Pastors, You Are Appreciated
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The month of October is celebrated as Pastor Appreciation Month.
My pastor, as the head of the church, taught me a lot about being a servant leader, a tactful administrator, and a compassionate giver of time and support to others.
I, and all my siblings, grew up as church kids. If you don’t know what a church kid means, then let me break it down for you. Being a church kid basically means I spent most of my childhood sitting on a church pew, at least three times a week. Sunday, from sun up to sun down, was a full schedule of church activities: 9 a.m. Sunday school, 11 a.m. Sunday service, 1:30 p.m. nursing home visitation, and back to church for evening service at 6 p.m. Bible study was every Wednesday night. Saturday afternoons were special community outreach projects such as passing out spiritual pamphlets known as “Tracks” on the city streets. Sunday came again and the whole outline started over. Week after week was a repetitive and predictable routine. Get it? That’s the life of a church kid.
Don’t get me wrong, although this church routine may sound torturous or boring, I actually loved it. The church was like a second home for me and my church experience was where I developed my strong faith, singing, storytelling abilities, and love of the performance arts. My pastor, as the head of the church, taught me a lot about being a servant leader, a tactful administrator, and a compassionate giver of time and support to others. My pastor was like a second father to me who showed me an image of a black male leader who was educated, well-mannered, a great public speaker, and interested in my personal and spiritual growth and development.
Many of my pastors were husband and wife co-pastors who demonstrated how couples can successfully work together in leadership roles.
Through the years as I have been a member of at least three other churches, I have appreciated the role each pastor has played in my life. I raised my daughters in the church but they were certainly not raised as “Church kids”. Many of my pastors were husband and wife co-pastors who demonstrated how couples can successfully work together in leadership roles. Seeing them co-pastor in this way has been valuable in my life as I grew spiritually, professionally, and also in my own marriage.
I have attended small storefront churches and churches with over three hundred members. Most of the churches showed public acknowledgment and recognition to their pastors for the awesome work they do in devoting their lives to serving as a leader of a congregation.
According to Zippia, there are almost 30,000 pastors currently serving in the United States.
Here are three ways you can show appreciation to your pastor
To show love for their pastor’s dedication and service that has not gone unnoticed, many congregations have special recognition services, potlucks, and tokens of appreciation. Here are three ways you can show appreciation to your pastor.
Have a special service including past videos and pictures over the years. This could be memorable footage of events with people speaking words of thanks, praise, and testimonies of how the pastor has helped them in their lives. There could also be a special choir with thoughtful musical selections.
Have a special potluck dinner dedicated to your pastor. You know how church people love to get together to feast and fellowship and share a communal meal made with loving hands.
Different pastor gift ideas. You may find a special book other pastors have written and read along with other items different pastors like.
Lifeway: 10 Books every pastor should read
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For those interested in the benefits of the American Council of the Blind of Virginia (ACBVA) organization, you can also become a member, click the link below!
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