7 ways to use a pastor, even if you aren’t a believer

I think that what I’m about to tell you is applicable to most of my colleagues, but I’m really not in a position to speak for all pastors everywhere. 
I am underutilized. And that’s true even in seasons when I feel busy. The sad truth is that, as a pastor, I am underutilized; neither the people in my church, nor the people in my community make the use of me that they might.
And that’s understandable. If you thought that all a pastor was good for was preaching sermons and answering spiritual questions you might not have any use for one. Not all of us care to hear sermons or have questions we really want to hear the answers to. 
So I would like to suggest seven ways that anyone, inside or outside of the church, might like to make use of a pastor who knows how to keep private things private.

1. Funerals - obviously, people die and get buried all the time without any help from a pastor. But for those who believe that there is a God and world beyond the world, it is a great comfort to have someone pray with you near the end and minister to your loved ones at the funeral and graveside. When done skillfully, the service around death is one of the greatest arguments for keeping a professional minister involved in your life. And keep in mind that the more the pastor knows you and your people beforehand the better able he is to strike the right notes in the season of parting.
2. Weddings - it’s not just that a pastor brings the gravitas of spiritual authority to the ceremony. In most cases a pastor is going to be the most skilled and well prepared officiant you could hope for.
3. Counseling - most pastors have been trained to be “skilled helpers” who can provide pastoral counseling. That doesn’t make them psychologists, however, and the most valuable thing they can provide in this context will often be a referral to a more qualified professional. But it is a good place to start. 
4. Wisdom work - many of us could use someone in our lives to help us find the path of wisdom. For people facing dilemmas, money problems, trouble with children, ethical quandaries, workplace challenges, and a thousand other things, it is good to have someone you can confide in and who will prayerfully offer you guidance based on profound and time-tested biblical insights.
5. Social work - pastors are shepherds. If you need help avoiding an eviction or getting your kid signed up for services, for instance, we will come alongside and help fill out forms and get you to appointments. 
6. Accountability - a good pastor is not going to be eager to be in this role, but neither will he be reluctant. Sometimes we need accountability when trying to make positive changes in our lives or when avoiding the old sins and pitfalls that have plagued us in the past. Enlist a pastor to hold you accountable to your own values and expectations. 
7. Blessing - If you believe that spiritual realities impact the world in which we live, you will want to avoid harmful things and get what spiritual advantages you can, right? If people, even agnostic people of no religious affiliation, came to me when they bought a house and asked my help in seeking God’s blessing on their new home, that would make sense to me. If people wanted their children blessed and prayed over, I would get that. And while any believer could do as much, it does make sense to enlist the help of a pastor in this role. 

Again, I don’t speak for all my colleagues. But I think that most all of these things are things I’m already being paid to do by my church. Furnace Brook Wesleyan gives me an office and a salary so that when you reach out to make use of me somehow you don’t have to worry about what that might cost you. I’m employed by the church to be a resource to the community. And believe me when I say, as a servant of Jesus, that I want to be of use to you even if you never become a part of our church. 

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