Point-of-View

Ministers are periodically in the news but rarely for good reasons. Many times, negative clergy coverage is justified.

Who can forget Jimmy Swaggart, Jim and Tammy Bakker or even closer to home in Florida, the Rev. Henry Lyons. Most recently, the Catholic church has had to deal with moral failures among some of its clergy.

All of these high profile, bubble-bursting stories can leave some with a skeptical view of ministers. However, it's important to remember that just because some clergy have had major moral failures, that doesn't mean all clergy are that way.

Even if 10 percent of the ministers in America have had moral failures, that means 90 percent have not. These are men that have never been unfaithful to their wives, have never harmed a child and have never embezzled a penny from the church. These are the ministers who are in your wedding pictures, who dedicated your children to God, who visited you in the hospital, who counseled you when you needed direction, who did the funeral services of your loved ones, who got out of bed in the middle of the night when there was a crisis, and who every Sunday, point you toward God.

Because this describes most ministers, October is designated as Clergy Appreciation Month, a special time that churches set aside each year to honor their pastors for their hard work, sacrificial dedication and caring lives.

There are three things you can do to express appreciation this month to your pastor. One, tell him how you feel in writing. A spoken compliment is always welcome, but a written one can be read over and over again. What do you appreciate about your pastor? Put it in writing and mail it to him or give it to him on Sunday.

Two, let your pastor know that you are praying for him. Pastors usually carry more burdens than most people know. He may have a winsome smile on Sundays, but I guarantee you there are times when his heart is very heavy. Pastors continually battle discouragement. People often put a measuring stick up to the pastor, his ministry and his family. If a minister has avoided moral failures, I honestly give part of the credit to his church members holding him up in prayer.

Third, if possible, do something for your pastor as a church. Sunday, the church where I pastor had all the pastoral staff come forward and all of us were presented with gift certificates to our favorite restaurants. The people then gave us a warm round of applause. It was a way the whole church could say, "Thank you, Pastor."

We all know there are no perfect pastors. Sometimes pastors can be cantankerous, forgetful and stubborn. But if, overall, he is faithful to God, teaches from the Word and loves people, he should be honored during Clergy Appreciation Month. As the Bible says in 1 Timothy 5:17, those who direct the affairs of the church are worthy of honor. They may never be on CNN, Fox's News Network, or Larry King Live for viewers to hear about the lives that have been helped and changed as God worked through him. But they won't mind, because one more thing you can appreciate about most pastors is they live not for the applause of men, but for the applause of God.

The Rev. Jerry Waugh is the senior pastor of Northcliffe Baptist Church in Spring Hill.

Editor’s note: October is Pastor Appreciation Month. Please take advantage of this opportunity to show your gratitude to your pastor(s). Ideas can be found at: www.christianitytoday.com/holidays/clergy/.