Would You Ever Challenge Your Pastor?

[jfrog]

Originally Posted by Jay

Being the son of a pastor, I can say what has frustrates the pastor and his wife more than almost anything else, are people who are unhappy, but act as if the pastor should know by osmosis what the problem is and fix it. And if the unhappy people are told to talk to the pastor, often they respod that it would not make a difference anyway. That is nothing more than a lying excuse to justify their pride and justify their hurt feelings. The fact is that most pastors are willing, able, and ready to hear what their saints are feeling and thinking.

Many times, people attempt to approach the pastor at the wrong time or in the wrong way (I have been guilty of this, and we both confessed it to each other and resolved the issue). Do not approach the pastor with it after he has just preached his guts out and is exhausted. Nor approach him if he has a lot going on at that point. The best thing to do is make an appointment to see him, and treat him the way you might if you were approaching your employer (I am talking about using a respectful tone, gestures, etc.). Be sensitive, you do not know what he might be dealing with. If he has reactions that are out of character for him, extend him grace and realize that he is under a great amount of pressure (he may be bivocational and be working shifts that do not allow him much rest, he must be prepared to preach every service, he is often doing much of the maintenance around the church, he has to deal with every member of the congregation, and maintain a relationship with his wife and family, and you never know what else may be happening behind the scenes).


To put it simply, be sweet to your pastor. He probably could use it.

I never felt I could approach my pastor about anything. Looking back, I probably could have but did not feel that way at the time. Was it my fault that I felt he was unapproachable or could he have made himself seem more approachable?