Reflections On Pastor Appreciation Month!

October is Pastor Appreciation Month. If I could accomplish one thing this month it would be to help churches see the value of this celebration.  I pastored a church for over 20 years that honored my wife and me every October.  There were years that it was embarrassing how gracious they were. The words that were expressed in cards or even spoken to us that month would make us want to be better servants!  Gifts... (and yes I reported the income to the IRS) I was blessed.

I have had pastors ask me, “how did you get Shorewood to do that?” I didn't get them to do it but I can think of two responses.  

I have learned a few things being out of the Pastoral Ministry these last two years.  One of the things is this; I get the impression that a lot of shepherds don’t like their sheep.  The sheep have bitten them, the sheep stink, and they are messy. Much of the time, the sheep are not treated kindly. It seems to me that appreciation received happens because you give it first.

Anyone angry yet?  Let me push it a little further.  When was the last time you told the congregation that you loved them and you appreciated them?  When was the last time you celebrated the volunteers or gave appreciation to the worship team?  Churches that respond to Pastor Appreciation Month are usually led by pastors that are strong lovers of people!  Pastors, lead the church in honoring one another.  This is a line we stole from Willow Creek when we honored teachers, volunteers, youth workers, children…. “we hold you in high regard.” Then the church would bust out in applause.

You might say (if you are a pastor) I do that all the time – and we don’t even get a card!  I am sorry. Truly I am. The Bible says in Hebrews 13:7 that we are to honor those who preach and lead.  I am truly sorry that the congregation doesn’t do that.  They are standing in the way of God hugely blessing them.  I mean that – Shorewood would receive a huge blessing out of blessing me.  That is totally biblical by the way.  They would laugh, scheme, plan, and sneak around for weeks.  All the time, I would know exactly what they were doing. The first thing is this: Create a culture of Appreciation.

Now to the sheep.  Read Hebrews 13:7, “Appreciate your leaders who give you the Word!”  Do it and do it well.  Honoring your pastor will encourage them and bless them.  It will make sleepless nights and long weeks seem less disturbing.  You will help them realize that what they do matters.

I had a person approach me in Shorewood and say, “I don’t get appreciated at my job, after all you get a paycheck.”  Actually he is correct.  The church doesn’t owe the pastor appreciation unless of course they want to obey the Word.

Anyone reading this that is not a pastor: lead this in your church.  Do it.  You will be blessed and it will bless your pastor.

I now serve in a different role.  There isn’t a month to “hug the State Guy!”  I’m perfectly fine with that and don’t expect it.  Pastors are doing the heavy lifting and I have the privilege of loving and supporting them.  Last week, Lisa and I were talking about this very subject and I was remembering gifts during the month of October. Shorewood was really awesome at this folks!  One year, dinner was brought to our house every night – 30 days of supper at home. That had never happened and it hasn't since them.  We actually got tired of cleaning dishes and couldn’t wait to go to Chili’s.

As we talked about those days – it still blessed us. 

Let me wrap this up in a simple package…

Pastors, lead the revolution by creating an atmosphere of appreciation.  Not for the sake of getting blessed but for the sake of obedience to scripture.

Everybody else, lead the revolution of honoring your pastor every October. Get it in the Culture and DNA of your church.  Talk to someone today.  Think big and then back down if you have to.  Don’t start small and hope it grows into an all expense paid vacation to Florida. 

One more thing, Shorewood always honored our two daughters as well.  The girls would receive gift cards and money too and the church would always give them a note that said something like this, “thank you for sharing your mom and dad with us. We appreciate your sacrifice too.”

That was better than what Lisa and I received.  I would love to hear comments but be nice.