Ah yes, another one of those awkward Sundays. Another time when I look at a text and say, “If I was just randomly choosing Scripture to preach on, this wouldn’t be one of them!”

And that’s exactly how we end up skipping over parts of Scripture that we really need in order to walk together as part of the Kingdom now while waiting for the King to come.

Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to give recognition to those who labor among you and lead you in the Lord and admonish you, and to regard them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.

1 Thessalonians 5:12–13

See what I mean?

I thought, “How am I going to approach this?” Here’s the reality. All of us in this room, we’re not going to be here forever. People move on. The average American will move 11.7 times in their lifetime. They move to different jobs, they move to be closer to family.

And people move churches. I hope you don’t. I don’t plan on it anytime soon, Lord willing. But when you do, you’ll have to look for a new church. What should you look for in the pastor? Because, can I tell you, Sunday morning is not the only thing to judge it by.

So we can look at it that way, what should you be looking for, teens, when you’re going away to college, how do you decide what church to go to, whether you’re going to trust the leadership?

And, one other perspective, because the last thing I want you to be thinking about this morning is me the entire time. I’m certainly not as I preach. I’m thinking of the pastor’s I’ve had who’ve done these things well, and the couple that… haven’t.

Lord willing, as we grow, God will bring more shepherds to this flock. When he does, and we’re deciding who that should be, what should we be looking for? And then how should we treat them when they get here?

So that’s how I’m thinking about the message this morning.

We’re going to look at what this passage tells us about leaders and what it tells about the church, about it’s members, their roles, and how they’re supposed to interact.

Leaders

Obviously pastors are leaders, but I don’t think this text exclusively applies to pastors.

1. Leaders Work Hard

those who labor among you and lead you in the Lord and admonish you

1 Thessalonians 5:12

Among people who are not part of churches, there is this idea that being a pastor is basically a cushy, easy, one-day-per-week job. Obviously they don’t know all that goes on within churches—how would they?

But have you ever met a pastor where you went, “Ahh, I get why people think that”? Ever met or known someone like that? I have.

There is no place for laziness in ministry.

The Greek word translated “work hard” (kopiaō) here is strong, usually refers to manual labor. Think the kinds of jobs where muscles are rippling, sweat’s pouring off you, and you get home at the end of the day exhausted.

The median number of hours full-time senior pastors work for their churches each week is 55 hours, with 42 percent working 60 or more hours.

Lifeway Research

That includes 2–4 evenings a week away from home.

IBSA Church Revitalization process, meeting with coach. Explained that the “process” of revitalization started 4–5 years ago now with Bro. Lance, before I even got here!

Part of that is an assessment, and it’s split up into three Biblical categories.

2. Leaders Feel the Weight

those who labor among you and lead you in the Lord and admonish you

1 Thessalonians 5:12

Leadership is a wonderful privilege, and a heavy responsibility.

Think about parenting: don’t your children bring into your life the greatest amounts of joy and the greatest amount of responsibility, simultaneously? You wouldn’t trade them for the world, but you know that by their mere existence, you have the possibility for the deepest grief.

That’s what leadership is like.

It’s not just a job

On call 24/7, 365 days a year, 366 on leap years.

Kay can attest to this, when we’re going to Michigan to visit family over Thanksgiving, I’m making sure we have a plan already in place for when I get that dreaded phone call that one of you got in a car crash or dropped dead of a heart attack.

Notice, I said when, not if. I grew up in a pastor’s home. I know it’s coming. I’ve been in the room when those calls came in, on a couple of occassions. It’s just part of it.

Spiritual warfare is a constant reality.

There is no other job that enemy forces attack with such ferocity. It’s a strategic target. That’s true for pastors, it’s also true for anyone in leadership in the Kingdom.

Russia indescriminate bombing, Ukraine targeted attacks. Which is more effective?

Not just me, my family.

Blending the physical/mental/relational/spiritual.

Funeral, wedding, visit cancer patient in oncology center, then to the maternity ward after a baby’s been born, all in the same day.

3. Leaders Watch Out

those who labor among you and lead you in the Lord and admonish you

1 Thessalonians 5:12

Caring about a person’s spiritual growth means watching out for the things that will harm them, within themselves or outside.

The word we have for pastor in the Bible is really shepherd, so this week I looked up what the life of a modern shepherd looks like. One of the things it said was that not only do they have to lead their sheep to the greenest pastures available, they also have to watch out for poisonous plants.

What a great analogy. In the green pastures of looking forward to the coming of our King, that kind of prideful attitude is a poisonous plant.

The larger discussion is not so much about different beliefs about the millenial reign of Christ as it is a way of going about life that says, “Not only am I right, I can’t possibly be wrong. And if you think I am, then you just don’t believe what the Bible clearly says.” That attitude is poison to a spiritual body—don’t eat it! Main things/plain things.

One of the hardest parts of ministry is when this is on a personal level.

Churches

1. Churches Recognize/Honor/Respect

It’s sad, but church jobs can be the most thankless jobs, can’t they? I’m not talking about pastors, we get the “good sermons” and the Pastor Appreciation Months. I’m talking now about the deacons, the Sunday School teachers, the worship team members…

2. Churches Regard/Esteem Highly in Love

Notice that he says you do it “because of their work”, not based on their ability.

Between any two people, there will always be different levels of gifting and natural ability. Regarding them highly is not just about the quality of their work compared to other pastors/leader you know, listen to, or had in the past.

It’s primarily about the effort, the labor that they’re putting in on behalf of the flock. That’s why you “regard them highly in love.”

The elders who are good leaders are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard [same word] at preaching and teaching.

1 Timothy 5:17

Notice the combination there. The elders who are good at what they do… but it’s those who “labor” over preaching and teaching that he says is especially deserving of appreciation.

3. Love/Live at Peace

That’s what every leader in the Kingdom wants.

Obey your leaders and submit to them, since they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account, so that they can do this with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.

Hebrews 13:17–18

Talk about responsibility—I’m gonna give an account to God for your spiritual health while you’re part of this church!

By everybody obeying these verses, that’s how a church can live at peace among themselves. And even when there’s not peace, there’s peace.

On my first Sunday here, in the back shaking hands, Pattie Kerley gave me a hug, and she said that Kerley would be so happy that I was here. And then she said, “You’re going to like it here, this church takes good care of their pastors.” Coming from someone who’s been around ministry life, has seen/experienced churches where that’s not true, it gave me a great deal of comfort.

She was right, and I am grateful to the Father for you.

So I’d say, like my brother Paul here, “do this—as you’re already doing—do so all the more!”