Working, and, well, living, in a church gives me a pretty good insight into the daily goings on of a church. Here are a few things to remember.
Remember Your... Pastor
You may love him/her. You may wish the old guy was still there. Or, you may just not care. But he is the guy who answers the phone at 3:00 a.m. He is the one who drives people to the hospital when no one else is around. He is the one who opens up his home to the hungry, tired, lonely, or just anyone who needs a place to stay. He is the one who opens up his heart to the destitute, the broken, the homeless, and those who just need a listening ear. He is the one with the open door, and a chair always waiting for you to come in so you can talk to him... about anything.
Some of them are the least judgmental people you will find. However, he is the one who receives the most criticism
"But Pastor XYZ said...."
"Pastor EFJ's children never..."
"If you're the leader here, why don't you have your life under control?"
"Why is your church not growing?"
"But your sermons aren't as strong as they used to be..."
Yeah. He hears it all the time. But he is also human. And while these little remarks seem so flippant, they sting deeply.
He also gets burned out. Maybe encourage him to take a day off, to go to the ball game, or to be with his children/grandchildren.
How to pray:
For him to know he is appreciated, for thick skin, and for boundless energy. And grace--for himself, his family, and YOU.
Remember Your...
Administrators. They are the ones running around doing every little thing that is most certainly NOT in your job description. They are the ones putting out fires (sometimes literally?!) and organizing everyone to be in the right place at the right time. They are behind the scenes... but they are the ones still at work at 1:30 a.m. And in case you are wondering, an empty church in the middle of the night is creepy.
They also get ridiculous amounts of criticism....
"But why doesn't the church have more money?"
"Why did we spend money on THAT?!"
"Why wasn't my Sunday School room clean?"
They may not have the emotional drain that a pastor does, but they are around, helping out the homeless and mentally unstable people at all hours.
Cut them a little slack. If you have their phone numbers and a big church event is coming up, maybe text them and see if they are at the church after hours or on a day that the church is "closed". Swing by with a batch of cookies, a yummy coffee, and a little "thank you" note.
Also, these people are smart. They could probably be earning a lot more money elsewhere. So don't take for granted the work that they are doing...
How to pray:
For them to know that their work does not go unnoticed, for energy and patience. And for financial stability.
Your ministry staff (youth leaders, music directors, childcare coordinators, etc. etc. etc.)
They are also up in the middle of the night trying to make sure that everything is in place for an event. They are may also be part-time, and have another full time occupation. They may be a long ways away from home. If your youth leader is young (hehem...) they may not have as much experience in dealing with the crappy side of ministry, but they certainly do get pieces of it.
They also get a lot of the same criticisms... and most certainly get drained in similar ways to the pastor. It can be exhausting, this life of ministry. Take it easy on them. Consider feeding them (yes, we like to come over for meals). Also, always encourage your kids to thank their youth leader. Sometimes, knowing that one person appreciates your work is important. And parents: work with your youth leader. Don't dismiss them as "too young" or "just having fun with your kids". We are working to help raise your kids up spiritually... and it can be a tough job. We go through the highs and lows with your kids, and sometimes are even there when you can't be.
How to pray:
For energy, for thick skin, for good time management, for their families. Pray for professional development too--sometimes this job may put the rest of our careers "at risk" when we can't do other resumé packing things.
Your janitors/maintenance staff
Think about it. Your church wouldn't be clean without them. Your events wouldn't run without them. Your cell phone that you left on the pew wouldn't be there for you if they didn't put it somewhere safe. Thank God for their willingness to do tasks you would hate!
Your missionaries
Ah yes. You know those people who's names come out in the bulletin, that you never think of? Or the old friends that you lost contact with when they did something crazy and moved away? That is a difficult life, with it's own sets of challenges. To go into them here would triple the size of this blog post. So for now:
Pray for
Security--physical and emotional
Political stability in their host countries
Energy
Health
Enough money to make it through the next couple of years, or however long they need to stay.
Patience and grace
Cultural adaptation
Time to take a break
And all of the things you prayed for with ALL of the other members--they do pretty much everything!
The Missionary Kid-- for strength and willpower, and for an overall enjoyable experience.
Alright, I hope I haven't missed anybody. If there's someone/a group that I unintentionally left out... let me know! I did leave out volunteers (including choir), because as far as I know it's not quite as life-slurping when you're putting in 2 hours a week. But hey, while you're praying for your church, pray for them, too!
