Needs of Ministers

Needs of Ministers/pastors Recently I received an email from someone who had read my blogger page, www.jackdrennan.blogspot.com where I have sermon notes and some thoughts. Hw wanted to ask the question, "what encourages the minister?" in his/her ministry. That is a good question given that we rarely hear about the good things and the encouraging things in moinistry. Everyone needs those people who ghet alongside to encourage- people like Barnabas who was such a supporter of St Paul. Here are some things which I find encouraging: * those who show themselves to be dependable and faithful * those who demonstrate loyalty * those who can see the big picture and not just their own little corner * those who can add to your work and are not always out to kill and destroy anything which has not originated with themselves * those who share your vision * those who are teachable* those who show that they care about you as a person and they care also for your family and make it quite clear that they do. In short I find it encouraging to work with a team of like-minded people who share my vision and share my work and care about me and my family. We work in isolation far too much and, what's more, our congregations have come to acceopt this as the norm and while we all believe in the priesthood of all believers, in theory, the practise is very different.