Christians in the US are being encouraged to say thankyou to their pastors and pray for them as part of National Clergy Appreciation Month.
Citing statistics which they say shows 75 per cent of pastors report severe stress and that 1,500 pastors reportedly leave their ministries each month due to burnout, conflict or moral failure, organiser Fredrick Ezeji-Okoye says that parishioners “should share the burden of praying for our pastors”.
“Week after week, we come to receive that which God has poured into them,” he said. “We have many expectations of them. “How often does the congregant stop to consider the pastor’s needs? If the pastor is doing all the pouring, how is he being replenished? It is time to become the ones who pray for our pastors.”
Ezeji-Okoye is founder of the Men of Faith Network and heads The Liberty Foundation LLC, a company that specializes in training church workers and consultants. He is also author of the book, Who Prays for the Pastor?.
