Among my other roles, I serve as the director for the Center for Preaching and Pastoral Leadership at Southeastern Seminary. The center’s purpose is to “encourage and equip” pastors. Both of these commitments have been part of my ministry for a long time, so it was easy for me take on this directorship task. In this post, I want to tell you why, especially in writing for this site, being encouraging is so important to me:
- The Scriptures call us to encourage each other. Paul called believers to encourage each other (e.g., 1 Thess 4:18, 5:11), and he spoke often of encouragement he both gave and received from other believers (e.g., Rom 1:11-12, 1 Thess 3:7). While each of these statements was in its own context, the general commitment is the same: comfort and exhort one another through encouragement.
- Ministry is tough. The work is never finished. The burdens are heavy. Ministers care for the souls of people of all ages. In the midst of these heavy responsibilities, pastors too seldom hear encouragement from their church. I want to change that.
- Church people can be great, but they can also drain us. Charles Spurgeon, in fact, described some lazy people in his church this way: “I speak to some who do nothing whatever, unless it be a little grumbling.”* It’s these kinds of realities that make pastors need encouragement—and I want this site to be a place pastors can turn.
- Ministry can be lonely. Some of us who are introverts can sometimes be lonely because we “hide out” too much, but even ministry extroverts can lack real friendships. When you find yourself alone in the middle of the work, a word of encouragement can go a long way.
- The work of ministry requires patient plodding. Seldom do we see immediate changes because of our ministries. Life change sometimes takes a while. Discipleship is a never-ending process. Churches tend to move slowly even when they realize the need for change. For pastors who want to make a difference yesterday, it can all be discouraging. Thus, I want to encourage.
- Sometimes it just feels like the devil’s winning this war. He has not, he is not, and he will not win — but sin is so prevalent and culture so misdirected that it seems he has the winning hand. Encouragement in those moments reminds us that we’re not alone and that we’re ultimately on the winning side.
- It’s not hard to find discouragement around us, so I even more want to be an encouraging voice. My posts may not be as deep as others, and they’re certainly not as scholarly as others—but that’s not my point. I simply want to say, “Church leaders, in the midst of a discouraging world, be encouraged anyway! You’re not alone.”
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*Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Preaching: A Sermon Collection (p. 60). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
