Two October
developments have made the news. I think
there is an important connection. First,
October is highlighted as “Pastor Appreciation Month” in many churches across
America. Meanwhile, President Trump has
just addressed our nation to outline his multi-front initiative against the
opioid crisis. Can you see a possible
connection between honoring the pastors of our churches and the scourge of
drugs in America? Thankfully, President
Trump’s proposed approach hints that he has already made the connection.
President Trump’s proposed multi-million dollar effort involves multiple
federal and local agencies. But there is
much more to his plan. The president has
also challenged American families and communities to participate. To emphasize the important role of family and
community, Mr.
Trump recognized Jessie and Cyndi Swafford of Dayton, Ohio. The Swafford’s are one among many couples who have
been providing foster and adoptive care to babies born addicted to drugs. Mr. Trump noted that
[the Swafford’s] Have provided a loving and stable home to children affected by the opioid crisis. I am calling on every American to join the ranks of guardian angels…Who help lift up the people of our great nation.
Thankfully, the president realizes that multiple federal agencies and millions of dollars alone will not solve the opiate crisis. Nor will government programs alone solve the larger crisis of moral decline in America (See Are There Lessons for America from the 1950’s?). And here is where the connection between a national drug program and “pastor appreciation” becomes more sharply defined.
This month’s invitation to honor our pastors provides a fitting context for an emphasis on the importance of family and community in the battle against drugs. Why? Because the biblical account of creation, the fall of humankind, and God’s redemptive plan through faith in Christ is linked throughout by the narrative of God as a Shepherd seeking rebellious mankind who has wandered astray and become lost. Today, God’s Spirit still guides us into Truth and moral living as sheep within His fold, and He calls to other sheep who are still lost. His plan remains intact—“to seek and to save the lost” through Christ and to establish local churches as “local flocks” which are each led by one or more elders, or overseers (also called pastors). Pastoral leadership in local churches is central to God’s Great Commission aimed at transforming the world. It is God’s plan that His sheep gather regularly as local churches for worship, fellowship, instruction from the Bible, and preparation for Christ-like living in our daily life. All the while, marriages are formed and strengthened; and, families and communities flourish.
Because our culture is so secularized and drenched in multiculturalism, God’s church needs to awaken afresh to a fundamental truth—there is only One God and human beings are His offspring. We are created in His image and designed to worship and serve God and live a morally ordered existence. There is no alternative moral code or mandate by which we may be saved and prosper in a civilized manner on this planet. The Apostle Paul boldly expressed this truth to the first century Greek scholars in the midst of a pagan culture (emphasis mine):
The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we also are His children.' – Acts 17: 24-28
God created man and woman and presided over the first marriage (Genesis 2). God also extended grace when humankind rebelled and sought to elevate human reason above godly wisdom (Genesis 3)…professing to be wise, they became fools and… exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen (Romans 1: 22, 25).
Throughout Scripture, humans are characterized as sheep that wandered astray (Isaiah 53: 6). As an expression of His redemptive love, God pursues His wayward sheep as a loving Shepherd. Near the end of his life, Jacob, whom God had named Israel, gives tribute to His God as, The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, The God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day… (Genesis 48: 15).
Throughout Old Testament Bible history the descendants of Jacob, the Jewish
nation, understood God’s nature through the metaphor of the shepherd. Jewish King David, the father of the kingly
line that led eventually to the birth of Christ, was a shepherd boy whom God
chose to be His king to shepherd Israel.
It was David who wrote Psalm 23 which begins with the claim, “The Lord
is my shepherd.” Israel’s understanding
of themselves as the sheep of God’s pasture finds its expression later in the
nation’s history in a call to worship:
Come, let us worship and bow down,
Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.
For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture
and the sheep of His hand.
Today, if you would hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts… - Psalm 95: 6-8a
The New Testament Gospel writers introduce Jesus Christ as both “the Good
Shepherd” (John 10) and as the sacrificial Lamb
of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1: 29)! Jesus, the Messiah, the “Son of David,” declares
His rightful claim to deity, saying, I am
the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. The “sheep” for whom Christ, the Good
Shepherd laid down His life includes, in His words, other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and
they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd (John
10: 16). Within a few days of making this claim, Jesus
gave Himself as the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the whole world. Three days after His crucifixion, Jesus arose
from the grave and was observed by hundreds of witnesses included Peter and His
disciples. Jesus commissioned Peter to “Shepherd
My sheep (John 21: 17).”
Years later, the Apostle Peter, himself an elder (or “overseer”), gave this exhortation to his fellow shepherds or “pastors” (from the Latin, pascere, "to lead to pasture, set to grazing, cause to eat," with the notion of tending, guarding, and protecting). Peter wrote (emphasis mine):
 |
| The Swafford family illustrate a key solution to opioid crisis. |
[the Swafford’s] Have provided a loving and stable home to children affected by the opioid crisis. I am calling on every American to join the ranks of guardian angels…Who help lift up the people of our great nation.
Thankfully, the president realizes that multiple federal agencies and millions of dollars alone will not solve the opiate crisis. Nor will government programs alone solve the larger crisis of moral decline in America (See Are There Lessons for America from the 1950’s?). And here is where the connection between a national drug program and “pastor appreciation” becomes more sharply defined.
This month’s invitation to honor our pastors provides a fitting context for an emphasis on the importance of family and community in the battle against drugs. Why? Because the biblical account of creation, the fall of humankind, and God’s redemptive plan through faith in Christ is linked throughout by the narrative of God as a Shepherd seeking rebellious mankind who has wandered astray and become lost. Today, God’s Spirit still guides us into Truth and moral living as sheep within His fold, and He calls to other sheep who are still lost. His plan remains intact—“to seek and to save the lost” through Christ and to establish local churches as “local flocks” which are each led by one or more elders, or overseers (also called pastors). Pastoral leadership in local churches is central to God’s Great Commission aimed at transforming the world. It is God’s plan that His sheep gather regularly as local churches for worship, fellowship, instruction from the Bible, and preparation for Christ-like living in our daily life. All the while, marriages are formed and strengthened; and, families and communities flourish.
Because our culture is so secularized and drenched in multiculturalism, God’s church needs to awaken afresh to a fundamental truth—there is only One God and human beings are His offspring. We are created in His image and designed to worship and serve God and live a morally ordered existence. There is no alternative moral code or mandate by which we may be saved and prosper in a civilized manner on this planet. The Apostle Paul boldly expressed this truth to the first century Greek scholars in the midst of a pagan culture (emphasis mine):
The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we also are His children.' – Acts 17: 24-28
God created man and woman and presided over the first marriage (Genesis 2). God also extended grace when humankind rebelled and sought to elevate human reason above godly wisdom (Genesis 3)…professing to be wise, they became fools and… exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen (Romans 1: 22, 25).
Throughout Scripture, humans are characterized as sheep that wandered astray (Isaiah 53: 6). As an expression of His redemptive love, God pursues His wayward sheep as a loving Shepherd. Near the end of his life, Jacob, whom God had named Israel, gives tribute to His God as, The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, The God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day… (Genesis 48: 15).
 |
| Godly pastors have a wonderful role model and the power of His Spirit to guide them. |
Come, let us worship and bow down,
Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.
For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture
and the sheep of His hand.
Today, if you would hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts… - Psalm 95: 6-8a
 |
| The Good Shepherd offered Himself as the Sacrificial Lamb |
Years later, the Apostle Peter, himself an elder (or “overseer”), gave this exhortation to his fellow shepherds or “pastors” (from the Latin, pascere, "to lead to pasture, set to grazing, cause to eat," with the notion of tending, guarding, and protecting). Peter wrote (emphasis mine):
Therefore, I exhort the elders among you,
as your fellow elder and
witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is
to be revealed, shepherd the flock of
God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily,
according to the will of God;
and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to
your charge, but proving to be examples
to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you
will receive the unfading crown of glory. – 1 Peter 5: 1-4
Notice the character qualities of a Christ-following pastor-shepherd. He is a loving leader, unselfish, and without impure motives. He serves eagerly while not “lording his authority over us,” but rather proves himself an example of the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ whose return he eagerly awaits. In 1 Timothy 3: 2-5, we read similar qualifications of a pastor:
[He] must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money. He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity…
Notice the character qualities of a Christ-following pastor-shepherd. He is a loving leader, unselfish, and without impure motives. He serves eagerly while not “lording his authority over us,” but rather proves himself an example of the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ whose return he eagerly awaits. In 1 Timothy 3: 2-5, we read similar qualifications of a pastor:
[He] must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money. He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity…
During our
48 years of marriage, Abby and I have been blessed to worship and serve under a
number of excellent pastor-shepherds who demonstrated these qualities:
Rev. Douglas Miller, Christian Missionary Alliance Church, Morgantown, WV
Rev. Gerald Wheatley, Bowie Bible Church, Bowie, MD
Rev. W. Paul Jackson, Grace Baptist Church, Cedarville, Ohio
Rev. David Graham, Grace Baptist Church, Cedarville, Ohio
Rev. Craig Miller, Grace Baptist Church, Cedarville, Ohio
Currently, we are blessed to be a part of God’s flock at West Hill Baptist
Church, in Wooster, Ohio, led by senior pastor Dan Wingate; and co-pastor, Mark
Davenport who has provided valuable counsel to us in our transition into
retirement. Pastor Dan Wingate has
humbly and wisely led for nearly 43 years as senior pastor of West Hill Baptist
Church, a period that spans nearly the entire duration of time we served under
the ministries of all our previous pastors listed above. Currently, we are praying for Pastor Dan and
his wife, Karen, as they will soon transition into a new phase of ministry in
which Dan is making his time available to preach and teach as God provides opportunities
in local churches and on college campuses.
I hope readers can appreciate my connection between the moral climate of our nation and the important role of local churches throughout America. The moral fortitude of the American family and community has historically depended upon the ministry of godly pastor-shepherds according to God’s plan. Therefore, it is only fitting that “Pastor Appreciation” become our habit as we, the sheep who need a shepherd obey the Scripture which calls us to
…appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another (1 Thessalonians 5: 12-13).
I hope you are blessed to be a part of a local flock that is led by one or more pastors who according to the concluding verse (1) work hard among you and (2) give you spiritual guidance consistent in an attitude of godliness. After all, it is not God’s plan that anyone should …neglect meeting together as is the habit of some (Hebrews 10: 25). Instead, we are called to meet together so that we may encourage one another and all the more as we see the day [of Christ’s return] drawing near. Finally, as members of the local flock, may we (1) appreciate those who work hard to lead; and (2) may we esteem them very highly in love because of their work.
In summary, God’s plan for pastor-shepherds in a morally challenged world is to
lead wisely after the example of the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ. On the other hand, Christ-followers must willingly
place themselves under the authority of godly pastor-shepherds, and then serve
faithfully alongside them in a spirit of appreciation and high esteem. Abby and I understand the wisdom of this plan
as relates to our individual lives and our marriage. In addition, after observing for 20 years the
blessings and challenges of our son-in-law, Pastor Steve Salyers, his wife
Mindy, and family, we can appreciate in a more direct way the vital importance
of “pastor appreciation” by the local flock.
Our pastors and their wives not only have the responsibility to teach,
admonish, and encourage us as individuals and families, but they have their own
similar responsibilities to their families. May we recommit to “pastor appreciation” and
work hard to appreciate and highly esteem our pastors and their families.
Rev. Douglas Miller, Christian Missionary Alliance Church, Morgantown, WV
Rev. Gerald Wheatley, Bowie Bible Church, Bowie, MD
Rev. W. Paul Jackson, Grace Baptist Church, Cedarville, Ohio
Rev. David Graham, Grace Baptist Church, Cedarville, Ohio
Rev. Craig Miller, Grace Baptist Church, Cedarville, Ohio
 |
| Pastor Dan Wingate and wife, Karen |
I hope readers can appreciate my connection between the moral climate of our nation and the important role of local churches throughout America. The moral fortitude of the American family and community has historically depended upon the ministry of godly pastor-shepherds according to God’s plan. Therefore, it is only fitting that “Pastor Appreciation” become our habit as we, the sheep who need a shepherd obey the Scripture which calls us to
…appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another (1 Thessalonians 5: 12-13).
I hope you are blessed to be a part of a local flock that is led by one or more pastors who according to the concluding verse (1) work hard among you and (2) give you spiritual guidance consistent in an attitude of godliness. After all, it is not God’s plan that anyone should …neglect meeting together as is the habit of some (Hebrews 10: 25). Instead, we are called to meet together so that we may encourage one another and all the more as we see the day [of Christ’s return] drawing near. Finally, as members of the local flock, may we (1) appreciate those who work hard to lead; and (2) may we esteem them very highly in love because of their work.
 |
| Pastor Steve Salyers, Mindy, Caleb, Kiara, and Della Rose |
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