7 Ways to Appreciate Your Pastor!

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Screen Shot 2015-10-02 at 9.33.56 AMHey friends! October is Pastor Appreciation Month! Have you ever considered what our pastors lives are like year round? Their jobs aren’t just sermon-prep day or Sunday morning when we see them most often; ministering to people in crisis isn’t contained to 9am-5pm (it often happens at all sorts of odd hours of the night!)
No matter what your pastor’s role is in your church (whether it’s teaching, visiting people in the hospital, kid’s church, etc…), our appreciation is incredibly valuable to them! We put together a simple and practical list that you can use to bless your pastor and show them that you appreciate them!

7 Ways to Appreciate Your Pastor

1. Say “thank you” and Share a Testimony

Yep, that’s it. Well, not really, but a word of gratitude or an email or handwritten note can often go a long way, especially if this isn’t something you do on a regular basis. Include a testimony for how their shepherding has blessed you in your walk with the Lord! (Want extra credit? Get your small group or Bible study to all write thank you cards!)

2. Coffee Ministry

Drop off coffee and their favorite baked pastry at the office this week before you head into work or start your day.

3. Hug-Train! and Coloring Activity Sheet for Kids Ministry!

This is a big one for kid’s pastors! We demonstrated this in the office with our company president Gretchen when we surprised her with a line of hugs at her door:

Here’s a fun coloring activity that you can share with your kids during church and have them give their work to the pastor after service ends! Click the image to download and print it:
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4. Give Them a Break!

Print out this cute little meeting-pass and give it to your pastor to take a break from one of their meetings! Of course you’ll want to make sure you have permission to do so… and that you’re a staff or board member of your church. 🙂 We suggest pairing it with a gift card so they can take their spouse and/or kids out for ice cream or a meal!
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5. Care Package and Gift Baskets!

Gifts for pastorsThere are so many creative ideas out there for putting gifts together for your pastor. Does your pastor like movies? Get a gift basket of movie tickets, snacks, sodas, and maybe gift certificates to Redbox!
Not sure what your pastor likes to do? Oftentimes, Amazon.com gift certificates can be a safe bet! Although, I will say if you don’t know what your pastor likes to do, you could probably have a chat with them and get to know them a little better. That’s a blessing in itself!

6. Serve Your Pastor

It’s your turn! How about doing something nice for your pastor? Here are some great ideas:

  • Offer to mow the lawn or rake the autumn leaves
  • Take their dog for a walk
  • Do your kids go to the same school as theirs? Offer to pick them up one day!
  • Give them a ride to the airport
  • If you’re handy around the house, offer to help them fix their plumbing, clean their kitchen, or mend their curtains

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The options really are endless and the gesture will truly bless them. Not only will they feel cared for, but one of these chores off their backs might save them some time (and money) so they can have some time with the Lord or just take a breather!
BONUS: Ask your pastor for a list of things they need done around the house (shopping, cleaning, cooking, etc…) and pass a sign-up sheet out to the congregation and appreciate your pastor for a whole month!

7. Slideshow of Fun Photos During Service

This is a really inexpensive but powerful way to demonstrate appreciation for your pastor! Gather fun photos and pictures of memorable events from the congregation and leadership and put them into a slideshow. Put a song in the background to go with the slideshow or have people take turns sharing kind words about your pastor.
Here’s a draft of an email you can send out to collect photos:

Dear congregation,
It’s Pastor Appreciation Month, so to thank Pastor [Name] we want to celebrate them with a photo slideshow! Please reply with your favorite photos of Pastor [Name] by [Date Here] to make sure they get included in the slide show!
Remember, we want to get as many as we can, so if you have photos from any events, occasions or socials, send them our way!
God Bless,
[Your Name Here]

Here are a few great graphics you can download for FREE for your slideshow too! Just click and then right-click to save!

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2 Thoughts on “7 Ways to Appreciate Your Pastor!

  1. I like the idea of giving them a gift to show that you appreciate them. I have been wanting to give my pastor a cool gift, but I am not sure what he likes to do. If I can’t figure it out, I’ll have to look into getting him a stole or something he could use while working.

  2. I like the idea of giving them a gift to show that you appreciate them. I have been wanting to give my pastor a cool gift, but I am not sure what he likes to do. If I can’t figure it out, I’ll have to look into getting him a stole or something he could use while working.

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