Pray for your pastor. For the Colson Center, I’m John Stonestreet with The Point.

In the old days, a couple facing marriage trouble talked to their pastor. Then, that changed to the marriage counselor. Today, as my pastor tells me, he’s now third in line…behind the counselor and the attorney.

According to a Gallup poll, clergy rank number 9 on the list of professionals Americans trust the most: behind nurses, military officers, grade school teachers, medical doctors, pharmacists, police officers, day-care providers, and judges.

Only 25 percent of non-Christians view clergy as ethical and trustworthy. And only 48 percent of Christians view them that way!

There are many reasons for this, but as Bill Brown, head of our Colson Fellows Program told me: “Pastors are held to a higher standard … If they fall into sin . . . while there is forgiveness and restoration, they will be marked by it for the rest of their lives . . . That’s why we serve with fear and trembling.”

Just another reason why we should pray for our pastors.