Oh. You didn’t?
Well that’s good, because we don’t.

I’ve noticed something curious as I mature in my vocation.
There are some people out there who just expect the pastor to know.
Know what?
I don’t know. But we, as pastors, should just know.

And when we don’t know, people get upset with us.
Do you know what I’m talking about? You don’t? Well, you should know.

I think the most silly (frustrating) thing is, when someone is sick, and they don’t let anyone know they’re sick, and yet still complain that the pastor has not called them once.

Now. If you called the pastor or left a message at the office, you have every right to complain and be upset that the pastor never called or visit.
But if you never called the pastor or the church office, chances are, we pastors may never find out.
Sure, you might have let everyone else in the congregation know, but there’s still a chance that no one tells the pastor.

I think there may be two reasons for this. One, people don’t know what exactly a pastor does. Maybe they think that pastors just sit around their office and wait for the phone to ring. For their Sunday sermons, pastors just make it up as they go along, because it may often feel like that. So, since the pastor has all the time in their hands, they should know when a parishioner stubs their big toe against a coffee table.

Or.
They just don’t want to bother the pastor because they think the pastor’s too busy, they’re too embarrassed, etc.
But here’s the thing, at least for me, I’m always honored that you called and want me to stop by the hospital. I want to visit you. I want to make sure you’re okay. I call as soon as I can, when I find out you’re sick. I try to make it to the hospital as soon as I can, when you let me know you’re there. At best, I want to be there to talk story and see how you’re doing. At worst, I go, because it’s part of my job. But it’s part of my job I like.

Just because we’re pastors, we don’t have a direct line to God. God doesn’t often work that way. Sometimes God does, but not all the time.
And we don’t know what people don’t tell us. We’re not mind readers. Believe it or not, we’re human beings. Yes, even those pastors who think they’re the ultimate gift from God… they’re still a human being. No super powers. A super ego, maybe.
So please, let us know how to serve you better. We can be more efficient if we find out from the source than through the grapevines.

Besides.
You wouldn’t want the pastor to have ESP. We’ll know so much about you. Like how much you really can give in offering. 😉