Things your pastor wishes you knew…
1. When you volunteer, you do more than just get involved.
Your pastor wants you involved in the church. It helps you fulfill your purpose. None of us were ever called to sit idley by and let life pass by. We were all created for a purpose. When you volunteer, you use gifts, talents, and your personality to make a difference.
When you volunteer, you also help fill a need. The truth is, in order for the church to function, staff can’t do it all. Sometimes, they need you to fill a hole. It’s that simple. If the church is reaching new people (and it should), some of the “old” people have to step up and fill a hole.
2. They don’t have “work hours,” but you should pretend they do.
Yes, your thing matters. It’s important to you and to your pastor. They love you, they want to be there for you, they want to help you. The fact is, though, many pastors love people but they also are people pleasers. In other words, they want to make you happy. They want to answer you back or talk to you when you call. If they’re at home, away for the weekend, or relaxing, that need you share with them still weighs on them… even if they say it doesn’t. What can you do? Pretend like they have work hours. Honor them in that. Whatever it is, it can wait.
3. The best thing you can do is love them.
Don’t expect perfection. Don’t expect them to always speak. Expect them to mess up. Sometimes, they’ll have something on their mind and walk right past you. This isn’t on purpose, it’s just that something else popped up first. Forgive them. Don’t take it personally.
Honor them even when you don’t have to. Even if you don’t agree, you can still honor them. There are some things that you can say that can hurt not just them, but the church. Keep those inside the walls. Schedule a time to talk with them lovingly about it, but guard them and the church in your conversation. I know, it may not seem like much and it may feel good to say something negative, but don’t. You’ll be glad you did later.
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