I update and publish this list each year so you and your church can consider ways to show your gratitude to your pastor during Pastor Appreciation Month:
1. Give your pastor and his family a weekend getaway. Give them a break on somebody else’s nickel – and make sure that time is not counted as vacation!
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2. Do some tasks for him and his family. Rake the leaves. Cut the grass. Wash the cars. Paint a room. Power wash the deck or the house. Do something that helps him.
3. Catalog his books. Computer tools allow you to catalog books quickly, but somebody has to do the labor. Save your pastor the work.
4. Provide gifts for his wife and children. The church that loves a pastor’s family will have a pastor who loves them.
5. Prepare a notebook of “thank you” notes. I still have and cherish a notebook of notes that folks wrote to me as their pastor.
6. Give him an Amazon tree. The “tree” might be only a big twig or an artificial plant, but the leaves are Amazon gift cards. Every pastor I know wants more books.
7. Make a personal commitment to speak well of him — and choose not to listen to those who speak otherwise. Support your pastor in front of others.
8. Update and upgrade his office. Paint the walls. Provide new furniture. Replace outdated wall paintings.
9. Give him a new computer. If he’s like the rest of us, he’s used his current one for many, many Zoom meetings and recordings over the last few years.
10. If you’ve been sitting a while in church, start serving. I assure you he’ll appreciate every believer who gets more committed to God and His work.
11. Provide a framed picture of your church building. I have pictures of both churches I pastored hanging on my office wall, and I’m grateful for those congregations every time I look at the pictures.
12. Offer a few nights of childcare over the rest of the month. Give your pastor and spouse the opportunity to have several date nights this month.
13. Give him time and funds to attend a conference he wants to attend. Even if he already receives a conference benefit, increase it for this year.
14. Set aside a special day to honor his wife. If you really want to make your pastor happy, focus on his wife instead. A great day for her is a great day for him.
15. Send him a video-recorded thank you note from your family. Take a few minutes, record a short video greeting and “thank you,” and send it.
16. Give him a trip to Israel. Of course, these days we first need to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. When travel allows, though, your pastor will never approach the Bible or the pulpit the same way after walking in the Holy Land.
17. Pay his costs to earn a doctoral degree. Make a long-term commitment to help your shepherd get the additional study he wants.
18. Give him and his family a local gym membership. Because you appreciate them, help them live longer by staying in shape.
19. Help him participate in his hobby. If his hobby is golf, give him several rounds of golf. If it’s reading, give him Amazon cards. Give him something you know he’ll enjoy.
20. Detail his car. Clean it. Wax it. Change the oil. Fill it with gas. Give it back to him with a few restaurant gift cards in the front seat.
21. Give him a commentary set, one or two volumes per month. That way, this year’s appreciation gift keeps on giving.
22. Have the church’s children write him notes. Few things melt a pastor’s heart like simple, honest words and drawings from children.
23. Give him an extra week of vacation. Even if it’s only for this year, he’ll be appreciative.
24. Commit to praying for him daily — and then be sure to do it. Let him know you’re doing it, too. He’ll be grateful.
25. Ask him, “What can I do to most help you?” You might be surprised by his answer. He might have immediate needs . . .
26. Say to him, “I want to give you some gift to show my appreciation for you. Please tell me something you would like to receive.” You may have to push him to get an answer, but invite his input in this decision.
27. Establish a “meal train” for one week for his family. Providing dinner each night for a week allows several folks to honor your pastor, and it frees him and his family from meal preparation.
28. Give him a gas card. I spent a lot of time in my car as a pastor, and a gift card would have been quite helpful. Help alleviate these fuel costs.
29. Tell him, “Thank you, pastor.” Just those three words from a sincere voice can make a difference. Yet, many pastors hear them far too little.
30. As a church, give him a one-time bonus. Many pastors could use additional funds, but their church is not ready to give them an ongoing raise – so give your pastor a one-time bonus.
31. Plan with others to give your pastor one of these gifts each week in October. He’ll likely assume that the first gift is the final one – which makes sense – but do something different. Work with others to surprise him throughout the month.
32. Somehow express thanks to one of your previous pastors. We pastors might look forward to appreciation from our current members this month, but we will be truly surprised by appreciation from members from the past.
Thank you, pastors!
EDITOR’S NOTE — This article was written by Chuck Lawless of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and originally published at chucklawless.com.
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