3 Traits Your Pastor Wants You To Have

pulpitI’ve had the unusual opportunity to have done church from both sides of the pulpit.

A few years ago, our church was left without a pastor and I became responsible for the preaching every Sunday and leading the church.

It was an incredible experience, which I do not care to repeat but will never regret either. I learned why churches grow and why they fail.

I learned that the success of a church has a lot less to do with a pastor’s so-called “anointing” than his leadership.

I learned to see churches from a pastor’s perspective, a perspective I now realize far too few churchgoers understand.

There was an ad in the 1990s where Dallas Cowboys owner, Jerry Jones, watches Deion Sanders make a spectacular play and Jones turns to the camera and says, “Hot dang! If I had 11 men like that I could rule the world!”

If your pastor is a leader and has a vision for the church, he’s wishing he had a church full of Deion Sanders. Here’s three traits he is looking for in you:

1.     A concern for the lost. No pastor wants to be the only one responsible for evangelism in his church. No healthy church works like that. A church whose members are building relationships with non-Christians, inviting them to church and witnessing to them cannot help but grow.

2.     Your pastor’s vision. If your pastor is doing what he should be doing, he has a vision for your church. He has probably prayed and thought a lot about that vision to ensure it is what the Lord wants for the church, and he has communicated that vision to your church. He wants you to buy into the vision and get with the program so the church can operate in unity and fulfill its purpose.

3.     A faithful giver. Whether you are tithing and giving is (along with your church attendance) one of the best indicators of your spiritual health. It’s not a foolproof indicator, but it’s one of the best we have. That is why Jesus talked more about our handling of money and possessions than anything else except the kingdom of God.

Are you reaching the lost or just expecting your church to meet your needs? Are you advancing your pastor’s vision or doing your own thing? Are you tithing and giving regularly or mostly just taking?  Are you a spiritual Deion Sanders? GS

 

 

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