Last week Thom Rainer, the president of Lifeway, put up a blog post called Seven Things Pastors Would Like Church Members to Know about their Children. It was drawn from a twitter poll he did. I appreciated seeing a ministry leader giving thought and concern to this issue. Here the three answers I resonated with most.
Don’t expect more out of pastors’ kids (PKs) than any other kids. “My children need to have the same expectations as the other children in the church. They are not some kind of spiritual superstars because their dad’s a pastor.”
Please offer encouragement to my children. “It’s not always easy to be a PK. The glass house thing is real. I am so thankful for the church members who go out of their way to encourage my children.”
Our kids see and hear more than you may think. “After one particularly tough church business meeting, my seven-year-old boy asked me if I was going to get fired.”
There is a lot to be said about these and there are loads that could be added to the list. It’s encouraging that pastors are aware of these, but I wonder if they aware of just how deep some these challenges run? I wonder if they realize that they are the most significant person in overcoming these challenges? It’s good to make church members aware, but nobody matters more in helping a PK that the pastor himself.
Pastors, make the church aware, yes. But own these challenges as yours and help your kids in every way possible. They (we) want and need it.