Showing appreciation for your pastor is an honorary way to support your church.
Your pastor works hard to bring the church together, as well as deliver God’s Word to you and the congregation. It can often be a thankless job, but it doesn’t need to be. Your pastor is human, and like everyone else, can use support and encouragement along the way.
Therefore exhort one another, and build each other up, even as you also do. —1 Thessalonians 5:11, KJV
Lifting up your pastor as a church shows a magnitude of gratitude that will leave your pastor feeling blessed for serving over the members.
As a group, there are a variety of ways to express your appreciation for all that your pastor does. And while your actions do not need to be grandiose, coming together as a church shows a different level of thanks than expressing it as an individual. Doing things as a group always takes more effort to coordinate. A few ideas include:
– Hold a mass presentation – As a group, present your pastor with a plaque of appreciation, a framed picture of the church members or a large, decorated poster with every member’s signatures. Or go all out with a time capsule full of tokens from every member of the church. Hold a church brunch or dinner where the members contribute the food and the pastor is the guest of honor. Have fun, use your imagination and wow your pastor with your thoughtfulness.
– Include children’s input – Gather the children of the members and have a craft day. They can paint pictures, draw cards or make little gifts to give to the pastor. Not only will it be a fun day for the kids, but it will also be a big surprise when the pastor learns that all the families came together to create something just for him.
– Write letters – Every member of the church can write an appreciation letter to the pastor. Letters can be simple cards with thanks inside or a deep, heartfelt commentary on why you love the church or sermons. Letters can be short and sweet. Handwritten is best, unless your penmanship benefits from the type-written word. Mail or hand-deliver the letters.
– Volunteer – In honor of your pastor and church, clean up a section of your community. Come together and volunteer your time to pick up trash in the park or make over run-down community objects (going through the proper channels for approval). As a group, volunteer at the local food pantry, homeless shelter or soup kitchen. Hold your own feed-the-hungry dinner or put together a clothing drive.
Create a DVD – Record each member of the church giving thanks or speaking words of encouragement. Have some of the children perform a song or recite a poem. Include past events where pictures may have been taken. Record the church building or current church events. Present the DVD to the pastor one Sunday before sermon.
– Throw a fundraiser – Organize a church fundraiser. Whether you have a bake sale or a craft fair, coming together as a church to help raise funds honors your pastor by taking care of the place where he preaches. Caring about the house of God shows respect to not only God, but also to your pastor, who spends quite a bit of time there.
Lifting up your pastor can occur in a variety of ways: speaking kind words to or about him, honoring the church in which he preaches or coming together as a body of people under God to perform one act. Your pastor needs to know how much you appreciate and care for him, his sermons and the impact he has made on your life.