Question: What are specific actions that people do that encourage you?
A1. Asking how they can pray for me and my wife, and then telling me how they prayed specifically for us.
A2. Stopping to pray with me in the foyer on a Sunday AM/PM.
A3. Telling me specifically how the message challenged/convicted them (Not, “That was a good sermon, preacher!).
A4. Writing thank you notes/cards with specific words of encouragement.
A5. Initiating a time of fellowship at their home, coffee shop, restaurant, outdoor activity, or dropping by the house.
Question: What are some general principles for encouraging a pastor?
A1. Coming up with solutions and not complaints.
A2. Sharing what they are learning through the message.
A3. Maturing in personal study and sharing that with their pastor.
A4. Blessing the pastor’s kids with gifts and notes of encouragement.
A5. Being spiritually hungry!
A6. Faithful attendance and participation in services and activities.
Question: What do others do that tries your patience?
A.1 Joking about pay, time off, or time with family.
A2. Unhelpful opinions.
A3. Complaints and no solutions.
A4. Gossip about family.
A5. Expectations of children to be perfect.
A6. No spiritual appetite amongst members.
Question: What are some general things in the church as a whole that encourages you?
A1. Stability – in the home and church.
A2. Usability—when we see God using our ministry efforts.
A3. Encouragers.
A4. Having our needs met.
A5. Refreshment—The absolute need of refreshment that must come from the Lord alone is absolutely vital. The refreshment that comes from getting away… coming apart if you will.
A6. Faithful men that stand with you.
A7. God’s blessing.
Question: What are some general things in the church as a whole that discourage you?
A1. The opposite of those things listed above.
A2. The 1% or 2% of people in the congregation that simply refuse to get things right with God and seek to stir up strife and conflict.
A3. Family and ministry strife.
A4. Physical battles.
A5. Unanswered Prayer.
A6. Unrealized financial expectation.
Note: Several pastors contributed to this project. I hope you are informed and helped by this article. Let’s encourage our ministers.
Harold Vaughan
