Time for Appreciation

October is recognized as Pastor Appreciation Month in many churches.

It’s not too late to recognize your pastor and church staff, whether you choose to do it corporately as a church or as an individual. Here are some quick thoughts on how to recognize the leaders God has placed in your church.

1. Write lots and lots of letters! Letter writing is basically a dead art today. It is said that Annie Armstrong hand-wrote tens of thousands of letters per year to encourage people to support missions. Today, with the advent of email, text messaging, and social media, many people rarely write more than 140 characters at a time. This week, write a personal note or letter to your pastor and church staff. Encourage them in their work. Thank them for how they have blessed your life.
2. Everybody has their favorite things! Some of us crave chocolate. Others love fresh fruits or vegetables. And who doesn’t love coffee? Collect a few of your pastor’s favorite things, and place them in a nice gift basket that you can give him. The gift could come from your Sunday School class, from your family, or from you personally.
3. Pray. Pray for your pastor and church staff every day. Pray for their emotional well-being, their physical strength, their families, etc. There is little doubt that this is the simplest yet most impactful way to encourage your pastor and staff.
4. Many times, pastors and church staff members find themselves burning the candle at both ends. While they’d love to cook and eat at home more often, that’s just not always possible for them. Why not prepare a home-cooked meal and deliver it to their home (be sure to notify them of your intentions so they’ll know to be at home that night). Not much of a chef? That’s okay. A nice gift card to good restaurant in town will be equally special. Or better yet, order dinner from a nearby restaurant for your pastor and his family and have it delivered to their home.
5. Some church members have a vacation home at the beach or in the mountains. Why not reserve a week or two in that home for your pastor and church staff? Not only will they save the cost of a hotel or rental, but they’ll enjoy getting away from every day pressures with their family.
6. As you are able, mow your pastor’s lawn, freeing him up from this never-ending task. If your pastor really loves spending time outdoors working in his yard, you could always volunteer to have him come over and cut YOUR grass!
7. Wash your pastor’s car. You could enlist the youth or children to help you, or you and your family could “sneak attack” his car and wash it while he’s working in his office. Imagine his surprise when he comes out and sees his shiny ride!

As you can tell, there are countless ways to show appreciate to your pastor and church staff. Some ideas will take a little time and financial resources to pull off. Other ideas are inexpensive but still demonstrate how much you love and appreciate your pastor.

M. Steve Heartsill once served as a pastor. He never forgot the kindnesses shown to him during October and other times in the year