Churchgoers tend to look up to and treat church ministers and workers with respect. They also have high expectations from such workers, knowing that these men and women in service are serving a great God.
While church workers do indeed serve God to the best of their abilities and capacities, we need to temper our expectations with a few truths that many of us tend to ignore.
Here are some things we should know about our pastors and church workers
1) They are humans with imperfections and limitations
Many of us make the mistake of thinking that church ministers and workers are people who can handle pretty much anything and everything thrown at them.
They can't.
They're just like us, people who have shortcomings and limitations. They need food, shelter and clothing; they need encouragement and prayers; they need to be protected from temptation and harassment; and they need friends as much as any of us do.
2) They are "closer" to God than us
Another grave mistake many Christians commit is thinking of church workers, especially ministers, as the only people who can be "close" to God and "receive His favor."
Some Christians who think like this approach their pastor or church workers to ask for prayer requests, thinking that if their pastor or church worker prays for them, God will answer quicker than He does when they personally pray.
This is wrong.
The Bible tells us that we who are in Christ are all God's children. As God's children, we are all beloved. As God's beloved, we are all precious to Him.
No one is more important than another
The thing is, our ability to hear God and have an intimate relationship with Him depends on our personal efforts.
Yes, our pastors and church workers might be "close" or "intimate" with God, but that's because they spend significant amounts of time seeking Him in prayer, fasting, and obedience to His word.
We can also grow intimate with God just as much as any minister. We've been given a relationship with our Father in heaven; why not cultivate it?
3) They need time to spend with God
As mentioned above, our pastors and church workers need to spend time seeking God and spiritually re-charging as well. As such, we must understand that we can't have all their time for ourselves!
Many Christians make the mistake of demanding that church workers be present at all times, for whatever reason. They ask for constant prayers, counsel, fellowship, among other things, to the detriment of the church worker's personal life.
Some pastors are unable to spend time with their spouses and kids due to ministry. Some church workers fail in aspects outside the church because the church demands too much from them.
Friends, it's time we understand that our church workers need to spend time with God as well. We need to give them time to pray, read their Bibles, spend time at spiritual retreats, and go on sabbaticals.
