Small Town Pastors

This is a a copy of a post I wrote on Facebook (with personal details like names edited out of the post).  I wrote it because I am a member of a small town church.  As a ministry leader, it breaks my heart to see how unappreciated the sacrifices are that small town pastors make.  (I'm guilty of this, too.). People expect them to always be at their beck and call to unload their mountain of "problems".  They think they magically appear at church with a sermon.  The hours spent away from their families preparing a sermon in which they're undoubtedly interrupted countless times by phone calls and visits for prayer.    They are treated like super humans.  The demands on their lives from the congregation and community are unimaginable.  Sometimes we forget our pastors are people just like us.  Next time you see your pastor, give him/her a hug and let them know how much you appreciate their sacrifices.

"I have a special place in my heart for small town pastors.  Aside from raising a family and working a full time job, they pastor a church.  Small churches don't have big budgets or a large staff, so the pastor and his wife are often the music leaders, Sunday school teachers, grounds keepers, bookkeepers, maintenance crew, and serve as fill-in help when the youth pastor or children's pastor need a week off.  When you're at the ER in the middle of the night with a sick child or parent, they are the first familiar faces you see walk through the door.  They use their own vacation time at work to preach funerals for people in the community who are not even members of their church.  They are the only people who pray for you as much as your own mother prays for you.  They come into church carrying their own burdens but listen sincerely as we unload our own burdens on them, too.  Vision Ministries has an awesome small town pastor and pastor's wife. This Labor Day, I would like to thank them and all of the small town pastors who labor for us.  You'll never make it rich, but there's a greater reward awaiting you.  May God continue to bless you and give you the strength to do the impossible. :)"