Appreciating Your Pastors

October has been designated as Pastor Appreciation Month. Usually the second Sunday of October is the day that many congregations show their pastors how much they appreciate them.

 I Thessalonians 5:12,13 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.

To honor a pastor is not so much about honoring the person, but it is about honoring the dignity of his office. Although some church members highly esteem pastors who carnally please them, the Bible says that church members should highly esteem all pastors in love for the work that they do. Esteeming or honoring a pastor has more to do with showing great respect for the office that he holds.

Although a wealthy church down the road might be able to send their pastor and his wife on a Caribbean Cruise or buy them a new car to show their appreciation does not mean that your church has do the same. There are smaller ways during the year to show your love and appreciation. It is nice to remember their family on special days.  Nothing will thrill your pastor and his wife more than knowing that their church family is concerned about their children.

My husband and I helped a small church a few years ago. On Pastor’s Appreciation Sunday, they called us forward and presented us with a card that had cash in it. That token of appreciation meant as much to us as an extravagant gift, because it showed us how much they truly appreciated our service to them.

One missionary wife wrote me and shared what her church did to honor their pastor and his family.

One year for Pastor Appreciation Month, we did something different each Sunday of the month. One Sunday, we honored his children with some gifts. Another Sunday we honored his wife with a new dress and sent them out to her favorite restaurant. The final Sunday was the big finale. We had scheduled months in advance to have their grown children with us on Sunday. We put them up in a hotel so that they would not know about it. We hired a photographer to come in after Sunday morning and take pictures of the whole family. We then sent them out to lunch. Our pastor and his wife talked about that Appreciation month until the day the Lord took them home. It was special time for them and for us!

Tips for Showing Your Pastor and Wife Appreciation

• If your pastor plays golf, purchase a gift card from his favorite golf course.
• Present a candle with a card saying “Thank you for lighting the way in our lives.”
• Leave a bag of gold chocolate coins with a note saying, “You are worth your weight in gold to us.”
• Leave box of Andes mints or peppermint patties with note saying, “Your service is worth a mint to us!”
• Buy a clock and present it from the pulpit saying, “Thank you for all the time that you sacrifice for us.”
• Present the pastor with a new shirt with a note saying, “We know that you would give the shirt off your back to anyone in need… so here’s an extra one for the next time you give your all.”
• Buy a plant with a note saying, “Thank you for helping us to grow spiritually.”
• If the pastor has children, give him and his wife a gift card to a restaurant and a paid night of babysitting.
• Send an electronic greeting card thanking them for their love and service to the church.   http://www.bluemountain.com/             http://www.123greetings.com/
• Place a Mounds candy bar Place a Mounds candy bar with a Mountain Dew soda on a pastor or staff member’s desk with a note saying, ‘”Mounds of thanks for all you Dew.”