Be an encourager

The last several days have been filled with joy and opportunities for fellowship and encouragement with pastors. I have sat at the table sharing a meal with various groups of pastors in Lubbock, Amarillo and Bryan.

I write this update after having participated in the 2026 Texas Baptists Conclave NextGen conference. The room for the “senior pastors” track was full, with approximately 50 ministers from all around the state present. There were about 800 participants in FBC Bryan’s worship center for the main sessions.

What a powerful thing it is to be in a room full of children, student, collegiate, family and lead pastors, ministers and leaders who are discipling the next generation! Their worship, laughter, excitement and passion for ministry are contagious.

October is Pastor Appreciation Month. As I get to be in rooms with pastors, I thank God for them. Whether they pastor rural, suburban or city churches; whether their church attendance is small or large; whether they serve as senior pastors or elsewhere on pastoral staff; we are blessed to connect and cooperate as Texas Baptists together.

These opportunities have led me to reflect on my 39 years of pastoral ministry. I have served as youth pastor, education minister, associate pastor and church starter, but most of my ministry has been as lead pastor. I thank God for each of those congregations. They each hold a special place in my heart.

During my years of pastoral ministry, I enjoyed preaching, leading staff and leadership teams, being present with church members in difficult moments and moments of joy, and counseling and fellowshipping with church leaders and members around many, many meals! What a privilege!

I also learned to love those congregations as a whole and as individual members. Most church members were encouraging, prayed constantly for me and were eager to serve and grow spiritually. Others struggled in different ways, and they needed special care and attention. A few were difficult and combative. As a pastor, my call was to love each of them as God loved me.

Being the pastor of a local church is very rewarding, but it is very challenging too. The physical, spiritual, emotional and intellectual energy required is beyond what anyone might imagine. Shepherding, leading, ministering in crisis, making difficult decisions, managing budgets, committees, staff and buildings, working alongside deacons, relating to other pastors in the area, serving the community while growing as a disciple, caring for your family and taking care of yourself require much wisdom and time. The only way to do it well is with God’s supernatural power.

That is why it is extremely important for Texas Baptists to invest in pastors and ministers. Conclave NextGen conference, like Pastor Strong, Counseling Services, Bivocational Pastors Ministry, Women in Ministry Network and other resources available through Texas Baptists, exist to encourage, equip and connect pastors and ministers just like you

In my new ministry role, I relate to pastors in two different ways. As executive director for Texas Baptists, I relate to pastors around the state. I seek to be an encourager, a partner in ministry and often a learner.

Interestingly, I find that most pastors I meet around the state are encouraged and encouraging. They offer to pray for me and to serve the Texas Baptists family in some way. Many express their gratitude for the ministry of Texas Baptists, whether they received it through BSM, PAVE, Pastor Strong, Conclave NextGen conference or a ministerial scholarship, among many other ways.

There are also pastors who are struggling. Some are frustrated. A few are wondering if they can continue. They are just trying to survive ministry. Others are recovering from hurt or grief.

If you are a pastor and you find yourself in any of the above seasons of ministry, know that you are loved. God loves you. We love you. God’s people love you. I pray that this month you feel God’s love through your church and others in very tangible ways.

If you are a church member, please do not miss the opportunity to encourage your pastor and to lead your church to show appreciation beyond just words. A recognition, a gift or a special reception will go a long way in showing your pastor God’s love through his church.

The second way in which I relate to pastors in my new role is as a church member. For 39 years, I did not have to look for a church, and I did not have a pastor in the usual sense. But now, I do! 

My desire as a church member is to be an encouragement to my pastor and pastoral staff. To pray for them, support them and be ready to serve them. I will give my tithe to the church-approved budget. I get to be on the other side now!

I have told myself, “Be the church member that, as a pastor, you would like to have. Be the minister that, as a church member, you would like to have. And finally, be the executive director that, as a pastor, you would like to partner with.” I invite you to consider the same.

The Scriptures compel pastors to shepherd faithfully with the promise that when it is all said and done, the Chief Shepherd will reward us. What a humbling reminder and beautiful promise.

“To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away” (1 Peter 5:1-4 NIV)