teaching, giving, governing, showing mercy. These are all ways that we can walk beside our pastor and contribute to the ministry of the church of Jesus Christ.
As a denomination with elders and deacons, we have a category that those with these gifts fall into. But, this passage is not just for elders and deacons. It is for all church members. We are all called to works of min- istry within the local church in different capacities. I am an elder. While I must admit, I am not the elder who enjoys sit- ting in long meetings and serving on every committee possible (some of them do!), I love shepherding. My gifts lie there. I would much prefer the work of practical ministry to a meeting. If the pastor has a group of strong shepherding elders he can rely on, much has been lifted from his plate. He has another set of ears in the room during that counseling ses- sion—or better yet, the elder can go and have that hard conversation so that the pastor does not have to do so. We need to protect our pastors. Even though I started with the story of the pastor at 2:00 in the morning, we need to be reminded that pastors, since we are not Roman Catholic, have family. They have responsibili- ties away from church that God has called them to be busy with as well. They need to take their time away. They need rest. It lies with the session to protect their pastor and ensure that is happening. Many of the gifts of the elders—teaching, leading, encouraging—can relieve the pastor of duties. The deacons often help with practical ministry. We see mercy on this list. Is your pastor responsible to deal with every homeless person that approaches the church? Are they the one to call the lawn company when the crew does not show up that week? What can we do to lighten the load so that they can do what God has called them to do? Churches that have a kingdom mindset see ministry as a job for every person in that congregation—not just the one at the pulpit. We need to do what we can to walk alongside our pastor in ministry. We also need to be encouragers. A pastor of my childhood used to say “many of you go home and have fried-pastor for lunch.” And he is probably right. Many of us may do that. If you need to talk to your pastor about an issue, do it privately. Matthew 18 applies here as well. Talk to your pastor. He would rather hear that you have issue with him from you than from 8 others. You would not want your pastor going and telling the congregation about his issues with you. Treat him with the same respect. Tell your pas- tor how meaningful his ministry is to you. Write him notes. Take him to a meal. Love on him (and his family). Do not be the constant complainer. If you complain constantly nobody wants to be around you—including your pastor. Have a joyful heart and let your pastor know you are a part- ner in ministry. That does not mean that you can never voice a concern, but do not be the one that he knows when he sees you coming that he is getting ready to get an “earful” about something. Be lovable. Be grateful. Lastly, do you pray for your pastor or pastors? They are praying for
you. Are you asking them how you can pray for them? I can tell you, this job is weighty. James reminds us that pastors will even be judged to a different and higher standard. The call alone puts the target of the devil for the protection of God over our pastors. Our session has dealt with
September/October 2026
several hard shepherding issues in the last months, and I can see the weight, rightly so, on everybody in the room. Ministers grow wea- ry. The job can be taxing. There is a tremendous amount of pain in our broken world, and they hear about it and see it all—divorce, death, mental health issues, ad- diction. Sometimes there are not enough hours in the day to deal with all the issues of those God has given them to minister to and to love. Covid was a hard time for pastors, and many left the min- istry during this time. I saw our session that rarely disagreed often divided on issues that we never thought we would be discussing. This was very hard on all pastors. They often found themselves be- tween a rock and hard place on these issues. Thankfully, this sea- son is behind us.
Be in prayer for ways you per- sonally can use the gifts that God has given you to serve your church. Ask your pastor where he needs help and ask if your gifts would be helpful to him. The Christian view of ministry is not that it is a paid position to be handled by the guy that preaches on Sunday, but rather God is using that minister to equip all of his people to min- ister. That is a kingdom mindset. Consider even this day how you can show your pastor how much you appreciate him using the gifts that God has given to you.
Sam James is an elder at the Hunt- ersville A.R.P. Church. Sam owns James Funeral Home & Northlake Memorial Gardens in Huntersville. He has served as chairman of the Erskine College and Seminary Board of Trustees. He graduated from Erskine in 2007 and his wife Liz graduated in 2008. They have two children—Henry and Violet.
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