October is Pastor Appreciation Month.
It’s a great time to say “thank you” to anyone and everyone on your church staff, including volunteers.
Here are 30 ways you can show your pastor encouragement, but don’t be too shy to express the love to everyone who is working at your church:
- Shower your pastors with gift cards to their favorite stores and restaurants.
-
Deliver dinner to your pastor’s home. Be creative! Try a themed meal, complete with fun napkins.
- Offer to babysit or petsit so your pastor can get away for a weekend.
- Rake all their leaves and plant fall flowers in their yard to reflect the joy of autumn.
- Find out your pastor’s favorite type of music and buy them the CD or an iTunes gift card.
- If you find yourself in a group and the conversation turns critical toward your pastor, purposefully say something encouraging.
- Offer to play their favorite sport with them. Or, if you can afford it, buy tickets for their family to attend the game.
- Discover your pastor’s favorite type of coffee and bring them a mug-full as a surprise.
- Sponsor your pastor with a night out for family bonding time.
-
Choose one thing from each sermon your pastor preaches this month and send a note expressing how you benefited from it.
- If you own a vacation home, offer it up for get-away.
- Clean their house; Pastor’s homes collect dust, too.
- Bring flowers you either bought or picked. If your pastor is married, you can offer them the flowers to give to their spouse.
- Dedicate time to pray for your pastor each week, but let them know what you are specifically praying for.
- Find out your pastor’s favorite beverage (soda, tea, etc.) and stock them up.
-
Decorate signs and hold them up during the sermon as a boost of encouragement.
- Mow their lawn. Or if they enjoy mowing lawns, loan them yours.
- Buy their groceries.
- Take their pets for a walk to knock off a chore on their to-do list.
- Wash their car both outside and inside. Spritz air freshener on the interior to replicate a new car smell.
- Next time your friends come over for game night, invite your pastor and their spouse.
- If you can afford it, sponsor them to visit a missionary of their choice.
- Many PKs (pastor’s kids) feel a lot of pressure to conform. Write a note to each of their kids telling why they are special and what you admire about them.
- Take your pastor’s spouse on a shopping trip. Stock their wallet with several gift cards or cash.
- Give your pastor and pastor’s spouse a day at the spa.
-
Organize for the church to send your pastor letters saying what they appreciate about them. Distribute stamped envelopes addressed to the pastor and an instruction note inviting each church member to write a note of encouragement and appreciation to the pastor during the week.
- Special order and give your pastor a T-shirt that reads, “Best Pastor in (city).”
- Prepare a beautifully framed photo or painting of the church building. Even better: take a group photo of church members in front of the building. Use extra wide matting and ask every church member to sign the mat before adding glass.
- Create a presentation of photos and video of the pastor in action during the past year. Set it to music, and play it as a pre-service video.
-
Don’t stop! While Pastor Appreciation Month concludes at the end of October, your pastor continues to work hard every month of the year. Surprise them with gift cards to their favorite restaurants, coffee shops, or bookstores throughout the year.
Now we need your help! What else should we add to this list?
Wow – great list! My church is actually in the process of looking for a new pastor right now. Once we find a new pastor these will be great things to keep in mind to welcome him and his family to the area and to our church. (Especially #8 – we have some great coffee shops in town!)
Loving on pastors is so important! It’s amazing what a gift card or thank you can do to encourage and inspire them.
One thing we did before we were pastors, is we found out what the new pastor and family coming in loved for snacks…we made a crate of snacks for each family member…they loved it..we also included a church t-shirt
Mary Gibson’s girls are special and awesome. (So is their Mom). Eleanor and Heather make special treats, not only for Mother’s Day. They make coffee, remember she likes cream, and surprise her when she gets up.
Rev. Mary is thoughtful, loving and loves life. I miss her. I had the priviledge of greeting both girls, early on, when they came to America. All three have blessed my life.
Great list. What a humbling reminder to show thanks to the leaders in our lives and faith. Thanks for creating, Margaret.
Good to hear from you. Have thought of you often since I retired and my life took a major change. Hope your life and children are happy, well, and doing well.
Thanks so much, Margaret! As a pastor, any of the above would be wonderful! I especially like #10. If there is one thing that is a double-edged sword in ministry it is “Great message, Pastor.” I can write great messages, but I want to know if it is making a difference in the lives of those I serve. Thanks for being a blessing!
Such a great reminder to all church-goers!
I love this list! My Dad is a pastor and I know many of the things on here would make him feel appreciated 🙂
Something our church did this month —
Someone painted the trunk and branches of a tree on a small canvas, and then last Sunday we had church-goers use stamp ink to make fall leaves on the branches with their thumbs! A fun work of art for his office and a great reminder of the Body of Christ joining together.
Sarah– Would you mind snapping a photo of that art project? I would love to see! Maybe other congregations would like to do the same project!
I love that idea Sarah….
Most of us don’t think of our Pastor’s like maybe we should. I worked for many years in my profession and I was always looking for ways to get ahead of others, looking for advancement, more money more of everything and it was all about me. Think of your Pastor now and remember that your Pastor has given his life for his congregation. He has dedicated himself to protect us through God’s holy word, he has a passion to counsel us and lead us in the right way in God. He will suffer for us, he will always be available for us when we need him and he is not working for himself, he is working for you and me. What a wonderful and blessed vocation that he cares so much for us and our eternal well being. My Pastor is all of this and more and I thank God everyday for him.