Fall is upon us, and now everything pumpkin is showing up on the shelves of our stores. It also means that it’s time to honor our pastors as we celebrate Pastor Appreciation Month. Being a pastor isn’t easy. It is considered to be one of the most stressful jobs, and it’s reported that nearly 20,000 pastors leave the ministry each year.
So during Pastor Appreciation Month, we need to be sure to show pastors that we really care about them and their families. Pastors work extremely hard, and for the congregation to show appreciation in some way is a real blessing to them.
Here are some ways churches can celebrate pastors in October:
- Have your choir sing your pastor’s favorite hymn at the close of the service.
- Do a food drive for the pastor and stock his pantry and freezer for the month.
- Collect an appreciation offering and present it to your pastor the last Sunday of the month.
- Have your congregation, staff, and children write notes of encouragement.
- Honor your pastor and tangibly show appreciation to his wife and family as well. Behind every good pastor is usually a great woman!
- Send the pastor and his wife on a vacation trip. Give gift cards for their favorite restaurants, a round of golf, or other splurges that might not be in their budget.
- Produce a video of church families sharing how much their pastor means to them and show it during a worship service.
These are just a few ideas to display appreciation and love for your pastor. For the pastor who gives so much, you will never know how much it means for his or her flock to express their love and appreciation.
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While I appreciate your efforts to thank pastors for their tireless work, please consider that not all pastors are male. Some are female. Your article takes an exclusively male approach to the sex of the pastor.
Hi Terry. Thank you for pointing this out! We are equally thankful for our female pastors and will make this inclusion in future posts.
Send them on a vacation during a pandemic? Seems like a recycled article. I hope our female pastor doesn’t read it!
Hi Suzan, thank you for your comment. This is a new article, but we understand your concern about sending ministry staff on vacation during the pandemic. Our thoughts behind this suggestion were that there are ways to enjoy a weekend getaway in a safe way or that congregants could provide the pastor with the funds to enjoy a trip when the pandemic is no longer an issue. We definitely do not encourage anyone to do something they feel unsafe doing or that would put others at risk. We do appreciate your concern and calling this to our attention. Thank you.
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