Why Thank Your Pastor This October?

By Eric Brown

UCC Ministerial Director

Every October, we celebrate Pastor’s Appreciation Month, and some have wondered why we set aside a whole month to appreciate pastors. After all, we only set aside one day to appreciate veterans, one day for workers, one day for Mothers and one day for Fathers. We don’t even have a day for the fire fighters, police, EMTs, and medical staff that do so much to keep us safe. What’s with a month for pastors?

I can tell you the idea didn’t come from pastors. If you must know, the whole idea of being appreciated publicly is just a little bit embarrassing for pastors. Having people make a public fuss about you is awkward. Most pastors don’t do what they do for public recognition. They serve because they were called. In their best moments they know that what they do is for an audience of One, and just like He said of Jesus, he says of his pastors, “This is my beloved child. In them I am well pleased.” 

Given the public perception of what pastors do, or don’t do, the whole idea of pastor appreciation can seem a bit over the top. A pastor once asked a young boy what he wanted to do when he grew up. He replied, “I want to be a pastor.” The pastor was pleased with that response and asked the young man why. “Because they only work one day a week,” the boy replied.

Why celebrate a month of pastor appreciation when others who give their lives get so much less, when it makes your pastor uncomfortable, and when you’re not really sure what your pastor is up to most of his workday? That’s a great question and it has a whole book of great answers! I’ll just share a few with you right now.

1. We take a month to celebrate Pastor Appreciation because chances are pretty good your pastor has more than one congregation and they might not see you in person before the month has passed. Besides, trying to get a group of people to participate in one act of thanks can take some time and effort. If you’re in the midst of trying to get the rest of the people in your congregation to pay attention to their emails and you’re tired of hearing, “I forgot” or “You wanted that today?” then you understand a little bit of what your pastor deals with every week.
2. Your pastor is human. No matter how high and holy their calling may be, they struggle with the same doubts and insecurities that you do. Except that they willingly expose their hearts and the lives of their families to public scrutiny and criticism. And believe me, they do hear every critical word that is spoken. They chose to become a pastor because they wanted to make a difference for God. Instead of lives changed and souls won to Christ, most of what they hear is how they failed. So, making time to focus on the positives goes a long way.
3. But you said public appreciation is embarrassing for pastors. Yes, I did, and you should embarrass them anyway! They do what they do because they want to serve, but knowing that their service is making a difference will help them keep going back into the fray. Your pastor is a soldier, but the enemy they do battle with is invisible, so its hard to know how much ground they’ve captured. Your pastor is a fire fighter, but the fires they fight are often impossible to extinguish and they are usually outnumbered by the arsonists. Your pastor is an EMT, but they respond to shattered hearts and wounded souls, so a bandage and an IV won’t help. The embarrassment your pastor feels when you thank them publicly is more than made up for by the knowledge that you noticed everything they do behind the scenes. 

So I hope you’ll do something to tell your pastor how much they mean to you and your church family this month. And if you’re struggling to know what to get your pastor (they can be hard to buy for), here are a few ideas that might help.

1. Time away with the family is always a winner. Gift cards to a nice restaurant or even a weekend for two at a nice resort is overwhelming but appreciated. If your pastor is single, a trip to see family is great idea!
2. Surprise your pastor with new office furniture. If your pastor has an office at the church, there’s a good chance the office could use an update. Let your pastor know the budget they have and let them pick out a new desk and chairs.
3. Stop right now and set a monthly reminder in your calendar to send your pastor an encouraging text, DM, or email on a particular day. Hearing some unexpected encouragement throughout the year will give your pastor a great boost.

Your pastor knows that the best treasure to lay up is in heaven and they’ll probably keep serving in your church whether you do anything for Pastors Appreciation or not. But it’s wonderful to know that some of that treasure they are working to store away up there recognizes what a difference they are making down here. So go ahead, embarrass them a little bit. It will mean the world to them!