Being Approachable

I saw your picture, wear your hat.Your pastor will want to talk to you..

Seriously,most pastors are very approachable.You maybe surprised to find out when a pastor is not performong his pastoral duties he may actually be a shy guy and needs you to approach him.So, Sayin howdy is a good start.

I love your hat. Anybody who loves Christmas that much has got to be a good guy.

 

I like what POB said. I know my husband is an introvert and he comes across very academic as well. He doesn't mean to, its just who he is. He had no idea he was perceived as unapproachable until someone told him so many years ago. He tries to engage people in coversation, but it is really helpful if people give him some sort of signal that they wanna talk.

 

One way I could see pastors as more approachable is when they are willing to just be there with us.

Ya know, try to "mingle" when you have a spare 5 minutes. No sarcasm there, I know that pastors don't always have a spare any minute, much less 5!

But one thing that has made me feel like my pastor now is approachable is that he runs something we call "Gideon's kids" on Saturdays. All the kids between 4 and 10 or 11 years old hang out with him and his wife in the church gym, playing games and practicing singing and having a snack....while their parents go out on the bus routes or soul-winning/visitation. He loves kids, and that sure helps....as well as being a more outgoing type of person. But he'll also just walk through the halls and chat with people on Saturdays.

 

bap, that is a great thing your pastor does. I try to be as approachable as I can be. I am pretty comfortable around people and love talking.

I have several people in my church that own their own businesses in the area and I make a habit out of dropping by just to chat with them and see how things are going in their business.

 

I am not a Pastor (YET!!) but I am working on my 'skills' needed for this ministry so I attempt to arrive to Church early just to greet people and stay after to chat. I love to collect our members emails and send out quick emails letting them know I was thinking of them and praying for them. I also have a subscription to Blue Mountain, who makes ecards ($20 a year), and am able to setup birthday/anniversary reminders as well as send out quick little generic friendship ecards. It is easy and something I can do from home or work and less time consuming than actual letter writing or telephoning. But it is also something that nearly everyone enjoys...You Have Mail!!

 

Just a follow up with my last post. I've really tried to make myself more of a "handshaker and greeter" by walking through the auditorium greeting people and have found more people willing to talk with me and now a few have even called at home to ask me to pray for them on a certain matter. Can you imagine how this is such an encouragement not from some kind of popularity contest but as a signifier that they consider me approachable and with a heart towards prayer. The Lord is so good!!

 

this is a hard thing for some people me included, I am not a pastor I am a missionary but I serve small struggling churches and start new churches so I frequently fill the roll of a pastor and I am doing that now.

my problem is this. I am an introvert by nature. I am ok relating 1 or 10 or 20 or 100 or what ever but in the one on one I have a hard time. I realize it is a problem and am working on it.

something else I am working on is giving my full attention to folks. I am frequently working on multiple things at one time and I am listening to someone talking to me and looking at something else. Some time ago after a church service this very thing was happening, as soon as she could my wife said "why didn't you listen to them?" at what point I recounted the entire conversation. she told me that she was certain that they didn't think I was paying attention to them. I followed up and sure enough, she was right. So I am working on focusing more and trying to be outgoing but it is a constant struggle