Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace – 1 Peter 4:8-10
A leadership position in a church or a job is a lonely place to be. There is not much room at the top of the mountain for others and many people under a leader treat the relationship as a one way street. Many times the leader is doing all the teaching, feeding, and directing with very few people to confide in and even fewer people to affirm his value as a leader. Even though you may think that a leader is complimented frequently and has it all together, for every compliment that is given leaders hear 10 negative remarks about their leadership. We all realize that its part of the job but as members of the church and of the community we should foster an environment of grace and love towards out leaders as they sacrifice much for us on a daily basis.
Pray for Him and His Family
Leaders need to be prayed for often. They have responsibilities to their families and their own personal growth that go beyond their responsibilities in the church and the community. Many leaders have families: wives, husbands, children and parents they care for on a regular basis. This can bring a lot of joy to the life of a pastor but can add a lot of stress at times. If a leader has difficulties in his personal life then it will affect his leadership abilities in the church and community. Ask your leader often how you can pray for him and pray for him regularly. Put him on your daily prayer list, his children and his spouse too.
Send an Email of Encouragement
Most of you will have your leader’s email address and many times we don’t use it unless we need something from him or respond to a request from him. Be proactive and send your leader a note of encouragement. Tell him that he is appreciated and ask him how you can pray for him. This also creates an opportunity to setup a time for a meal or coffee together.
Take Him Out Somewhere and Have Fun
Most leaders love to eat, drink coffee, play golf or something outside of the office. Many times the most prominent leadership decisions are made outside of the normal workflow of the office and other times leaders just need a break. Find out what your leader likes to do and get him out of the office for a while to break up the monotony of the day. Don’t forget to ask him how he is doing and listen with intent to find out any needs that you can meet. This is where friendship really becomes a reality. We serve our leaders, meet there needs and become there friends.
We need to be more intentional at engaging our church leadership outside of the church. Church leaders have tough jobs and can always use more encouragement than they get.
How do you encourage your church leadership?
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