Suggestions for Showing Your Pastor(s) that You Appreciate Him

October is pastor appreciation month. To show your pastoral staff appreciation (youth pastors, music pastors, children's pastors, senior pastors, etc.), here are 10 things you can do. I have either had these things given to me or have seen them given to other pastors. Most of these things are monetary, because most of the pastors that I know are broke. Very few make enough money to live comfortably.

To show your pastor(s) that you appreciate him, you can...

1. Take up a love offering for him.

2. Give him a cruise or vacation for free. Vacations help your pastor to invest time in his family. Plus, it helps your pastor receive necessary rest. Pastoral ministry is one of the most stressful vocations on earth. It's a vocation that you never clock-out from. Imagine being on call 24/7, 365 days a year.

3. Post a sign-up sheet and encourage at least 2 families to adopt your pastor's family for one month out of the year. You could also encourage Sunday School classes to adopt him. In my opinion, this is the best option. Families and individuals are then free to be creative in how they show their appreciation for your pastor. Plus, he's shown appreciation the entire year, not merely for one month.

4. Give him a gift certificate to his favorite restaurant.

5. Give him a gift certificate to JCPenney or somewhere similar. Many churches still expect their pastors to wear suits and dress clothes wherever they go. These cloths often cost more money than regular clothes.

6. Give him an extra week of paid vacation. Hospice workers receive around 6 weeks of paid vacation per year. Your pastor is constantly surrounded by sickness, death, pain, suffering, etc. The constant face-to-face interaction with the results of sin easily brings added stress. Your pastor should receive at least 4 weeks paid vacation per year regardless how long he's been at your church. I hear pastors often compared to teachers; but, even teachers receive at least six weeks of vacation.

7. Send him and his family to a pastor's conference, all expenses paid. *Make sure you let your pastor pick the conference. He knows his family and wife better than you do. The conference will help remind him why he entered the ministry to begin with. Plus, it will help him grow in his love for his family, and ultimately his God.

8. Give your pastor all 5^th Sundays off for the following year. It will help your pastor to rejuvenate as he worships with other Christians in the community. Plus, it will help your church as he gathers encouraging ideas from other local congregations. Also, 5^th Sundays occur once every 3 months. Just when your pastor is totally stressed after two and a half months without a break, he receives a Sunday off.

9. Give your pastor an extra week's paycheck for the month of October.

10. Give your pastor and his wife a "his and her massage" at a local spa.

In conclusion, please make sure that you do not leave out other pastoral staff in your appreciation endeavors. If your pastoral staff depend on the church financially, or if they're in pastoral positions in the church's eyes, then let them know that you support them. A happy pastor is often a better pastor than an unhappy one. Ministry is easier and more joyful whenever you know that you're appreciated.