While we often assume that a pastor will attend to the spiritual nurture of the congregation, it is not often that a congregation considers how they can nurture the pastor in his or her spiritual journey.
A first step might be for the session or governing board to have the conversation. The conversation begins by simply verbally recognizing that the pastor’s spiritual life is critical to the health of the congregation. It is an unfortunate reality that many pastors neglect their own spiritual life because there are so many other obvious demands that need to be met. Since the Hebrew word for spirit can also be translated breath, think of what happens if a person has the responsibility to breathe out continually and never takes the opportunity to breath in.
It would then be important to ask the pastor to share with them what s/he does to attend to their own spirituality. Also ask what are some of the realities of his or her life that interfere with paying attention to his or her spiritual health. Then they can ask the pastor what types of steps they and or members of the congregation can take that will provide more opportunity to pay attention to the spirit.
I know one congregation that identifies a day each month that the pastor leaves the church and goes on a mini-retreat focused on his own spiritual needs. They even found a convenient home that was available for him one day each month. Another idea might be to share with the congregation that a certain hour each week has been specifically set aside for the pastor to be in prayer and personal Bible study. Identifying that hour for the congregation both helps protect that hour and it makes the congregation aware of the importance of a pastor’s spiritual life.
It would be interesting if the congregation knew that once a quarter they were going to be asked to give feedback to the pastor on the best sermon for that quarter and the most inspiring moment in the liturgy. For both the pastor and the congregation this would raise their awareness of what is happening for them in worship.
It is uplifting to know that you are touching people’s spirits. How about inviting people in the congregation to write a note about a particular way they have been touched by the pastor’s ministry and the effect it has had on their spiritual journey.
It is also important to regularly invite the congregation to pray for the pastor.
