Honor Thy Pastor

By Rev. David Petersen

In the Table of Duties at the end of the Small Catechism, Luther includes the following Bible passage under “What Hearers Owe Their Pastor”:

1 Timothy 5:17–18 says, “Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine. For the Scripture says, ‘You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,’ and, ‘The laborer is worthy of his wages.’” (NKJ).

In 1 Timothy, the word elder does not mean an elected lay official as it often does among us. It is a title for the spiritual elders, that is, the pastors like Timothy. St. Paul’s point is that the hearer owes his pastor honor and should be especially thankful for the preaching (Word) and teaching (doctrine) that the pastor does.

Part of what St. Paul is writing here is that the pastors should be paid. In the best of circumstances, the pastor makes his living by the charity of his hearers and devotes himself full time to this work. But there is more to honor than money. Honoring your pastor also includes listening with intent to his sermons, praying for him, encouraging him, and helping him.

In the first place, you honor your pastor by listening to, comprehending, and learning from his sermons. The pastor is primarily a preacher. That is what he was called to do. He probably works far harder on his sermons than you realize. He does so because he thinks they are important. When you listen with intent, with concentration, trying to comprehend and apply what he is saying, you honor him. You could also honor him by attending Bible class.

It is also important to pray for your pastor. Pastors face many temptations and also have very important work to do. Remembering him in your prayers honors and helps him.

Encouraging and complimenting the pastor is also a way to honor him. He needs to hear your gratitude. That gratitude encourages him and lets him know that his work has value. Some people worry about giving the pastor a big head. But big heads don’t come by way of compliments but by way of defensiveness. If your pastor is honored by you and feels loved by you, it will humble him and energize him. You do not need to do any more than say “Thank you, Pastor” on the way out of church on Sunday morning, but specific praise and thanks is always more powerful and more meaningful. No pastor in the world would be anything less than thrilled if a teen came out of church and said something like: “Pastor, I really liked the way you used you explained the word grace in the sermon today. I’d never thought of that before, and I now feel closer to God and more thankful than ever before. I am looking forward to next Sunday.”

You can help the pastor by considering his needs and helping. You could volunteer to babysit his children or mow his lawn. Pastors need those things. But what most pastors really want is volunteers. You could honor your pastor by helping with Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, or the Evangelism Committee. You could help with little things your pastor does every week that few people notice, like making the coffee on Sunday mornings, straightening (and removing old bulletins from) hymnals, or locking up.

This all seems pretty obvious. These are the kinds of things most of us do automatically for our grandmothers. Still, maybe none of these things quite fits the bill for you and your pastor. That‘s okay. St. Paul doesn’t tell us how to honor our pastors, just that we should.

Rev. David Petersen is pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and is also on the Higher Things editorial board. His e-mail address is David.H.Petersen@att.net.