Pastor Appreciation Day – Sunday, October 8, 2023
My brothers and sisters in Christ, October has traditionally become Pastor Appreciation Month, with the second Sunday of each October being Pastor Appreciation Day! This year, Pastor Appreciation Day falls on Sunday, October 8, 2023.
There are few persons more important in the believers’ lives than our pastors! While being a pastor, overseer, shepherd or bishop of a church or ministry can (and should) be a cherished, respected, valued and appreciated calling, it’s viewed by some – some even in the church – as a sideline, hobby or something that must be relatively simple or easy to accomplish. Nothing could be further from the truth!
FGGAM’s founders, Pastor Dewey and Sharon Moede, and all of the staff, authors and contributors at FGGAM, would attest that being the shepherd of a church or ministry – while rewarding in many ways – is a calling from the Lord and is not to be taken lightly. The most beloved and impactful pastors, regardless of church size, understand full well the seriousness of their calling, and that it all too often requires great personal sacrifice and places them in a “glass house” or “fishbowl” of sorts.
It’s helpful to remember that our pastors are human beings, men and women, just like you and me. They have personal wants, needs, health issues, heartfelt desires and family obligations too – and in order to stay emotionally grounded and walking in strength, they first and foremost need to maintain their personal relationship with Christ and the word of God, just like you and me. What we need to understand is that ministering to others is accomplished from the OVERFLOW of Christ in the lives of those who minister! Selah…
Praise Jesus! So, this Sunday (if not during the whole month of October), please consider finding a way to honor your pastors with a special blessing or two! Elders, deacons and other leaders in the church are encouraged to coordinate something that brings honor and few moments of complete joy to your pastors!
Prayer is absolutely essential. The single-most important thing we can and should do for our pastors is to pray for them and their families – every single day. Beyond this, you know your pastors, so maybe a card, a weekend getaway, a formal or informal luncheon, or a moment at the pulpit letting it be known how important and cherished your pastors are, maybe a special online video, a coffee social, or handmade cards from the children, a short play by the youth, etc., is in order!
Sometimes, just like with you and me, pastors could use some encouragement and appreciation to help carry them through the week, month or even another year. The battles a pastor faces are not always obvious. For example, a pastor is usually “on call” 24/7 and is generally expected to oversee funerals, hospital deaths, crisis counselling and marriages as a matter of routine, when in point of fact, these are emotionally and spiritually draining activities. A pastor carries the hurt and life-changing matters of his or her flock in their hearts, and sometimes faces the angst and occasional tongue lashing by those who are hurting deeply.
So, to all the pastors and overseers who see this, THANK YOU! God bless you for the love you carry daily in your hearts, and for the unseen sacrifices you make every day to the benefit of those who call you “pastor” and even those who might disrespect your calling.
If you are willing, let’s pray. Father, we ask that You would bless all of our pastors this week, and every week! Keep them safe. Keep their families safe. May You richly bestow blessing upon their families and Your church. Help us to joyously and reverently praise, worship and glorify You, as we learn to walk in the love of Christ that is exemplified by our pastors every single day! Help us to never take our pastors for granted, but to cherish them for how much they mean to us – and more importantly, for how much they mean to You! We ask these things in the name of Jesus. Amen!
1 Peter 5:1-3 (NKJV)
Shepherd the Flock
“The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: [s]hepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock…”.
Proverbs 21:21 (NKJV)
“He who follows righteousness and mercy [f]inds life, righteousness, and honor.”
Praise Jesus forevermore!