People don’t want pity, and they don’t want you to tolerate them. People are living and breathing creatures. Ministry involves every part of the people we minister to; it also requires all of us as well. Good, Bad, and Ugly, we must realize that the totality of ourselves is what will make an impact on our people. When we have no pastor, there will be pain and there will be discord. No improvement will be seen by disguising your emotions from the people for which you labor.
I have heard of pastors who fail miserably at this very task. To be real, open, and honest is one of the most endearing qualities that a minister can possess. Some pastors and staff members who insist that everything is good when it is not fail to understand that their dishonesty will breed dishonesty in their congregation. When no pastor is to be found, our honesty with people can begin to direct our congregation to be honest to each other, and to themselves. It is only through honesty that they will grow in this time of unrest; honesty for what they want, and honesty for what the LORD wants of them.
Acting as though things are good when they are not, isn’t better or worse than over playing the circumstances to make them worse than they really are. Understand your condition, and understand the condition that you would have things to be. Be precise and honest with your own emotions and allow your people to see them. Be ready at all times to express how things in your church are getting better as an encouragement for your people. When your church becomes honest in their expressions of emotions they will be ready to express to Him their emotions and lay them down at His feet.
Honesty bears understanding, but dishonesty from the staff in the office will breed dishonesty from the pulpit.
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