Three Ideas for Encouraging Church Leaders - 1 Corinthians 4:1-5,9-20

Good church leaders including pastors, music directors, deacons, teachers and the janitor all have traits and dispositions that are much in tune with a good coon hound or squirrel dog. If you have ever hunted squirrels using a dog to locate the game and keep it in sight you know that you must encourage the dog, lead him on, and tell him to go get-em; or sick-em every few minutes. If you can whistle, there are several sounds that encourage a dog to hunt faster and father. The one thing that you can not do is yell any kind of discouragement toward a dog that is already not doing what they should do. If you make that mistake, the old dog just quits all-together. You had better not try it on your pastor unless you want the same results.

The emphasis of this week’s lesson is on the question of how Christian people can help their church leaders to be more effective in the Lord’s work. The point has already been made that you do not encourage greater leadership by constantly criticizing the work now being done. Paul was already being bothered by factions in the different churches that looked on the leaders as factional leaders rather than workers for the Lord’s church. He emphasized the fact that all of the workers were about the same job—interested in the same outcome, whether it was Paul, Timothy, Peter, or Apollos.

Paul wanted the members to look upon them as leaders, workers and above all servants in the church. One of the best ways for you to reduce any criticism you have of a church worker is to just remember that they are servants of Christ. They are His ‘slaves’ and expected to work but not to be perfect.

Any time a church body starts dividing into different worship groups, each with a different ax to grind, there is sure to be problems occurring very soon. For this reason I have always contended that it is important for a church to know and follow the same standard of rules making church policy. There should be a standard constitution and set of by-laws. Sunday school should be based on the same set of biblical materials from the children’s department through adult classes. A strong church demands unity from the preacher to the janitor with every department working to promote Christ and his teaching. If you are fortunate enough to have a church like this, then it is your place as a member to support it always with a positive attitude.

We have already warned that you can not be openly critical of your leaders without causing problems that will result in a weak witness. You can always find good things that are going on and great things that your leaders are doing to talk about and you should use every opportunity to let good workers know that they are really appreciated.

Talk to others in your church about what you like about it and point out the things that make it a great church. Do not criticize its leadership, but join them and help them overcome any weakness that you may know about.

A good work can always use additional helpers…make yourself available and if you are not chosen to help, then just step in and volunteer. By the way, do not try to start at the top…you probably will cause a bigger problem than is already there if you try to start as the pastor of the church.

There are never all the funds that a good church needs. Therefore one great way to support your leaders is to help with funding where it is needed. By the way have you every handed one of your church workers fifty or a hundred dollars just as a love gift as a way of saying that you appreciate them and approve of what they are doing in the work of your church? I will make you feel good. And it just might be a way of saying thank you in a vocabulary that is seldom misunderstood.

These are specific biblical steps you can make to encourage your church leaders. Brag on them. Give them a gift. Pray for them. Tell others about their work. Attend and support their work. Encourage. Never discourage. Learn to follow.