Why is Pastoring of Pastors Important?

To begin with, could you respond to a few introductory questions?

• Among the pastors you know, what percentage of them receive pastoral care?
• Among their spouses, what percentage?
• What does a pastor lose out on when they do not receive this kind of care?

Once you’ve given even a brief response, read on! 

When pastors do not have anyone who offers them pastoral care, they suffer.  They do not have a safe environment in which they can open up and express their hurt and difficulties.  Because no one is helping them overcome their weak points, they do not grow as they should.  They easily get burned out, always giving and never receiving.  Many times their churches, denominations, or even the pastors themselves think this is how it should be.  They think it shows that the pastor is giving his life for his sheep.

In addition to the pastor suffering for lack of pastoral support in his life, who else suffers in that situation?  Consider the following:

• The pastor's spouse suffers.  Almost everyone with a pastoral calling, if they are honest, will admit they easily allow the ministry to become a priority over their spouse.  People commonly joke about a pastor having two women: his wife and his church.
• The pastor's children suffer.  How seldom do pastor's kids want to be pastors!  Even if they feel called to the ministry, they usually plan on being involved in some other area, or at least not becoming like their dad.
• The church leaders suffer.  They don't receive pastoral care for their lives because the pastor does not know how to give what he never received.
• The whole church suffers.  When the pastor, his spouse, his children, and the church leaders suffer, it's impossible for the church not to suffer!  Church members, as a rule, see the pastor as a model of a mature Christian and seek to imitate him.  This can lead to a workaholic church, characterized by loneliness, busyness and poor relationships.
• The world suffers.  Jesus said true disciples would be characterized by their sincere love for those around them (John 13:34,35).  The pastor and the church with the above characteristics will not attract non-Christians.  If they do, they may have a hard time offering them spiritual and emotional health.
• God suffers.  No one suffers without God suffering too.  If we could see God’s heart for pastors, we would realize it is often a broken one.  God loves his pastors so much that he feels deeply their need for love and care in their personal lives.

All of these relationships in the life of a pastor can be bettered when he receives pastoring.

We talked here about some practical reasons pastoring of pastors is important; if you would like to deepen your understanding of the Biblical basis for pastoring pastors, click here. You can also return to the main page about pastoring of pastors.