October is Pastor Appreciation Month, and if you’re like me, you want to make sure your pastoral team knows how much you want to honor them, especially during this time of the year. And, since Proverbs 15:15 says, “He that is of a merry heart has a continual feast,” I thought I’d share some funny pastor appreciation ideas that would help to fuel this continuation and, yet, still bless them.
Flock their yards.
I’m sure you’ve seen this done in the past. This is when a multitude of “I Love My Pastor” signs or flamingos are planted in the yard at night. The Pastor and family will discover them in the morning. How fun!
Here’s how to get the whole church involved:
- Plan the night for each pastor to be flocked.
- Open the flocking to the entire church by creating the event without letting the Pastoral team know if at all possible.
- Enable sign-ups for purchasing the flock- decide if you’ll flock the yards with signs or candy canes or flamingos (local party stores and online shopping sites make this a breeze!) – the ideas are endless and should be group/individually purchased to offset costs.
- Create a monetary “sponsorship” of the flocking- perhaps it’s $5 -$10 per sign, etc. The money collected will be applied toward a gift card for the Pastor.
- Sign up to flock could be a youth event with ample adult supervision. Don’t forget to take pictures! The removal of said items would be included in this sign-up. We don’t want to add any more “to-do’s” to our pastors’ plates!
Singing Telegrams
Singing telegrams are wonderful to receive and are actually one of the more funny pastor appreciation ideas (SEO keywords). Each Sunday School Class or Small Group could put together a song (or hire talent) to surprise your Pastor! A plate of freshly baked cookies might sweeten the experience.
Interests
Is your pastor a fan of vintage or sports cars? Why not ask participating congregants to purchase a miniature car along with a fuel or car wash gift card to attach to it with a big bow? Perhaps one or two congregants could purchase a carrying case to store them. For the most impact, consider having a point person/team collect all the ribbon-wrapped cars and gift cards and then deliver them all at once to flood his office. Talk about a special delivery! And, while he may not really need all the cars- that’s the fun of it! The blessing of pastor appreciation ideas comes by connecting with something he enjoys, plus the gift of helping to fuel and care for his car.
Pictures
Polaroid door of congregants’ cheesy grins. Set up a few times in September to take polaroids or traditional photos of congregants making goofy and fun faces. You could also enable an online box for people to upload photos digitally. Plaster the pictures with sticky tack on the office doors of the Pastoral team one evening. Imagine their surprise the next day! They’re met with an unexpected welcome to their day!
Top Ten List
Does anyone else remember the top ten list from late-night television shows? Ask congregants to submit their favorite joke or mishap from the Pastor in the month of September. Compile all the entries, create a top ten list to print from 10-1 then frame it. Having someone read them aloud at a church service would only heighten the comedy of the list upon presenting it to the Pastor.
Honoring our pastors with funny ideas for pastor appreciation day means that we can celebrate and respect them without embarrassing them – we certainly don’t want to “roast” anyone. The desire here is purely to mix it up for fun and in good taste. Any of these ideas sprinkled in amongst the more meaningful gestures will make this pastor appreciation month one to remember!
Carol has worked in the ACST Marketing department and managed most aspects of marketing over the last 20 years. Before ACST, she spent many years handling marketing for companies across the US, including Novell, WordPerfect, Purolator Courier, ArtToday.com, and U.S.News & World Report. Carol is a cradle Catholic who has been active her entire life (a long time!). She has served in volunteer positions within her parish, including formation instructor, lector, code red responder, and numerous other volunteer roles.
