Sunday, October 13, is Pastor Appreciation Day. And the whole month of October is set aside to show our pastors how much we honor and value their labor of love.
I penned these words not only because I’m a pastor’s wife, but also because pastors often fall off our radar when it comes to appreciation.
Self-less Duties of Pastors
Before we look at 3 ways to appreciate pastors, first, let’s discuss some of their many self-less duties. This list is in no way exhaustive.
- Pastors often work tirelessly on the front-lines of ministry.
- They help carry the burdens of the congregation.
- They visit the sick in hospitals, join couples in matrimony, and preach a message of hope at funerals.
- Pastors study to righty divide the Word.
- They set the example of obedience to the mission of Christ and His Church. “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.” (Hebrews 13:7 ESV)
- Pastors are called to shepherd the flock of God and exercise oversight knowing that when the Chief Shepherd appears, they will be rewarded. (Reference, 1 Peter 5:2-4.)
Now, let’s look at some of the ways to appreciate our pastors.
3 ways to Appreciate Our Pastors
- Tell our pastor. It should go without saying, but we often forget to express our gratitude to others. Especially in the church. Why is that? The enemy! Satan loves it when we don’t build each other up and never speak encouraging words to those who play a role on our Christian journey. So, we tell our pastor our appreciation. Either through the spoken word or write it in a letter or card.
- Show our pastor. Remember show-and-tell as a kid? We took something to school and not only told about the object, but we showed it to our classmates. Showing appreciation is expressed in many ways. Maybe we do some act of kindness for our pastor. And come alongside our pastor’s vision for ministry in our church. Do we join our pastor in using our spiritual gifts to build up the body of Christ in the church, community, and missions? Are we participating in helping others and spreading the gospel?
- Pray for our pastor. One of the greatest gifts we can give anyone is prayer. And just because our pastors often pray for us and others, doesn’t mean they are not in need of prayer. In fact, because of a pastor’s calling and ministry, the forces of darkness work overtime to fight against a pastor. Let’s pray for our pastor’s Sunday message, ministry during the week, spiritual strength against temptation and sin, health, family, responsibilities, heart for God, walk with the Lord, and any other ways the Holy Spirit leads us to pray.
Are we ready to appreciate our pastor all throughout October? And not only that, but also every month of the year? God’s people, it’s important. Don’t miss this opportunity.
I agree with you, Karen. Pastors are on the front line of ministry and often the first Satan wants to attack. All three ways you suggest to appreciate our pastors is spot on. My favorite and the one that I think is the most powerful is to pray for them. They need so much prayer so that they can do all that God calls them to do. :)
Marcie, thanks for commenting. And yes, prayer is so vital for our pastors and their ministry because they do face a daily battle. We all face spiritual warfare, but Satan kicks it up a notch when it comes to Pastors.
I know these should all be obvious but I appreciate the reminder. I know we take ours for granted sometimes and in addition to what you listed – he works a full time job as we are a church plant. Thanks!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Beth. Yes, many pastors are bi-vocational. And our church was originally a church plant also. My husband had to work another job and not take a salary from the church for a few years. Pastors make more sacrifices for their callings than we realize.
I was in the waiting room as my dad was having surgery, and a pastor and his wife were in the waiting room as well. He was having small talk with someone, and when they asked what he was doing on his computer he said was working on a sermon. He said he had a funeral on Friday and a wedding on Saturday. I felt like that was a lot of emotions mixed in for a short amount of days. Later, someone in small talk asked him what family member he was waiting for. He said he wasn’t- he was waiting for someone in his church that didn’t have anyone.
I cannot imagine a pastor going through all of those emotional journeys. What I found interesting too is his wife was with him as well. She said she didn’t come to everything but she had to pour into him whenever she could because he pours into everyone else.
Please tell your husband thank you for what he does, but also thank you for what you do, Karen!
Wow, Jessie. Thanks for sharing that story. Amazing. It’s a testimony to what a pastor’s job and life is really like. And what a pastor’s wife and family go through as well. While the journey isn’t easy, the blessings far outweigh the bumps in the road. Appreciate your kind words!
Thank you for these timely reminders!
You’re welcome, Ava. Hope and pray this sparks us all to encourage our pastors and appreciate them.
Thanks for the reminder, Karen! I’m so grateful to all my pastors, past and present, for the love, wisdom, guidance and authenticity they exhibit.
You’re so welcome, Jessica. I’m sure your spirit of gratitude was seen by all your pastors. And glad you mentioned “the love, wisdom, guidance and authenticity they exhibit.” Amen!
Thankful for my pastors at Mount Horeb UMC, Lexington, as well as all throughout my life.
Awesome! Your thankfulness is a breath of fresh air, Jessica!
What a wonderful reminder to thank our pastors. Great ideas for honoring them during October and every month.
Yvonne, simply telling, showing, and praying sure goes a long way to encourage and honor our pastors!
I love to share conversation with our pastor. I like to greet him after the service and let him know I enjoyed the sermon. :-)
How wonderful, Melissa! Every pastor enjoys hearing if his message spoke to someone or made a difference!
Thank you for this reminder and these tips, Karen! I so easily forget just how much spiritual warfare our pastors are up against daily. This inspired me to think on how I can show my pastor appreciation this month!
Great, Emily. We all enlist in God’s infantry when we become believers. But full-time ministry is often the bloodiest battefield. The enemy is ruthless against ministers.
Beautuful post! I pray for all the work you do. May God bless you in many ways!
Thanks, Ava. I know you know what this life is like.
Arrggh! I always have such good intentions to gift something to my pastors (we have a large church with several on staff), but I get busy in October and forget. But you mentioned praying for the pastors, and that I can, and will, do! Blessings to you, too, as a Pastor’s wife.
Right, Lisa. Praying is a huge gift to anyone…especially our pastors. Thank you, God bless you!