Monster storm; pastor appreciation

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As I write this letter from France (where I’m attending an annual GCI worship celebration), my thoughts and prayers are with the many people who have been devastated by what is being called “monster storm Sandy, which traveled through the Caribbean, then up the US East coast with landfall in New Jersey. Dozens of lives have been lost, millions are without power and the property damage is unimaginable.

Please pray for all those suffering in Sandy’s wake, likely including some GCI members and pastors. As reports come in, we’ll update you on their circumstances and any needs for help (watch the comments section).

Before traveling to France, I was with Gary Deddo in England. We attended a European ministry leaders’ meeting, an Elders’ conference and services in area GCI congregations (see pictures below). We thoroughly enjoyed our time with our brothers and sisters in jolly olde England!

Pastor appreciation

As you probably know, October is Pastor Appreciation Month in the US and Canada. I hope all of you reading this who are pastors know that you are deeply appreciated—every month of the year!

Peter Drucker, who spent much of his life studying leadership, once said that the four hardest jobs in America are the US President, a university president, a hospital CEO, and a church pastor. Though some might disagree with Drucker’s assessment, I doubt that many of our pastors would.

Being a pastor is a high calling. However, it is often a great challenge—one that is sometimes made even greater by unrealistic expectations placed upon them (as humorously illustrated in the cartoons at left and below).

According to the Barna organization, about 85% of the churches in the US have less than 200 people, 60% have less than 100 and the average size is 89. But even in small congregations, the demands placed on pastors are experienced 24/7.

It seems that pastors are expected to be theologians, Bible teachers, accountants, vision-setters, counselors, public speakers, worship directors, prayer warriors, leadership developers and fundraisers. Given these expectations, I’m sure that those serving as pastors closely identify with what Paul wrote to the church at Corinth:

Remember, our Message is not about ourselves; we’re proclaiming Jesus Christ, the Master. All we are is messengers, errand runners from Jesus for you. It started when God said, “Light up the darkness!” and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful. If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That’s to prevent anyone from confusing God’s incomparable power with us. As it is, there’s not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we’re not much to look at. We’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken…While we’re going through the worst, you’re getting in on the best!… So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us (2 Corinthians 4:5-17, The Message Bible).

I don’t know whose idea it was to designate October as Pastor Appreciation Month. Some say in jest that it was the apostle Paul or Hallmark Cards! Maybe it was Focus on the Family. In any case, I think it’s a good idea, and before the month is over, I want to express to all our pastors my deep appreciation and thanks for all that they do in service to our Lord and his children. My feelings about our pastors are expressed eloquently by Paul in his letter to his coworkers in the church in Philippi:

Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now (Philippians 1:3-5, NLT).

Your brother in Christ’s service,

Joseph Tkach