If you want to survive in ministry, you need people not just to like you but to respect you. They need not just to relate to you, but they need to appreciate your fruitfulness. Now, at the end of the day, people are going to make their own choices, and many are stubborn, selfish and do not know or care to be part of something bigger than themselves. Many love travelling speakers and Bible College and conferences and TV ministries because they can like the speakers and not respect them, but for a church to be healthy, there must be respect for the pastors.
Sometimes that is hard because people can get used to anything. Keith Moore last night was talking about the rebellion of the Israelites happened while the glory of God was visible in the camp! We can get accustomed to anything. A guest speaker from a foreign nation with a different accent and a different slant on things can be very exciting, especially if we have seen them on TV first.
Now I am not writing this post to the church but to the pastors, so I am not saying “respect your pastor” – if I was talking to the whole church, I would. I am talking to the pastors, so I will say this – you have a role to play in whether people respect you. The way you dress, your punctuality, your respect for others, the way you handle money, the way you treat your wife – all of this will come into how people respect you. You should be shocked when people are all mate-y with you and treat you like a chum, rather than a pastor.
I have never been one to adopt the title “Pastor”, some people say my name like one word “Pastorben”, and that is because I don’t see it in the Bible, and neither do I come from a culture where titles are used much, we don’t in the UK call people by their job role, be it Prime Minister or Coach. However, there should still be a respect for the office. I do understand why people do that, because there has to be a respect for the office because otherwise it simply will not function. You cannot benefit from a ministry you do not honour.
There must be a distance, it should not be as much as some say it is, but there should be a place for people to accept your preaching and teaching as it is – you as the chosen man of God for the church leading and feeding the church (I taught on honour once at a summer conference, and a person I had marked for a key leadership position left the church because he disagreed with the teaching, and I am so glad I taught it because of that, that would have ended badly – leaders need to honour God, the Word and you) – and you also act in a way that enables the church to trust and respect you. You need people to realize you genuinely love them, that they are a human to you, not just a number or whatever. Ask the Lord today what two or three things can you change in your life today to make it easier for people to trust you and respect you.
Do not compromise, but being all things to all men to win some is a Biblical principle.
Inspiring and Challenging Dreamers 