October is Pastor Appreciation month

Here's an article from the National Women's Ministries Office for your information!

Hugs,
LaDonna


Pastor Appreciation

By Arlene Allen, Director of National Women’s Department

October is Pastor Appreciation Month. Hopefully, your church makes plans every year to honor your pastor and family. Check with your church office or deacons to see if plans are being made for this year. If they are not, be the catalyst and start a new tradition. You still have time to make it happen!

Your pastor, staff and their families are the key to your church’s future, in terms of growth, discipleship, evangelism, or social concerns. How much better could they perform and lead if they knew beyond a shadow of doubt that they and their families are loved, supported and lifted up by their congregation?

Below is a list of ways you can use to show honor. For convenience and consistency, we have used “he” and “him,” but virtually all the suggestions apply equally to women pastors.

How to Show Appreciation to Your Pastor

Let the pastor dream and be creative.
Talk to him; build a relationship of teamwork and trust.
Compliment him for timely sermons.
Invite the pastor and his wife to your home for a fellowship meal.
Purchase a gift for your pastor.
Pray for your pastor and wife by name every day.
Say to him, “I’m with you, you can count on me.”
Submit to him scripturally, according to Hebrews 13:17.
Stick with him even when you don’t understand his reasoning and approach.
Bake a cake for the pastor and his family.
Attend church regularly.
Send the pastor a humorous card to brighten his day, signed by everyone in your family.
Defend the pastor against faultfinders.
Believe with him that God desires to do new things in the church.
Show the community “love in action” by the way you provide for the pastor and support him.
Order him a special book.
Organize a pastor’s prayer partners’ ministry.
Ask friends to attend church with you.
Have confidence in the pastor’s motives and abilities.
Be willing to listen to his plans for change and growth.
Be a good follower.
Send him a fruit basket with a message of love from your family.
Help him create and champion visionary plans for church growth.
Reveal to him you are willing to submit to his leadership and to be teachable.
Don’t criticize the pastor.
Let him make mistakes; he’s human, after all.
Be a good listener; let his sermons sink deep.
Make a pan of fudge or candy for his family.
Don’t ever say, “We’ve never done it that way before.”
Send the pastor to a special conference or seminar.
Make sure he has a day off each week.
Ask the pastor, “How can I help you?”
Encourage the pastor’s wife to be her own person.
Be consistent in your witness and work in the church.
Be a partner in keeping his freezer stocked with meat and vegetables if you have a garden.
Pay your tithes consistently.
Encourage the church board to give the pastor a cost-of-living increase in salary each year.
Thank him for developing quality and excellence in ministry.
Buy into the pastor’s vision; accept ownership.
Compliment him for church progress.
Help form a pastoral concerns team to provide for the needs of the pastor and his family.
Encourage him with words and works.
Help send the pastor and his family on a once-in-a-lifetime vacation.
Give him tickets to a special event/activity.
Help the outreach of the church to intensify.
Arrange for a fall or spring housecleaning team for the pastor’s home.
Jump in and assist him on behind-the-scenes projects.
Plan a church-wide surprise birthday party for him.
Stand by him when he is in the line of fire.
Help redecorate the pastor’s office.
Prepare a meal for the pastor and his family.
Plan a church appreciation banquet for the pastor.
Refrain from saying, “that will cost too much.”
Order a pizza and send it to his home.
Honor and respect the pastor.
Embrace his focus on discipleship training.
Encourage the pastor’s children.
Feature a write-up in the local newspaper/radio about the ministry of the pastor.
Ask the mayor to proclaim a pastor appreciation day in the city.
Present the pastor with a plaque recognizing his achievements and honoring his commitment.
Support the pastor through action, affirmation, and accountability.
Hold up his hands as he leads the flock.
Listen to the pastor’s long-range goals and plans.
Assist in providing him with a membership to a health club.
Furnish him with fishing equipment and encourage him to get away from strain and stress.
Give the pastor an “I love you” gift certificate for a meal or merchandise.
Remember the birthday of his wife and children.
See that the pastor has time to be alone with God, time for his family, and personal time.
Treat the pastor’s wife to a spa experience.


Arlene Allen is an ordained minister with the Assemblies of God and director for the National Women's Department. She serves on the boards of the national Women in Ministry Task Force, Religious Alliance Against Pornography, and Global Pastors' Wives Network. She has an extensive speaking history that includes pulpit ministry, leadership training, and Women's Ministries and ministers' wives retreats.

This e-newsletter is a supplement to For Every Woman, ministry to women of the Assemblies of God.