The month of October has come to be recognized as Clergy Appreciation Month in many circles. In a recent editorial for The Alabama Baptist, Bob Terry offered several suggestions for ways to honor and encourage the pastor. I particularly appreciated this one:
“Do not distract the minister from a ministry opportunity Sad are the stories of a minister who receives cruel and ugly messages immediately before a service. An angry church member complains about what happened in Sunday School. A member waits until ‘the next time I see that minister’ to deliver a message about something he or she dislikes. Someone angry with the minister berates the minister right before the church service starts. Then the minister is supposed to lead the service – a worship service, a funeral, whatever – as if nothing has happened.
“Distracting the minister immediately before a ministry opportunity is one of the surest ways to sabotage his or her usefulness to God in that situation. It is as if the person distracting the minister wants the minister to fail. There is no appreciation for the minister in such actions.” (Click here to read the full column – and feel free to share it with church members!)