October is Pastor Appreciation Month. During October, most churches do something nice for their pastor. As a pastor of a great church, I have been very blessed with creative and meaningful gifts over the years. In fact, much of what I say here, I say because of how meaningful Antioch’s members have been to me.
As October approaches, what is it that your pastor truly wants? As a pastor it is really awkward to ask for specific things. I am writing this so that your pastor doesn’t have to ask. It is dangerous to speak for others, but I am confident that I can speak for all pastors on this subject. We all have the same wishes. So, if you love your pastor, and you want to show him how much you appreciate him, I know of several gifts he is secretly wanting!
Give your life to Christ
Your pastor has lost sleep, wept, studied, and labored for countless hours for one thing: your salvation. He has preached his heart out for years, spent countless hours with you, and constantly pointed you to Jesus. You know what you need to do. Repent and believe in Jesus’ death on the cross for your sins and resurrection from the dead. There is no greater joy that you can give your pastor than you giving your life to Jesus.
Live for Jesus
As a believer, you may have fallen into ungodly habits and sins. You may have become stagnant, comfortable, and lukewarm. You know that God is calling you to more than this. Your pastor has devoted his life so that you would live for Jesus. So do it! Quit putting it off. Repent of the sin. Pursue Christ. Do what God has called you to do. Make your pastor’s efforts worthwhile. The truth be told, he hasn’t been secretly wishing for this gift. He has been publicly begging for it every Sunday for years!
Reconcile with others
You cannot attend church for any length of time without some level of church conflict. Every church member alive has had some degree of hurt that has led to strained relationships or even ended relationships. This doesn’t just hurt you; it grieves the Spirit of God. It hurts your pastor. There is nothing that would please your pastor more than you reconciling with others in the church. Go ask for forgiveness. Don’t wait on the other person. Trust me, your pastor would rather you reconcile with that other church member than get tickets to watch his favorite sports team. Most pastors would give up watching sports for the rest of their lives if it meant all the members of their church reconciled with one another.
Reconcile with the church
You may have strayed from Jesus Christ and His church. There are probably a thousand reasons, and your pastor may be one of them. As a pastor, nothing has grieved me more than a sheep that has wandered off. Most of the time, we have no idea what to do. A lot of times, people are not honest with us about why they walk away. We are expected to just know what happened, even though no one ever told us. To this day, I can think of a handful of people who have left our church, and I have no idea why. I have tried to reach out, but my efforts have been soundly rebuffed. I am not alone in this.
I am also not alone as a pastor in that I would gladly give back to the church every gift they have ever given me if one of these sheep would return and reconcile with the church. I often lay awake at night imagining what that would be like. We miss you. We miss what you were before sin destroyed our relationship. It is not too late. It is not too far gone. Come home! Your pastor is waiting with open arms to walk the path of reconciliation with you.
Of course, it will be difficult. Of course, hard things will have to be said, and even harder things will have to be heard. This is the nature of things. But it will be worth it! Reconciliation is one of the sweetest things there is this side of heaven, and even heaven is sweet because it is the ultimate fulfillment of reconciliation! If someone were to ask me what I wanted for Pastor Appreciation month, I know exactly what it is. I want ___________ reconciled with the church. Hands down. I would give almost anything for it to be so.
Say thanks
In Luke 17, Jesus heals ten lepers, yet only one of them pauses to thank Him. Such is the life of the pastor. We labor fervently and see precious little fruit. We go home on Sundays wondering if we are making a difference or wasting our time. Did our sermon miss the mark? Was our counsel helpful? We have learned to be content not knowing until the day of judgment. Perhaps the most meaningful thing that you can do to show your pastor how much you appreciate him is not a gift at all.
Tell you pastor in very specific ways how God has used him in your life. Tell him how his counsel restored your marriage. Tell him how the Spirit of God used him to give you peace that you had not experienced in years. Open up! Be vulnerable. Share with him what God has done for you through him.
One of the worst tragedies is that we never tell people how much they have meant to us while they are alive. We only say those things at their funeral. Many pastors experience the same thing. We are only appreciated when we are gone. Church pro-tip: If you thank your pastor for the job he is doing, he may not leave your church. Don’t make your pastor wait until the day of judgment to hear, “Well done.” Thank him today.
It doesn’t have to be public. Just a thank you note will suffice but make it specific! We don’t want to know what Hallmark thinks we should hear. We love your soul! We have given our lives so that you would be complete in Christ. Tell us thanks in specific ways. We promise to not let it go to our heads! Trust me, your pastor receives on a regular basis ten times more criticism than praise. A thank you every now and then will not shipwreck our souls!
What about money and gifts? Those things are amazing, and we will never turn them down! Antioch has blessed me and my family in ways I cannot even begin to describe! The members here have shown their love and appreciation for me in ways that have humbled me and made my heart overflow with gratitude. However, every pastor I know would gladly trade every earthly gift for what I have mentioned above. Do you love your pastor? Give him one of the gifts above. It will be a Pastor Appreciation Month he will never forget.
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