On June 27, 2005 I was out for a walk in Menomonie, Wisconsin. To say it was a glorious summer morning would be a cliché, but it actually was a glorious summer morning. Sunshine. Blue sky. Low humidity. Green everywhere. Warm but not hot. Birds singing. As I walked, my feet seemed to hardly touch the ground. Since I'm normally given to some depression, I began to wonder, "Why do I feel so free?" I felt like I was walking on air. It had to be more than the sunshine and blue sky.

I looked for the answer in my circumstances. Three weeks earlier I had completed sixteen years of ministry in a congregation. The day before I had preached what was then my last scheduled sermon. I had two nights left of leading a prayer retreat at Oak Ridge Lutheran Brethren Church. That's when it hit me, "I don't have to preach next Sunday!"

But, I thought, that couldn't be the real reason because I love preaching. I also don't love preaching because it is incredibly hard work and sometimes a difficult experience getting ready. But I really do love it. So what was giving me that feeling of freedom on that summer day? I felt this awareness just wash over me: "I'm no longer facing the spiritual oppression that goes along with being the person who is responsible for bringing the Word of God on Sunday morning." In that moment I became convinced that the person who is responsible for the Word faces opposition 24-7 from the Evil One.

Could I support that from Scripture? Well, what was it that Satan opposed in the Garden of Eden? The Word of God. "Did God really say...?" (Genesis 3:1).

When Satan attacked Jesus in the wilderness, what was our Lord's only defense? The Word of God. "It is written..." (Matthew 4:4).

What did the Apostle Paul tell the fledgling pastor Timothy to preach even when people turn their ears away from the truth? The Word of God. (See 2 Timothy 4:1-5.)

Now I'm not a person who looks for demons behind every bush. But I thought about all the junk that is constantly being thrown at pastors by the Evil One. There is pressure on their marriages, pressure on their kids, financial pressure, temptation, anxiety, fear that something won't go well, sleeplessness, physical sickness.

Sometimes the opposition comes through us in the congregations. Criticism. Gossip. Accusations. Indifference. The pastor becomes the object of our friendly fire.

All of this contributes to one key thing: distraction from the Word of God. Why? Because Satan is the thief who comes to kill, and steal, and destroy. And he knows that the Word of God preached rightly and well in our congregations will first bring us life, and will then lead us to bring this life to our communities through the message of the forgiveness of sins and of God's grace and mercy.

So what can we do to support our pastors and avoid the friendly fire?

1. Remember that the real conflict is not between people. "Our struggle is not against flesh and blood..." (Ephesians 6:12). Satan wants us to think that the pastor is the problem, and wants the pastor to think that the people are the problem – when the real opposition comes from him.
2. Remember that pastors are just forgiven sinners who have been called by God to the office of pastor. They are not perfect. In fact, because of their role and the opposition they face, they are more likely to show off their sin nature in conflict.
3. Someone has said that it takes thick skin to be a leader. Remember that most pastors by nature do not have a thick skin, but rather have the heart of a shepherd.
4. When pastors need correction (and what pastor doesn't?), the elders are responsible to "speak the truth in love" and to gently restore them when they are wrong. Pastors could save themselves a lot of grief if they established a planned semi-annual review of their ministry by the elders to regularly receive both correction and encouragement.
5. When you feel that you must offer corrective criticism, consider the following:
   • Ask the Lord for wisdom and discernment, and be certain that what you have to say really must be said.
   • Avoid giving your critique in that hour before or after a worship service. Those are times when a pastor is especially vulnerable both spiritually and emotionally.
   • Follow the proper channels. This means voicing your valid criticism in confidence to an elder and not over coffee with your friends.
6. Finally, and above all, pray. Pray for the pastor's sermon preparation and proclamation. Paul urged the Ephesians, "Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel" (Ephesians 6:19).

That's what we all want, isn't it. To hear again the wonder of the gospel, that Christ has given himself to the cross for me, for my neighbor, and, oh yes, even for my pastor.

Dr. David Veum is President of Lutheran Brethren Seminary in Fergus Falls, MN.