Pastoral Care for the Pastor

by Steve Johnson

Who Provides Pastoral Care for the Pastor?

“Pastor, can I stop by your office and talk with you?” Those of us who serve as pastors have all received phone calls that begin with a similar question, and each time we know that we are about to assume the role of a “counselor.” It is part of our calling as caring shepherds. We want to help, and we do our best to offer sound Biblical counsel. Sometimes we get to experience the joy of knowing that we have given encouragement to a person who is hurting. Other times the problems run deeper, and not all of us feel adequately equipped to deal with the complex human issues that confront us. At such times we are not too arrogant to refer the person to a professional counselor who is better skilled in dealing with certain problems.

But we are still pastors. The burden of our hearts is to shepherd our flock, sharing their joys; their hurts; easing their burdens; and helping them in their struggles. We sit beside them or across the desk and listen to their stories of abuse, or loneliness, or stress, or marital infidelity, or financial trouble, or conflicts in the family or on the job. We deal with the distressed, the disillusioned, the dejected, and the depressed. Our goal is to open the Scriptures and help restore their faith, hope, and joy. We know that life can be hard for human beings, including Christians. So when our people need a counselor to talk to we want to be there to provide a listening ear and pastoral care because they need it.

But what about the times when the pastor needs pastoral care? What if the shepherd needs shepherding or the counselor needs counsel? Are we pastors so infallible that we never experience distress, disillusionment, dejection, or depression? Do we exist on a level above the human condition so that we never struggle with loneliness, stress, conflict, anger, or temptation?

Consider the following results of a survey of pastors conducted by the Fuller Institute of Church Growth:

• 80% believe that pastoral ministry is affecting their family negatively
• 33% say that being in ministry is clearly a hazard to their family
• 75% have reported a significant crisis due to stress at least once every five years in their ministry
• 50% feel unable to meet the needs of the job
• 90% feel they were not adequately trained to cope with the ministry demands placed upon them
• 40% report having a serious conflict with a parishioner at least once a month
• 37% have been involved in inappropriate sexual behavior with someone in the church
• 70% have a lower self-image since they have pastored than when they started

Those are alarming statistics. And what makes these findings even more disturbing is that the survey, like most others, was probably conducted confidentially. That means that the pastors who responded are very likely struggling in secret. When members of our congregation are struggling with serious life issues we expect them to get help, because we know that if their condition continues unchecked it will lead to more serious trouble. So why should it be any different for a pastor? It shouldn’t be. The pastor’s need for pastoral care must not be ignored or neglected. It should be respected by both the pastor and the congregation, and a plan should be in place to help him stay healthy and strong.

The Pastor's Responsibility for His Own Pastoral Care

The plan begins with the pastor himself (Acts 20:28). Our greatest success is to finish the work God has called us to do. But every pastor has to realize his own vulnerability. Stress and burnout are not phantom conditions. They are very real risks that come with the rigors of pastoral ministry, and unless specific disciplines are practiced and preventative safeguards are in place there can be serious consequences for the pastor’s health, his family, and his ministry. Here are a few suggestions that can help a pastor reduce the risk:

• Spend adequate time alone with the Lord in prayer, meditation, and personal Bible reading (not just for sermon preparation). It is also helpful to express thoughts, feelings, or prayers in a personal journal. The Psalms reveal how David understood the value of releasing the distresses of his mind through the pen in his hand.
• Avoid isolation. Every pastor needs friends, even within his church, with whom he can have fun and do “guy things.” It is also important to have at least one close friend, within or outside the church, whom he can confide in and with whom he can share his innermost struggles and feelings. This needs to be a person who understands him, who will not judge him, and especially one who will keep private matters confidential. Like David, every man needs a Jonathan in his life (Prov. 17:17; 18:24; Eccl. 4:10).
• Have a hobby. Pastors need a “diversion,” an activity that removes their minds and bodies from the pressures of ministry for a time in order to relieve the mental and emotional stress.
• Manage time well. Pastors have the luxury of keeping a relatively “fluid” schedule, but they can also put undue pressure on themselves if they aren’t disciplined with their time. It becomes necessary to prioritize pastoral responsibilities according to essentials. This helps avoid getting stressed out by trying to accomplish more than time allows. But be certain to reserve adequate and undisturbed hours for study and sermon preparation.
• Set realistic life goals and work toward them. God does not want His servants to become bogged down in the mundane, distracted by the petty, or worn out by mere busyness. He wants His shepherds to accomplish something of kingdom significance (Acts 20:24; 1 Cor. 1:1-9).
• Seek counsel if necessary. If a pastor is suffering from the symptoms of stress, burnout, depression, or other negative conditions, he needs get help, preferably from a qualified Biblical counselor. There is no shame in seeking help (Prov. 24:6). Pride comes before a fall.

The Church's Responsibility for Pastoral Care

The local church, beginning with the Board, needs to recognize their own responsibility in protecting the mental, emotional, and spiritual health of their pastor.

• The budget should include provision for him to attend one or two conferences or retreats each year where he can find refreshment and renewal. This should be in addition to his regular vacation time, not part of it.
• Respect his study time. Apart from an emergency, he should be allowed to have undisturbed blocks of time to prepare for preaching and teaching. If he is weak in the pulpit the whole church will suffer.
• Don’t demand more from the pastor than he can give. He is human and imperfect. He needs your prayers and encouragement as much as you need his. Understand that he can’t please everyone, and sometimes the person he won’t please will be you!
• Consider granting the pastor a sabbatical. This is not as common among independent churches as it is in denominations, but it is growing in practice. Every seven to ten years the pastor should be offered a paid leave of ten to twelve weeks (not including regular vacation time) to seek spiritual and mental refreshment, do research or writing, travel, or pursue other activities that will “disconnect” him for a time from the routine demands of ministry and provide him a time for renewal. Even Jesus realized the importance of stepping away from the ministry for a time.

Pastoral ministry is rewarding. But it is also rigorous. And even Satan knows that the church will only be as spiritually healthy as its pastor. That is why he wants to keep pastors discouraged, ineffective, feeling like failures, and, if possible, utterly destroyed. But God is the great Encourager. He encourages pastors by His Word and by the support and love expressed to them by individual Christians (Acts 28:15; 2 Tim. 1:16-18). And that is why pastoral care for the pastor must be seen as an essential responsibility shared by both pastor and congregation. The result will be a healthy and blessed church.

http://www.my-pastor.com/pastoral-care.html 

PERSPECTIVES IN PRAYER

Mark 10:46-52

by: Pastor Edward Vincent Barcial

I heard a story of a ship that was sinking in the middle of a storm, and the captain called out to the crew and said, "Does anyone here know how to pray?" One man stepped forward and said, "Yes sir, I know how to pray." The captain said, "Wonderful, you pray while the rest of us put on life jackets--we're one short."

                                                                                                                    Author unknown. Taken from pastorlife.com

 

Have we forgotten the power of prayer to save us in times of danger? How many of us would be willing to take off our lifejacket and depend on God as answer to prayer?  The story of Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, in the Bible did just that.  We will learn today the 3 perspectives in prayer that he used when Jesus passed by his life and he was healed from his blindness.

 

A perspective is a viewpoint of anything in our lives.  I would like to share three of them regarding prayer that we normally do but somehow we have lost its power in our lives.

 

First Perspective -Perception in Prayer

 

Mark 10:46-47 (NKJV)

Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

 

The name of the city Jericho came from the Greek word  G2410    Ἱεριχώ    Hierichō   Of Hebrew origin [H3405]; Jericho, a place in Palestine. This Hebrew name came from the root word  H7306     רוּח rûach which is translated “to blow, that is, breathe; only (literally) to smell or (by implication perceive (figuratively toanticipate, enjoy): - accept, smell, touch, make of quick understanding. The Holy Spirit is called in the Bible the “Breath (ruach) of God.”

We need the power of the Holy Spirit (ruach) of God to pray. Without Him our prayer is weak. 

 

The setting of this story was in Jericho. When we pray to God, it must be in a condition that we can hear and perceive the presence of Jesus. Blind Bartimaeus may be blind but he has perception.  Most of us have eyes to see but could not feel nor enjoy His presence. This is why our prayers are dry and dead. Bartimaeus prayed to Jesus with a loud cry. Let the Holy Spirit (ruach) of God cause our eyes and ears to see and hear Jesus as He passes by. Then we will also cry out loud unto Him and will receive the answer to our prayers.

 

Second Perspective - Persistence in Prayer

 

Mark 10:48(NKJV)

48 Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

 

We also need to be persistent in our prayer like in the parable of the persistent widow.  P. U. S. H. means “pray until something happens.”  Are we easily discouraged to pray when circumstances and people around us pressure us into silence? Or are we going to cry out even more until we get the answer to our prayers like Jacob did when he said, “ I will not let You go until You bless me!”?

 

We must go the distance when we pray. John Trapp, an English Anglican Bible commentator once said, “He that cannot pray, let him go to sea, and there he will learn. God never denied that soul anything that went as far as heaven to ask for it.”

 

James Sidlow Baxter also said, "...Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, despise our persons -- but they are helpless against our prayers."

 

Third Perspective - Provision in Prayer

 

Mark 10:49-52(NKJV)

49 So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, "Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you." 50 And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus. 51 So Jesus answered and said to him, "What do you want Me to do for you?" The blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, that I may receive my sight." 52 Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well." And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.

 

Those who had read this passage always overlook the beginning of verse 50 “and throwing aside his garment. Why did Mark wrote this apparently insignificant detail?

 

Bobby Grisso, Jr. - Professor and Extension Specialist Department of Biological Systems Engineering- Virginia Tech wrote in his article: “The action of throwing aside his cloak is also significant. You could recognize beggars by the clothes they wore (the cloak). Timaeus cast it away. The only means of income was rejected and a new “life-come” (play on income) was expected. That’s faith to cast all that you have at Jesus’ feet and then to wait and see what He gives in return. I believe not only Timaeus gained his sight but also he gained a new profession (followed Jesus along the road) to carry on the ministry of Jesus.”

 

This is like taking off your lifejacket and just depend upon God through prayer to save you from drowning. We ourselves also have “garments” that we depend on instead of God like friends, loved-ones, money, jobs, position, etc.). Are we willing to surrender all of these so that God will provide us Himself what we truly need? Our provision will come from God.  Bartimaeus was willing to give up the only means of livelihood (begging as indicated by his garment to tell people that he needs alms) and called upon Jesus to heal him of his blindness. If he can see with his own eyes, there will be no need to beg. Are we begging God or praying to Him? Maybe we are so spiritually blind to His provision that we want to look pitiful or beggarly before men and God to get sympathy.  God is pleased with faith. Bartimaeus had faith in Jesus for him to give up his old lifestyle of depending on his own way and was willing to depend totally on God.

 

Eli Stanley Jones (1884–1973), a 20th century Methodist Christian missionary and theologian, said, “Prayer is surrender--surrender to the will of God and cooperation with that will. If I throw out a boathook from the boat and catch hold of the shore and pull, do I pull the shore to me, or do I pull myself to the shore? Prayer is not pulling God to my will, but the aligning of my will to the will of God. “

 

At the end of this story we can read that he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road. Instead of going his way, he became a disciple.  Why do we pray? Is it to get our way, or His way?  Our will or His will be done?  I believe the reason why God answers our prayer is just to prove He is Lord over all.  God is going to answer our prayer with miracles. The question is: Are we going to follow Him?  Peter witnessed the power of God when Jesus caused the miraculous catch of fish.

 

 

Luke 5:1-11 (NKJV)

So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, ² and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. ³ Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. ⁴ When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." ⁵ But Simon answered and said to Him, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net." ⁶ And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. ⁷ So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. ⁸ When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" ⁹ For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; ¹⁰ and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men." ¹¹ So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.

 

Peter’s profession was fishing, probably his only means of livelihood. But he decided to give it up for something much better.  His provision now is coming from Jesus and not from his former “garment.” Are we willing to let go of our “lifejacket” and simply trust God in prayer for our needs?

 

Conclusion:  The Three Perspectives In Prayer

 1)      Perception in Prayer -   Discernment

 

Can we discern if God is near? We must ask the Holy Spirit (the Ruach of God) to open our eyes and ears so that we can perceive His presence and power and truly pray to Him in Spirit and in power. Otherwise our prayers will be just plain religious.

2)      Persistence in Prayer -  Determination

 

Are we determined to receive the answer to our prayers? We must wait patiently for the Lord. He will answer in His time.  Stand on the promises of God’s word. He will never fail nor forsake you. Don’t give up. He is near. Cry out to Him in faith and He will answer and show us great and mighty things we do not know yet (Jeremiah 33:3).

 

3)      Provision in Prayer -     Displacement

 

Are we willing to displace whatever things that we depend on and substitute it with God’s power? We must give up our own strength, abilities, ways and means and trade it with God’s own strength, abilities, ways and means.  Let us throw aside our garments of human provision and open our eyes to His endless power to save, heal and provide

THE SPIRITUAL RACE

Philippians 3:12-16

By Bro. Teody Galit

 

Determination and tenacity are requirements for success in almost any worthwhile endeavor. Note how a hungry cheetah dis­plays such single-mindedness when he chooses one specific ani­mal in a herd of deer or antelope and goes after it. Ignoring others less desirable, which might easily be caught, the swift predator has been clocked at nearly seventy miles per hour in its hot and unrelenting pursuit of its intended prey. Think of the many scientists who, in spite of discouraging setbacks and negative attitudes on the part of their fellow workers, have per­sisted year after year in carrying on research in order to find a vaccine for some specific disease. Such tenacity of purpose is highly commendable. What boy has not thrilled to the popular tale of the western rancher who, having set his mind upon cap­turing a certain wild stallion, did not give up until he had cor­ralled and trained the creature? To attain success, both deter­mination and perseverance are necessary.

 

In like manner, to live a victorious spiritual life, a steadfast resolve and a constancy of purpose are needed. The apostle Paul declared that a desire to experience the fullness of Christ's resur­rection power so gripped him that it became the controlling factor in his life. His words "I press toward the mark" describe a run­ner racing hard with his head forward, body bent and angled, and eyes on nothing but the final tape. Such was Paul's zealous attitude in reaching out toward the spiritual goals of service and blessing. If we would show the same oneness of purpose, we would likewise be filled with joy, experience victory over sin, and possess a deeper sense of God's constant presence.

Let us press toward "the prize of the high calling of God"!

I'm pressing on the upward way,

New heights I'm gaining everyday;

Still praying as I onward bound,

"Lord, plant my feet on higher ground."

                                 —J. Oatman, Jr.

Sanctification is much like riding a bicycle — either you keep moving forward, or stop and lose your balance and fall. Paul uses the analogy of a runner to describe a Christian’s spiritual growth. The believer has not reached his goal of Christ-likeness, but like the runner in a race, he must continue to pursue it. Paul’s goal was to know Christ, to be like Christ, and to be all that Christ had in mind. This goal absorbed all his energy.

 

This can be a good example for us Christians today. We should not let anything take our eyes off from our goal of knowing Christ more. With the same mind of every athlete in training, we must lay aside and forsake anything that may distract us from growing and becoming effective Christians. What are the things that usually holding us back to pursue and reach our goal in our Christian life? Philippians 3:12-16 gives us three rules in our spiritual race.

 

Rule #1: Forget (v. 13)

 

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.

 

The first step of preparation to run the race requires that the runners strip off every weight that might slow them down. The same thing for us Christians, we must be spiritually trim to be able to run the race that God has set before us. We should trim off all the unnecessary weight that could hold us back, weights such as sins, pride, and care of this world.

 

Paul describes in verse 12 & 13 that the Christian life is a process, and it all begins with sense of honesty and dissatisfaction. While we can consider Paul as a nearly perfect Christian, but for him he considered that, he had not yet achieved the perfect knowledge of Christ and the power of His resurrection or sharing of His suffering and death. All of these were part of the process of sanctification: of working towards the day when we can be all that Christ Jesus saves us to be and wants us to be.

 

Paul did not consider that he achieved spiritual maturity; he did not boast who he is in terms of his relationship and service to the Lord. Like Paul our focus is on one goal to achieve perfection. Paul presses on to lay hold on this goal of perfection, forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.

 

Our past should not be a barrier to the future, or an excuse for dropping out, or for avoiding proper spiritual conduct in our relationship with God and with others. Paul forgets his past even all his credentials, accomplishments, and sins, and like a runner in a race he press on to reach the finish line and achieve his goal.

 

Luke 9:62

But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

 

The picture of a person putting a hand to the plow and looking back can be compared with Elijah’s call of Elisha in 1 Kings 19:19-21. Elisha was called to be a prophet right in the middle of plowing a field—and he never looked back. In fact, he slaughtered the oxen so that there would be no temptation to return. Elisha then moved wholeheartedly into the ministry to which he had been called.

 

Jesus explained that service in the Kingdom of God was of such vital importance that his followers must make it their top priority. They must step out in faith to serve him, without looking back.

 

Rule # 2: Reach (v. 13)

 

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.

 

Jesus is our example, He perfectly finished His race; He stands at the finished line waiting for us. We Christians should focus our eyes to Jesus, and not look at any distractions and options. Our faith must defend on Him from the start to finish. He set the course of faith, ran the race first and now waits for us to join Him at the end and He encourages us all the way in our race. Like Jesus, we should persevere in times of suffering, and looking to Him as our model and concentrating on our heavenly destination.

 

Forgetting our past plays an important role on how we can reach forward on our Christian race, once we continue to hold on to our past there is no way that we can reach forward. Who we are and what we are before should be completely deleted and not be part of our Christian race. We cannot remain to be the same as whom and what we are before, when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, changes should be seen on our life. Jesus forgets Who He was just to fulfill His goal of reaching us.

 

Hebrew 6:1

Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from the dead works and of faith towards God.”

 

This verse urged us to go beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity. Once we continue to stay and reviewed the fundamentals about Christ would only have left us where we were. This verse also suggests “radical surgery” to pull us forward in reaching our goal of maturity.

 

Rule # 3: Press On (v.14)

 

 

I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus         

 As runners press on toward the finish line, Paul encouraged Christians to press on to reach the end of the race and received the prize. Even though Paul did not identify the prize, it seems the prize that he wants us to get is having the full knowledge of Christ. Jesus is calling us up to heaven; the heavenly call is the summons for us to win the victor’s prize of salvation.

 

At the end of each race, officials had to call and proclaim the winner and call him up to receive his prize. In Paul’s metaphor, the prize is the full revelation of Christ at the resurrection.

 

2 Timothy 4:7, 8    I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

 

It is important to note that Paul made no claim to having won the race; he was content with having finished it. Marathon runners know the exhilaration of finishing the grueling miles of that race—they are thankful just to cross the finish line. Completion is a significant accomplishment revealing incredible endurance and determination. Paul had remained faithful to the message that had been entrusted to him; this also had been entrusted to Timothy. Paul had never wavered in his faith and trusted that soon he would experience all the promises on which he had based his life and ministry.

 

Conclusion Vv. 15-16

 

¹⁵ Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even these to you. ¹⁶ Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.

 

After Paul described his spiritual goals, he explained to the Philippians that all mature Christians should agree on these things. That is, they too ought to be pressing on toward the goal. As a mature believers we should understand that we could not gain perfection and acceptance by God by our own humanity; yet because of our love for Christ, and willingness to pressed on to follow His examples in order to become more like Him in life.

Paul made it clear that those who were truly mature were those who realized their dependence on God. We pressed on, not to make ourselves good enough or to gain credentials by our accomplishments; rather, we pressed on to know our Savior better. Christian maturity involves acting on the guidance that we have already received. The believers were in different stages, but everyone needed to obey the truth that we had learned already.

As we press on toward the goal, we should not use our lack of complete knowledge as an excuse for taking lightly what we knew or being side tracked. We should continue to learn and grow, while at the same time governing our lives by the light we had already received. In all we do, live our lives full out for Jesus, today in prayer, let us praise the Lord for our life, and ask for strength to endure during hard times and bring glory to Him.

 

“Endurance is not just the ability to bear a hard thing, but to turn it to glory.” William Barclay