RESOLUTION TO BE A PRAYING MEMBER FOR MY CHURCH LEADERS: ACTS 12:12-19; EXODUS 17:10-13
A Message Prepared For Worship Service of Sunday March 22, 2020 By Nebolisa O. Arah
Few families face the kinds of pressures and expectations as families of Pastors and Church leaders. A typical day of a Church Pastor is filled with mountain tops and valleys and subject to up’s and down’s of life (see pages 43-46). Church members believe their leaders are superhuman. They must remain calm in the face of crisis, disagreement, abuse, opposition. We expect our leaders to be above reproach, maintain good self-control, be sensible, respectable and hospitable. We believe they must be good teachers, gentle, not argumentative, not greedy, have a good reputation among unbelievers and not fall into disgrace and the devil’s trap. The list is endless. But like all of us our Pastors and leaders have 24 hours in a day. They are fathers, mothers and parents as we are. They need our support and encouragement. Most of all they need our prayers. Without ongoing intercessory prayer our church will not be healthy.
A. DO YOU KNOW THAT SURVEYS SHOW THAT…
· 90% of Pastors work between 55-75 hours per week and their spouses believe they are overworked.
· 80% of Pastors have insufficient time with their spouses
· 75% of Pastors report being “extremely” or “highly” stressed and 90% are fatigued and worn-out every week.
· 44% of Pastors do not take a regular day off. 85% have never taken a sabbatical and 31% do not exercise at all.
· 40% of Pastors have considered leaving the Pastorate in the last three months. They feel their families are in a glass house.
· 100% had a colleague who left the ministry because of burnout, church conflict or moral failure.
· 70% of Pastors do not have someone they consider a close friend.
B. HOW ABOUT THE SPOUSES, WHAT DO THEY BELIEVE?
· 56% say they have no close friends and see their spouses work schedule as a source of conflict.
· 45% say the greatest dangers to them and their family are physical, emotional, mental and spiritual burnout.
· 21% want more privacy. 80% feel pressured to serve in ways that do not fit their gifts.
· 80% of them feel left out and under-appreciated by the Church, unqualified and discouraged in their roles. They see their spouse’s work schedule as a source of conflict.
v Source: HB London Jr. & New Wise-wan, “Pastors at Greater Risk”*
C. WHAT DO THESE STATS MEAN? WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS?
· The pressures of ministry are I____________________________
· Because of unfair/unmet expectations, leaders are often under G________________S_______________
· From the above we can deduce our leaders greatest need is P______________________ S________________ or I__________________
D. WHAT DOES SCRIPTURE SAY?
· In 1 Tim. 2:1-4, Paul urges that petitions, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all P__________________ so that we can live P_____________________ and Q___