and the power of the resurrection. He is truly passionate about seeing those without Christ become followers of the Savior.
  11. I love my pastor because he disciples and mentors many. He understands that his role is not to do all the work of ministry, but to equip others to do the work of ministry.
  12. I love my pastor because he loves our congregation with a Christ-like love. Though he can get frustrated and discouraged, his love for us does not wane. Indeed we get a glimpse of the love of Christ through the love of our pastor.

I could name so many other reasons I love my pastor, but I will let these be sufficient for now. I would love to hear from you about why you love your pastor. Feel free to give the name of your pastor and the name of your church.

By the way, my pastor’s name is Mike Glenn. He serves the congregation of Brentwood Baptist Church. I am really looking forward to your responses.

Posted on April 29, 2015


With nearly 40 years of ministry experience, Thom Rainer has spent a lifetime committed to the growth and health of local churches across North America.
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107 Comments

  • Karen Crook says on

    I love my pastor (Scott Crook, FBC Starke, FL) for all the reasons you mentioned! Mostly though, because next to loving Jesus, his first priority is to love, lead, and serve his family. I say this with confidence and much gratefulness because I see it daily. He’s not only my pastor, he’s my husband.

  • I love my pastor because of the challenges that are presented to us to become disciples of Jesus, while serving others.

  • As a pastor, it was very heartfelt to read your reasons why you love your pastor. I took it personally, even though I am not your pastor. I try and do all of those things for my own congregation. I do not expect any “praise of men” for it, but just to know that someone understands encourages me to keep on doing the work of the ministry. God bless you for this particular blog. With love, John

  • I love my pastor Dr. Allen Reed at FBC Nacogdoches, TX for all the reason mentioned above plus two more. One, because he is my boss (Im the youth minister) and he allows myself and our other staff to have vision for our ministries and gives us the freedom to do ministry. and Two, he’s also my Dad!! We’ve had the privilege of serving together for the past 8 years.

  • Glenda Bates says on

    I love my pastor for all of the reasons you listed and he is a great man of God. My Senior Pastor is a teaching pastor which I love. He is Ben Crowdis of First Baptist Church of Cuthbert, GA.

  • Great words about Pastor Mike Glenn. I love that he is transparent and shares openly. I watch him online all the way from Austin, Texas.

  • Thom Rainer says on

    A respectful request: please do not turn this post into a gender battle. Thank you.

  • You have described our pastor to the T!! We are blessed by Bryan Wise at Community Baptist Church in Richmond, MI.

  • Epiphany Baptist Church in Springfield, TN. Founding Pastor: David Evans. Current Pastor: Robby Ryan. Both men have served us well and have been strong leaders. Brother David leaned on the Lord to take our church from meeting in a little hotel room, to eventually getting our own facility after 13 years of being a “nomad church”. Today, he serves as the Evangelism Specialist for the TBC, he has made a great impact on our church and we love him. We’re thankful he still serves with us. Brother Robby has stepped in and is making a huge imprint on our congregation in the best way possible. The role of “pastor” is extremely important to my life and I am thankful to have the pastors I’ve had so far. I love my pastors!

  • Chris Thompson from Radiant Life Fellowship in Huntersville NC is my pastor. He is a great man.

  • David Hull says on

    Greetings Thom,
    My Pastor is Sam Dennis at Parkway Hills Baptist in Plano, Texas. These are 12 reasons that I love my pastor, and they all describe him in every way. I know that this list is not conclusive as to why I love my pastor, but each one aptly describes his daily life in serving God’s Kingdom in his role as Pastor of Parkway Hills. ~ David Hull

  • John Bell says on

    I love both of my teaching pastors for their boldness in delivering God’s word in genuine and applicable ways. Monty Waldron and Jeff Patton are expository preachers, currently walking through Paul’s Letter to the Romans. It has been an incredible journey to dissect this beautiful letter, line by line.

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