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.
- I love my pastor because he studies and preaches the Word faithfully. He is consistent every week.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- I love my pastor because he endures criticism from church members. And though the critics hurt him, he perseveres and loves them anyway.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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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106 Comments
Thom, I had no idea you were in my hometown now! My sister and family attend B’wood First Baptist. We support and love Pastor Glenn. This is a super article. I shared it on the Facebook page for Shepherd’s Fold Ministries (which I lead, in addition to pastoring Wichita First Church of the Nazarene.
Also, would you be interested in talking about being a guest speaker for Shepherd’s Fold “Day of Renewal” 2016? Can you give me contact info to talk to you about it? http://www.shepherdsfoldministries.org/
Blessings,
Brent Van Hook
Brent: Thank you. My contact info is on the blog.
Your pastor was our pastor when we lived in Franklin, and we still miss him! Mike Glenn is an outstanding pastor and a wonderful Christian gentleman. We loved our years at Brentwood Baptist.
This July I’ll be bring our Anderson University DMin seminar to Brentwood and Mike will be co-teaching the seminar with me. I look forward to our group of pastors having time with him.
And thanks, Thom, for your strategic ministry!
How about- I love my pastor because my pastor is a SHE!
You have so adequately described my pastor, Joey Chafton, who serves the congregation at Oak Grove Baptist Church, Youngsville, NC. I could not have expressed it any better. Thank-you!
I love my pastor because he is also my husband 🙂 I appreciate all of the hard work he puts into our family and our church. He is a strong leader and now that I have seen all that being a pastor entails, I have a greater appreciation for all pastors I have had the privilege of learning under. Tarah Clark, Lassen Missionary Baptist, Susanville, Ca
AMEN, AMEN, & AMEN. Mike Glenn is all that and more. I am so blessed being a part of Brentwood Baptist. I thank God often for allowing me to be have a pastor like him and a church that is so mission minded and walks the talk.
Shelley, but did you ever live in Memphis? I know that’s kind of a strange question to ask on this blog, but your name sounds awfully familiar.
I apologize for the awkward wording in the first sentence of my preceding comment. I retyped it several times, and I failed to take out the word “but”. 🙂
As a pastor I appreciate this post. Thank you for modeling gratefulness to your pastor. However, I’d like to challenge your third statement, “I love my pastor because he is always on call.” Burnout is one of the number one reasons pastors leave the church. Most pastors I know do not observe a sabbath and many churches I know do not protect their pastors schedules. I agree that Pastors are always on call but this is an unhealthy aspect of christian ministry and doesn’t model the life of Jesus. I think elders and church leaders would be better off celebrating pastors who set healthy boundaries and lovingly admonishing pastors who are always available, “on call.” Thanks again for your kind post and thanks for reading.
I think Dr. Rainer meant his pastor is always available in case of an emergency. I think a good pastor should be on call 24/7 and should always be available in such cases. Non-emergency situations are an entirely different matter, however, so your point about setting boundaries is most certainly a valid one. Jesus told His disciples to “come apart, and rest a while”. As Vance Havner used to say, “We’d better ‘come apart’ or we’ll come apart!”
Ken,
I’d encourage you to think through the expectations you have put on your pastor. Healthy boundaries means a pastor really can’t always be “on call” for all emergencies. Jesus walked away many times from “emergencies.” The expectations most churches place on their pastors is unhealthy. Acts 6 clearly describes a situation like this. I encourage you to honestly sit down and ask your pastor…do emergency situations take away from his call to proclaim the word and to pray? Do emergency situations hurt his family life? A pastor should definitely make himself available during emergency situations but sometimes we should encourage our pastors to turn their phones off…vacations are a good example. Thanks for listening.
Did I mention that I’ve been a pastor for 20 years? I agreed with you that boundaries are necessary, but some emergencies require the pastor’s attention. If a person has a death in the family, am I supposed to tell them I can’t come because it’s my day off? I will not do that. True, sometimes it’s not always possible for a pastor to come back from vacation, but I still like to be informed if one of my members has an emergency. That way I can at least call them and express my sympathies.
Ken, I understand your point but Dr. Rainer is referring to his pastor…who happens to pastor a church of thousands of people. I sure hope Mike Glenn isn’t on call 24/7, even during vacations, for all emergencies. By celebrating pastors who interrupt their family vacations to handle emergencies we are placing an unhealthy weight upon them. Churches should encourage other pastoral staff or lay leaders to be available to handle crisis. It doesn’t just have to be the Senior pastor. Go back and read Dr. Rainer’s third point….I now feel sorry for Mike Glenn the next time he goes on vacation. He might feel guilt for turning his phone on silence when really we should be giving him space to rest and be with his family.
Dr. Rainer’s pastor has other staff to take over when he’s gone, but I daresay most pastors in the SBC do not. I was referring to them.
Giving honor where it is deserved and due. Nicely done.
Love the church, blemishes and all, and especially those who have given their lives to build it up.
Thank you for this post! I love my pastor for all of these reasons and more!
My pastors name is Richard Rogers and he leads and serves at University Heights Baptist Church in Huntsville, Texas.
Mike Glenn is my pastor too! He is amazing! And you you described him perfectly!
I love my pastor because his integrity is impeccable and he takes time to listen to me.
His name is Dale Braswell pastor of LifePoint Church of Lynnwood, Washington.
I love Pastor Mike Glenn also. I am thankful to be a member and Church Planting family sent by Brentwood Baptist Church to the ends of the earth. Thank you Thom for highlighting Your appreciation!