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Part Two of Cedar Creek Ministries’ September series, For the Love of the Church: Remembering the People Who Spend Their Lives Serving Others.
I think there is a difference between being unsupported and feeling unremembered.
I have been thinking about that distinction a lot lately.
There are days in ministry when I can feel forgotten.
Not necessarily because anyone has done something wrong.
Not because there aren't people praying.
Not because God hasn't provided.
And certainly not because we haven't experienced extraordinary generosity.
But ministry has a way of continuing every day.
There is another need.
Another family to care for.
Another bill.
Another project.
Another prayer.
Another decision.
Another thing you are asking God to provide.
And sometimes, in the middle of all of that, you wonder:
Does anybody remember we're out here doing this?
Then a text comes.
Praying for you guys today.
A monthly donation notification appears.
Someone asks a sincere question about how the ministry is going and actually waits for the answer.
A friend calls on your anniversary.
Someone shows up ready to work.
And somehow a very ordinary gesture becomes extraordinarily meaningful.
We were remembered.
Sometimes Support Looks Smaller Than We Think
We tend to think supporting pastors and ministry leaders requires something impressive.
A large gift.
A formal pastor appreciation event.
A sabbatical policy.
A church-wide initiative.
And all of those things can be wonderful.
But some of the encouragement that has meant the most to us has been remarkably simple.
There is a local pastor, not even our own pastor, who reminds us nearly every time we see him that he is praying for us.
He has only known us for a few years.
And he remembers our anniversary.
That may sound like such a little thing.
It isn't.
There is something incredibly strengthening about knowing that someone has carried your name into prayer when you weren't standing in front of them.
We have also experienced generosity that was anything but small.
One man who believes deeply in what God is doing through Cedar Creek ministries has given us $20,000 on two different occasions.
Those gifts obviously made an enormous practical difference.
But there was another message tucked inside them:
I believe this matters. Keep going.
We have people who support Cedar Creek monthly.
Others have given once.
Some have worked with their hands.
Some pray.
Some tell other people about what we do.
Different people have played different roles, but together they have helped sustain a ministry that allows pastors, missionaries and ministry families to step away and rest.
The support that has strengthened us most often says:
- We see what you're carrying.
- We believe the work God called you to matters.
- You don't have to carry every part of it alone.
- We're praying even when you don't hear from us.
- We want to help you keep going.
Maybe your pastor needs to hear some of those same things.
Not because he is secretly falling apart.
Not because something must be wrong.
Simply because faithful people need encouragement, too.
You Can Feel Forgotten Without Actually Being Forgotten
This is important.
I don't want to turn ordinary ministry weariness into an accusation.
Sometimes nobody has failed us.
Sometimes people really are praying quietly.
Sometimes they assume we know they care.
Sometimes everyone is carrying their own responsibilities and simply doesn't realize how much a small word of encouragement would mean.
That is why I am increasingly convinced that we should assume the best and still choose to reach out.
Both can be true.
We can believe people care.
And we can become people who actually say it.
We can trust that our pastor knows he is appreciated.
And still send the text.
We can assume the missionary family knows we are praying.
And still tell them.
We can think the pastor's wife probably has plenty of friends.
And still invite her for coffee.
We don't have to wait until somebody tells us they feel forgotten.
We can build a culture where remembering one another is simply what Christians do.
Seven Ways to Remind Your Pastor He Isn't Forgotten
Supporting your pastor doesn't have to start with a program.
Start with a person.
- Tell him you're praying and then actually pray. A specific message carries more weight than a vague “we're praying for you guys.”
- Ask about his family. Pastors spend enormous amounts of time knowing what is happening in other people's families. Ask how his wife and children are doing.
- Remember something that isn't Sunday. Birthdays. Anniversaries. A child's graduation. A difficult date. A ministry milestone. Small acts of remembering communicate relationship rather than obligation.
- Tell him specifically what you appreciate. Instead of simply saying, “Good sermon,” tell him what helped you or how God used something he taught.
- Protect his opportunity to rest. Healthy ministry requires rhythms of work and rest. Encourage vacations, sabbaticals, days off and time with family before burnout becomes the reason.
- Be generous with your assumptions. Pastors are human. They will miss things, forget things and occasionally disappoint people. Extend the same grace you hope they will extend to you.
- Help carry something. Sometimes encouragement is a text. Sometimes it is childcare, yard work, a meal, a financial gift or simply asking, “Is there something practical we can take off your plate?”
None of these require a crisis.
That's the point.
We want to care for ministry leaders while they're healthy, not only rescue them once they're exhausted.
What Being Remembered Makes Possible
At Cedar Creek Ministries, we get to see the other side of this.
A pastor or ministry family comes to stay.
At first, they may still be moving at ministry speed.
Then gradually something changes.
Their faces soften.
Their shoulders relax.
They settle into the house.
The kids explore.
Mom and Dad breathe.
And they begin realizing that, for this little window of time, somebody else thought about the details.
A home was prepared.
Space was protected.
Hospitality was offered.
Nothing has to be earned.
Sometimes our guests tell us they never could have afforded to take their family somewhere like this themselves.
And I love that they don't have to.
God provided through people they may never meet.
Someone gave.
Someone prayed.
Someone helped build.
Someone supported Cedar Creek Ministries month after month.
And because those people remembered us, we are able to turn around and remember them.
That ripple can look like this:
- A donor faithfully supports Cedar Creek Ministries.
- Cedar Creek Ministries prepares a place for a ministry family.
- That family gets room to rest, reconnect and seek God.
- A healthier leader returns to his congregation.
- That pastor continues caring for dozens, or hundreds, even thousands of other people.
- The generosity of someone who may never stand behind a pulpit quietly ripples through an entire church community.
That is why we believe supporting ministry leaders is ultimately an investment in the Church itself.
What If Churches Became Known for This?
I would love for churches to become known not simply for caring for pastors after something goes wrong, but for creating cultures where leaders can serve faithfully for decades without constantly running on empty.
Churches that pray.
Churches that encourage.
Churches that provide sabbaticals.
Churches that care about the pastor's marriage and children.
Churches that help other ministry leaders outside their own walls.
Churches that recognize that Kingdom work is bigger than any one congregation.
And I think some churches are already doing this beautifully.
Maybe yours is one of them.
If so, we would genuinely love to know your pastor.
Not because we want you to walk into church on Sunday carrying a fundraising brochure and corner him after the sermon.
Please don't do that.
We would simply love introductions to pastors and church leaders who care about ministry health, missions and long-term Kingdom work.
Sometimes the most helpful thing a friend of Cedar Creek Ministries can do is say:
“I know a ministry doing something I think our church would really care about. Would you be willing to meet them?”
And then let the relationship grow naturally from there.
Help Us Build a Stronger Foundation
Cedar Creek Ministries is working toward a long-term goal of developing stronger, more sustainable monthly support so that ministry families can continue coming here to rest without cost becoming the obstacle.
Right now, we're praying for 10 new monthly Ministry Partners.
Some of those partners may be individuals.
Some may be families.
And over time, we would love for more churches to become part of this ministry as well.
A church that gives monthly isn't simply helping Cedar Creek Ministries pay expenses.
It is helping keep a place available for pastors, missionaries and ministry families who spend much of their lives pouring into everyone else.
It is saying:
We believe caring for the people who serve the Church matters.
Maybe your part is becoming a monthly partner yourself.
Maybe it is praying.
Maybe it is telling a friend about Cedar Creek.
Or maybe, as you read this, a pastor or church leader immediately came to mind.
If so, would you consider making an introduction?
You don't have to make the pitch.
You don't have to know exactly what to say.
You can simply connect us and allow us to share the story of Cedar Creek, what God is doing here, and our heart for helping ministry families rest, restore and revive.
Sometimes one introduction opens a door we never could have opened ourselves.
And sometimes one church choosing to remember a ministry like Cedar Creek makes it possible for us to remember many more ministry families in return.
There are several ways you can join us:
- Become a monthly Cedar Creek Ministry Partner and help create dependable support for ministry-family hospitality and sabbaticals.
- Introduce Cedar Creek to your pastor or church leadership if you think our mission might resonate with your congregation. A simple personal connection is more meaningful than a cold email ever could be.
- Pray for Cedar Creek and for the ministry leaders God sends our way.
- Refer a pastor, missionary or ministry family who could benefit from intentional time away.
- Share this article with someone who cares deeply about healthy pastors and healthy churches.
We aren't asking everyone to do everything.
We're simply asking each person to consider:
What might God be asking me to carry?
Maybe it's a prayer.
Maybe it's a text.
Maybe it's $25 a month.
Maybe it's opening a door to a church that could walk alongside Cedar Creek Ministries for years.
Small acts of remembering have changed everything for us.
And every time they do, we're reminded again why this matters.
People who spend their lives caring for others need to know someone is caring for them, too.
Become a Cedar Creek Ministries Partner
Or help us meet a church that might want to partner in caring for ministry families.
Together, we can help more pastors and ministry families hear one simple message:
We see you. We remember you. Keep going.
Get Involved - Cedar Creek Ministries
For the love of the Church.
