Honor the Pastor Who Leads Well

October is Pastor Appreciation Month—a fitting opportunity to pause and thank God for those who faithfully shepherd His church.

Scripture is clear that spiritual leaders should be recognized and honored: “We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work” (1 Thessalonians 5:12–13).

Paul does not say we should honor pastors because they are impressive, charismatic, or unusually successful. We honor them “because of their work”—the sacred calling of leading in prayer, proclaiming truth, serving Christ’s people, and seeking the spiritual fruitfulness of the church.

What Does It Mean for a Pastor to Lead Well? 

Our culture tends to define leadership by visibility, influence, innovation, and measurable achievement. Even in the church, we can become preoccupied with personalities, platforms, attendance, facilities, and impressive strategies. Leadership is certainly a gift from God. Romans 12:8 instructs leaders to do so with diligence. Yet, biblical leadership is never primarily about prominence, power, or personality.

A helpful definition describes Christian leadership as “the exercise of one’s spiritual gifts, under the call of God, to serve people in accomplishing God-given purposes for the glory of Christ.” Biblical leadership originates with God, serves people, pursues His purposes, and exists for Christ’s glory.

Jesus made this unmistakably clear. When His disciples became preoccupied with position and greatness, He told them: “Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve” (Matthew 20:26–28).

The world’s model of leadership says, “Use your influence to achieve.” Jesus says, “Use your influence to serve.” The world celebrates those who accumulate authority. Jesus honors those who surrender themselves for others’ good. Therefore, one of the greatest gifts God can give a congregation is not merely a gifted pastor, but a pastor whose gifts flow from a deep, humble, prayerful walk with Christ.

The Most Important Mark of Biblical Leadership

Throughout Scripture, one phrase repeatedly describes those whom God used powerfully: “The Lord was with him.” It was true of Joseph, Moses, Joshua, David, Samuel, and many others. Their personalities and abilities varied greatly, but the defining reality of their leadership was God’s presence and power.

Jesus emphasized the same truth in His final commission. He did not tell His disciples that their effectiveness would depend upon extraordinary creativity, organizational skill, or personal magnetism. Instead, He promised, “I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20). In Acts 1:8, He assured them that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them.

This is the indispensable foundation of fruitful spiritual leadership. A pastor may possess tremendous natural ability, but lasting spiritual fruit cannot be manufactured by human ingenuity. Christ declared, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

The greatest threat to a pastor’s ministry may not be a spectacular moral failure, but subtle self-reliance, which ultimately fuels other catastrophes. The temptation to accomplish through human skill what only the Holy Spirit can produce is a paramount danger.

The greatest threat to a pastor’s ministry may not be a spectacular moral failure, but subtle self-reliance, which ultimately fuels other catastrophes. The temptation to accomplish through human skill what only the Holy Spirit can produce is a paramount danger.

Why Prayer and the Word Matter for Pastors

This is why Acts 6:4 provides such a vital pathway for every pastor: “But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” The apostles were facing legitimate and urgent ministry needs. They did not ignore those needs; instead, they established a wise structure through which qualified servants could address them. This allowed the apostles to remain devoted to their primary calling.

This was not an excuse to avoid leadership. It was the very heart of their leadership. Through prayer, they sought God’s wisdom, power, direction, and enabling. Through the ministry of the Word, they proclaimed God’s truth and equipped His people. Their public fruitfulness flowed from their private dependence upon Christ.

Acts 6:7 describes a profound gospel result: “And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly.” Acts 6:7 fruit grows from Acts 6:4 priorities, supported by Acts 6:3 servants.

Acts 6:7 describes a profound gospel result: “And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly.” Acts 6:7 fruit grows from Acts 6:4 priorities, supported by Acts 6:3 servants.

Honor Your Pastor by Resisting Comparison

Another meaningful way to honor your pastor is to resist comparing him with other pastors. Today, church members have instant access to gifted communicators through radio, television, podcasts, social media, and the internet. We can listen each week to some of the most polished preachers in the world. We can learn much from faithful Bible teachers, and we should thank God for their ministries.

But we must remember that we usually encounter the most refined and carefully edited version of their ministry. We hear the finished sermon, but we do not see their weaknesses, pastoral burdens, difficult meetings, or ordinary days. We receive their public teaching, but they do not know our names, pray beside our hospital beds, counsel our families, walk with us through grief, or bear responsibility for our spiritual care.

When I followed a faithful pastor who had served his congregation for forty years, he gave the church advanced, wise counsel concerning the man who would succeed him. He said, “Never compare us, because it will only hurt both of us.”

He was exactly right. Comparing pastors diminishes our gratitude for the distinctive gifts God gives each servant. It can tempt a leader toward pride, leave him feeling inadequate, and create unrealistic expectations within the congregation. It also overlooks God’s sovereign wisdom in giving different leaders to different churches for different seasons.

Honor your pastor for who God has called him to be—not for how closely he resembles someone else.

Give Your Pastor the Gift of Acts 6:4

During Pastor Appreciation Month, cards, meals, gifts, and encouraging words are meaningful expressions of gratitude. But one of the greatest ways a congregation can honor its pastor is by helping him remain faithful to prayer and the ministry of the Word.

Church members can unintentionally expect their leaders to attend every meeting, solve every problem, answer every question, visit every person, and remain constantly available. We make a mistake when we evaluate our pastor’s ministry more by his accessibility to us than by his attentiveness to God. A man who is always available to everyone may eventually have very little spiritual substance to offer anyone.

A church honors its pastor when qualified members embrace their own ministry responsibilities, as the servants in Acts 6 did. Rather than expecting the pastor to perform all the ministry, mature believers can care for one another, exercise their spiritual gifts, and protect their pastor’s essential priorities.

Encourage your pastor to spend unhurried time with God. Respect the hours he devotes to prayer and biblical preparation. Support healthy boundaries that protect his soul, his family, and his long-term fruitfulness. Rather than merely asking, “What is our pastor doing for us?” consider asking, “How can we help our pastor remain faithful to what Christ has called him to do?”

How to Pray for Your Pastor

Above all, pray for him.

Pray that your pastor will know Christ deeply before trying to make Christ known publicly. Pray that he will lead from intimacy rather than insecurity. Pray that he will resist comparison, competition, self-promotion, and the pressure to imitate other leaders. Pray that he will discern the difference between good opportunities and God-given assignments.

Pray that your pastor will know Christ deeply before trying to make Christ known publicly. Pray that he will lead from intimacy rather than insecurity. Pray that he will resist comparison, competition, self-promotion, and the pressure to imitate other leaders. Pray that he will discern the difference between good opportunities and God-given assignments.

Pray that the Holy Spirit will guard him from pride when ministry is flourishing and discouragement when visible results are slow. Pray that his preaching will be marked not merely by persuasive words, but by a “demonstration of the Spirit and of power,” so that people’s faith will rest “not in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:4–5).

Pray for courage to lead biblically, humility to receive counsel, wisdom to make difficult decisions, and endurance to serve faithfully. Pray that his ministry will produce lasting fruit—not merely increased activity, but transformed lives, mature disciples, unified believers, gospel advance, and a praying church.

A pastor is still an earthen vessel. He has weaknesses, limitations, and burdens most people never see. But the treasure within him is the gospel of Jesus Christ, “so that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us” (2 Corinthians 4:7).

This month, honor your pastor. Thank him specifically. Encourage him sincerely. Serve alongside him willingly. Refuse to compare him unfairly. Release him to pursue Acts 6:4 wholeheartedly. And pray for him faithfully.

The greatest compliment we could give any spiritual leader is not simply, “He was remarkably gifted,” but something far more biblical and consequential: “The Lord was with him.”

May that be increasingly true of our pastors—and may their Christ-centered, Spirit-empowered leadership produce lasting fruit for generations to come.

Copyright © 2026 Daniel Henderson. All rights reserved.