Showing Your Pastor Appreciation
07/10/19 Filed in: Caring for Your Pastor
I'm beginning to see that a lot of church people are starting to accept the fact that pastoring is a difficult job. And I'm encouraged by that. Perhaps you've realised that as well about your pastor…AND his wife! Let's not forget the pastor's wife, a role that I think may be the hardest role in a church setting! But that's for another article on another day.
I'd like to encourage you to think about how you can encourage your pastor and his wife this month. If you do a web search, you'll fine a plethora of articles giving suggestions on how to do this. Let this be one more. My short list is based on how I've been personally encouraged over the years, and how I've personally seen other pastors encouraged over the years.
1. Write your pastor (and wife) a handwritten card and hand deliver it. Emails are easy, and they're ok. But a handwritten, hand-delivered card says so much more. Many pastors have files where they keep these sort of cards as a place to go when they need encouragement. So be specific in that card. Tell them what you appreciate about them. Assure them of your love and prayers. Ask yourself how you can write something that will encourage them on their darkest day. But please be genuine!
2. Share with them verbally some specifics of how their ministry has impacted you recently. Pastors hear many times as people leave the service, "Thanks for the sermon, today, Pastor. It was good." Or something like that. It's nice to hear, but after you hear the same thing over and over, it kind of becomes, well, as meaningful as "Have a good day!" Stop and tell the pastor how God has used him in some specific way to help you become more like Jesus. Tell him what has changed in your life. That's what pastors want more than anything else - to see people becoming more like the Saviour. So let him…and his wife…know how their ministry is helping you move toward that goal.
3. Gift certificates. Amazon, iTunes, local book stores, restaurants, clothing stores, salons, etc. Gift certificates are great. Especially the ones that don't have expiration dates on them. Just please don't give cash. Cash tends to get used on ministry stuff or day-to-day needs stuff. It gets added into the shuffle of expenses and bills. But gift certificates have to be used for specific items. And when those certificates are used, it's another reminder of your appreciation.
4. Make a public presentation to them in church. This might take some planning and negotiation of how things are done in your church, but take time out of a church service to publicly honour the couple who God has placed as shepherds in the church. Sure they might be a bit embarrassed, but it will do more for them than you can imagine.
5. Start a savings fund this October to present to them next October as a gift for a trip away. Again this will take some planning, but you can do it! Many in church ministry just don't have the funds to be able to take a holiday. And if they do, I'm willing to bet it's because they have done a lot of personal sacrificing to save for it. Imagine if your church family put aside some money all year long and then pooled it as a travel gift to your pastor. It doesn't have to be extravagant, but getting the opportunity to go away without having to pinch pennies the whole time will be a great encouragement!
So that's my five added to the many, many other ways possible to encourage your pastor. Whatever you choose to do, please remember to take care of your pastor and his family. They have given up more than you will ever know in following God's call to serve you. It will be nice for them to know you appreciate it.