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Scripture is crystal clear about the importance of honoring our pastors, yet the pastor is often the one left to initiate it. I have three decades of firsthand pastoral experience with this awkwardness since Focus on the Family initiated Pastor Appreciation Month in 1994.
I am writing directly to church leaders to help you take full advantage of this opportunity to create a culture of double-honor in your church this month. Here are four ideas to help prime the pastor appreciation pump in your church:
1. Own the initiative
What good are ideas without someone to implement them? Will you take the initiative to step up and lead out? If you do, I believe your church will follow your lead and your pastor will appreciate your efforts tremendously.
Aaron and Hur stepped up by lifting up Moses’ hands during a crucial battle: “When Moses’ hands grew heavy … Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other so that his hands remained steady until the sun went down” (Exodus 17:12).
Your pastor needs an Aaron or Hur to do for him what he cannot do for himself.
2. Recognize your pastor publicly
“Now we ask you, brothers, to give recognition to those who labor among you and lead you in the Lord and admonish you” (1 Thessalonians 5:12).
A pastor appreciation day or month can help your church members translate private sentiments into public expressions of love, respect, and appreciation. A public blessing on Sunday morning increases the positive impact exponentially—for your pastor, your church, and your Lord. Pick a Sunday early in October to have a lay leader speak on behalf of the church and pray for your staff and their families by name. Sharing pictures on the screen makes it even more fun, especially if they are throwback pictures.
3. Encourage your pastor personally
“Regard them very highly in love because of their work” (1 Thessalonians 5:13).
If your pastor is doing his best to manage his life, family, and ministry, give him the gift of personally acknowledging him. Don’t complicate it—simply write a note (and add a gift card) and/or take him to lunch to clarify that he is a beloved member of your church family and not just an employee.
4. Bless your pastor tangibly
The pastor’s job is to take care of his church, and it is the church’s job to tangibly take care of their pastors. Your pastor’s job and joy is to keep watch over you (Hebrews 13:17), but sometimes he needs you to watch over him—and his wife—as well.
My favorite idea for Pastor Appreciation Month is to leave a blessing basket in the worship lobby on Sundays in October for people to leave notes, gift cards, and personal gifts for their ministry staff.
“The elders who are good leaders should be considered worthy of an ample honorarium (double-honor), especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching” (1 Timothy 5:17).
October is a great opportunity for church members to honor and bless your pastors, but if your church calendar won’t cooperate, do it any time of the year, such as during a key anniversary or birthday.
God bless you for blessing your pastor!
