Leading sheep

So far we have covered these 4 qualities of effective leaders:
Like sheep
Example
Amiable
Determined

An Afghan proverb goes:

If you think you're leading and no one is following you,

then you're only taking a walk.

2 more qualities you need to lead

Last week we started discussing the leadership attributes that we and our husbands need to be great leader-sheep... I know it sounds awkward but when you think about the fact that we're leaders of sheep and sheep ourselves, "Leader-sheep" is a perfect title for us.

Leader-sheep - does that describe you?

As a sign of my appreciation for all our Pastors and you my fellow Mrs Pastors, I'd like to share a bit on how I believe we can be (or become and also remain) all that God what's us to be as leaders...of His sheep - as leader-sheep.

Happy CAM!

I was wondering what we should talk about this month and the Holy Spirit reminded me about this - so rather than start from scratch, I thought it will be great to read about this from another source - then add my comments:

Clergy Appreciation Month is a special time that congregations set aside each year to honor their pastors and pastoral families for the hard work, sacrificial dedication and multiple blessings provided by these special people. It is typically scheduled in October, but can be held at any time that is convenient for the church and the community. It is also important to remember that appreciation, affirmation and prayer support of our spiritual leaders is appropriate throughout the entire year.

The nature of the service provided by pastors and their families is unique. God has entrusted to them one of the most precious of assignments — the spiritual well-being of His flock. When a pastor becomes ineffective, the very souls of his or her parishioners are endangered. When eternity is in the balance, we should all be concerned.

Pastors and their families live under incredible pressures. Their lives are played out in a fishbowl, (picture mine) with the entire congregation and community watching their every move. They are expected to have ideal families, to be perfect people, to always be available, to never be down and to have all the answers we need to keep our own lives stable and moving forward. Those are unrealistic expectations to place on anyone, yet most of us are disappointed when a pastor becomes overwhelmed, seems depressed, lets us down or completely burns out.

That’s why God has instructed us to recognize His servants.

“The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching” (1 Timothy 5:17).

The good news is that we can make a difference! Clergy Appreciation Month is one way we can counter the negative erosion in the lives of our spiritual leaders with the positive affirmation they need.

Don’t your pastors and their families deserve this kind of recognition? Do something about it today!

Mrs Pastor's comments:
After reading this well written piece I started wondering how many Pastors and/or Mrs Pastors (and maybe their children) get "offended" when their church members don't "appreciate" them at all or as much as they think they deserve. I can understand why some of us may feel this way though I don't believe that it's worthy of being offended for. The thing that struck me in this article is how much and how many times the pastor's family was mentioned. Since this is Clergy Appreciation Month, let's take the time to appreciate our husbands and children - because it's only because we're united that we can progress the work of God in our hands. Yes, don't wait to be appreciated - appreciate yourselves - everyday, every month, in every way. Happy CAM!

Source:
http://thrivingpastor.org/clergyappreciation/