PASTOR APPRECIATION

This month is Pastor Appreciation Month -- and I'm not tooting my own horn since I am one - but I got some pictures of our Asia trip from one of the guys who was along and they are great. I was looking at pics of one of the highlights of the trip when we were ministering to other pastors in Manila, the Philippines.

I identified with those pastors so much. Even though they're on the other side of the world, you know they go thru some of the same things we go thru here as pastors - family pressures, training, inadequacy, stress, friendships, direction, difficult people, etc. So, that gave me a heart for them. The pic above is me speaking to that same group of Filipino pastors.

On that note, when the Pew Forum on Religion spoke recently with pastors across the United States, here is what they learned:
* 90% of pastors were inadequately trained to cope with the demands of ministry

* 80% believed ministry had negatively affected their families

* 75% reported a significant stress-related crisis at least once in their ministry

* 70% said they developed a lower self-image than when they started in ministry

* 70% do not have another person they consider a close friend

* 50% felt unable to meet the rigors of the job

* 43% said a church ‘faction’ forced them to resign

* 33% said being in the ministry is an outright hazard to them and their families

* 23% said they had been fired at least once

Now -- I MUST say that most of those things above have not been my experience, but many pastors suffer in their calling. So, please pray for us as pastors. We need that from you. I can't think of a better gift during Pastor Appreciation Month than that.

And be blessed.