Clergy Appreciation Day is observed on the second Sunday in October. Clergy Appreciation Day is a time to recognize the work of ministers, pastors, and priests in the United States. This National day also falls in National Clergy Month, which is observed annually each October.

Celebrating Pastor Appreciation Month & Pastor Appreciation Day

How exactly are we to celebrate our pastors? How can we show them that we care? What is the perfect gift?

Many churches feel clueless when they contemplate ways to express gratitude to their cherished leaders. So we made a list. Here are 10 suggestions to get the creative juices flowing.

1. Write Lots of Letters

On Sunday before Pastor Appreciation Day, distribute stamped envelopes addressed to the pastor. An instruction note invites each church member to write and mail a personal note of encouragement and appreciation to the pastor during the week.

2. Customize a T-shirt

Order a “Best Pastor in _______” T-shirt, cap or plaque, and present it with flourish.

3. Create Original Art

Laminate bookmarks created by the children in your church, featuring their art and signatures. Allow kids to present the bookmarks to the pastor personally.

4. Place Your Church in a Frame

Prepare a beautifully framed photo or painting of the church building. Even better: take a group photo of church members in front of the building. Use extra wide matting and ask every church member to sign the mat before adding glass.

5. Purchase Helpful Commentaries

Purchase a full set of Bible commentaries.

Allow various groups, such as Bible classes, committees or church organizations, to present one book of the set, individually wrapped with their personal notes of appreciation on the inside pages.

6. Make a Video Presentation

Create a presentation of photos and video of the pastor(s) in action during the past year. Set it to music and play it as a pre-service video.

7. Give Public Thanks

Take out a full-page ad in your local newspaper, featuring a photo of your pastor and a declaration of your church’s love and appreciation. Even better: Add every member’s signature on the ad.

8. Do an Office Makeover

Do a surprise office makeover, with the pastor’s wife’s input, of course. Consider fresh paint, updated décor, new furniture and even a computer or technology upgrade.

9. Supply Favorite Things

Think of one small thing your pastor enjoys, such as M&Ms, fishing lures, coffee, etc. Ask each member to bring that item on Sunday, i.e. one bag, any size, of M&Ms. Supply extras for guests or forgetful members.

10. Celebrate 30 Days of Pastor Appreciation

Use an October calendar to schedule volunteers for a month-long schedule of surprise treats.

Each day of the month, the pastor will receive a surprise token of appreciation from a church member, committee or group within the church. The tributes can vary widely. Some ideas include: a balloon delivery, a shoe shine, an apple pie or a gift certificate. After a whole month of pleasant surprises, won’t your pastor feel appreciated?

And won’t God be honored by your acts of love for His servant? Don’t forget to include a sincere note with specific reasons you appreciate the minister’s spiritual leadership, dedication, time and commitment.

Honor God by honoring His servants, with a thoughtful, personalized encouragement that fits your unique church and pastor.

2016 Pastor Appreciation Ideas

Here are 22 great ways to show appreciation to your pastor(s) for all he or she does—not just in October, but anytime throughout the year!

Counseling/Coaching & Marriage Check-up. The Wesleyan Church has a unique relationship with PastorServe and SonScape Retreats. PastorServe offers pastoral counseling and coaching for clergy and spouses, while SonScape offers topnotch retreats for clergy couples. See these links for details and more options: PastorServe and SonScape Retreats
Clergy Care Retreats. We want you to know that we have created some unique relationships with retreat centers for pastors, some with marriage enrichment options. They offer specific resources to maximize clergy health and effectiveness over the long haul. See our website for more details on these and other options for supporting your pastor(s): www.wesleyan.org/pastorappreciation
Nice Dinner. Provide a nice dinner or banquet in honor of your pastors and their spouses.
Give 3 dinner ticket for the Vikings Restaurant.
Daily Gift for the Month. Each day one member delivers a gift to the pastor. Choose something of special interest to the pastor such as a bag of their favorite candy, fishing lure, tickets, etc. Something personal and intimate along with a handwritten note of appreciation would be greatly appreciated
Gift Baskets. Set out baskets for gifts and cards (consider a different month for each pastor!) or a large basket loaded with their favorite things.
3-day Getaway. Provide a two-night, three-day getaway for pastor & spouse to a place you know they will love.
New Software. Purchase new software that will really help your pastor. For instance:
1. Logos Bible software 2. Right now media
New Equipment. Some examples include:
1. Ipad 2. Laptop 3. Cell Phone
Date Night. Make arrangements to watch the kids so the pastor and spouse can go out for the evening.
Bonus. Give them a bonus and present it in church along with words of appreciation.
Offer free sessions with a financial planning consultant. Provide sessions with a financial advisor who will help them budget, anticipate college education for children, and plan for retirement.
Library Addition. Provide a favorite gift to add to the pastor’s personal library, such as:
1. Theological and biblical resources 2. Leadership books 3.Counseling resources
The Gathering 2019. Begin now to set aside funds to send your pastor and spouse to The Gathering in 2019. The Gathering is a once-every-four-year event designed to encourage Wesleyan pastors. It is never too late to begin to plan and to show appreciation!
Car Repair. Offer to take care of a significant repair or other transportation needs.
Continuing Education. Offer financial assistance to further the pastor’s education.
Gifts for Pastor’s Children. Present gift certificates for the children of pastors to their favorite store.
Fitbit. A great idea for helping your pastor maintain physical health by tracking anything from steps, heart rate, sleep, calories, and more.
House Cleaning. Go as a group or hire a professional to care for the house inside and out. Consider a house washing, vehicle detailing, lawn maintenance, window cleaning and more.
Invite the kids on an outing. The next time you are going somewhere fun with your family, invite the pastor’s children along. They would appreciate this hospitality as much as their children.
Pay for a gym membership. Gym memberships might be out of the range of many pastors. The gift of a gym membership can lead to greater health, vitality, and community connection.
Painted Picture of the pastor. Hire an artist to paint a picture of your pastor.

Ideas on How to Honor our Pastors

Gift Ideas:

Do NOT give your pastor a bible (unless s/he asks for one; s/he likely already has a whole bookcase full of bibles and songbooks)
A subscription to his/her favorite magazine
A gift certificate for his/her favorite restaurant
A gym / health club membership
a spa day or free massage
A date night (e.g. dinner/show) inclusive baby-sitting
A week-end getaway, fully paid
Artwork with engraving
Love offering
A new car =)

Joke gifts:

A superman/woman cape (with Pastor’s Initials)
A watch with alarm (to keep sermons short)
A subscription to DesperatePreacher.com =)

Other ways to honor your pastor:

Submit to local press an article on how you appreciate your pastor
Grant him/her a sabbatical (1-12 month) for personal or professional pursuits
A certificate and/or plaque honoring their years of service
A huge card signed by everybody in the parish
A building / room named after the pastor (e.g. Miller chapel, Snyder Hall, Smith Library)
Life-time Pastor Emeritus status

The Importance of Honoring Your Minister

“The elders who are good leaders should be considered worthy of an ample honorarium (of respect and remuneration; lit of double honor), especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching” (1 Timothy 5:17, HCSB).

The church was filled to capacity. There was a sense of anticipation in the crowd. The beloved pastor stood at the pulpit to say thank you for the gifts, kind words, and loving support from the church throughout his ministry.

He talked about the joys of the past, especially the accomplishments they had experienced as a church. There were expressions of joy and of thanks among the congregation. Added to the emotion of the moment was a realization that this is the way God intended for relationships to exist between minister and church.

During my 20-plus years in pastoral ministry, I have been blessed to serve in churches with deacons, committees, and individual believers who have honored my family and me as their pastor or staff leader. Much of what has happened in my life in leadership is the result of the humbling yet stimulating blessings of honor. There is no way to judge the power of honor on the life of a leader.

The subject of honor has not received much attention in the Christian world. Ask any group of church members what they think about honoring their ministers, and you will get diverse answers. Most people have no idea concerning the nature of honor. Some will say that honoring the minister is no longer necessary in today’s society. Another person may say that if you show honor to ministers, it will feed their ego. Another may comment that the only ones who deserve honor as ministers are those who have served God for many years and have earned honor.

Few people in the church seem to understand the importance of giving honor to God, to others, and to ministers. Honor, in its purest form, means recognizing God and others as more significant than yourself. Such honor glorifies God. It is what God intends to exist in the church. In fact, God’s will is that the church practice “double honor” for the ministers He gives your church.

The need for honor in the church

Church conflicts are as old as the earliest days of the church and as contemporary as today’s news. Churches and ministers have had their share of good relationships. Most churches have loved their ministers, and God has blessed the ministries of those churches. Other churches have not been as fortunate.

If you’ve ever belonged to a church involved in a conflict with a minister, you know the emotions associated with the situation. It’s important to rise above the conflicts and look at what the Bible says. Perhaps, in our attempt to find a quick solution, we’ve overlooked something essential in resolving conflicts in the church. Most conflicts are over power and control and difficulties in personal relationships between ministers and the church. Conflict between ministers and churches dishonors the church. Ministers’ families are hurt. Lifelong scars remain for those caught in these tragic circumstances. And most of all, God is dishonored.

A biblical mandate for honoring your minister

Does God have a solution that would reduce the conflicts between churches and ministers? Is there an answer that will result in extended tenure in a minister’s service to the church? What will restore the blessings of God on the church?

The resolution of conflict will come as a result of a new attitude. The solution to conflict and church problems is practicing the principles of biblical honor. The church needs to return to the basic truths about honor. A quick examination of a concordance reveals 190 references to honor in the Bible. The truths about honor are evident throughout Scripture.

As the Old Testament closed, God spoke to His people through the prophet Malachi. Dreadful days were ahead for the nation of Israel. It would be a time when there would not be a word from God – a time of silence. What caused that time to come? Scholars believe a period of approximately 400 years existed between the close of the Book of Malachi and the Book of Matthew. Malachi declared the situation to Israel: “A son honoreth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honor? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the Lord of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name” (Mal. 1:6). Israel had dishonored God. The people had ignored His laws of sacrifice, giving God the worst and keeping the best. God judged a nation for dishonoring Him through their selfish disobedience.

A desire to honor God equals a desire to honor our minister

God asks the church today, “Where is My honor?” Where is God’s honor in the conflicts over power in the church? Where is God’s honor when a church and its ministers cannot work together? Where is God’s honor when we don’t give Him our best? God asks, “Where is My honor?” when there are broken relationships in the church. The church has forgotten what God called us to be.

Jesus prayed, “I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me” (John 17:23). Jesus’ prayer for the church today is that it will demonstrate the glory of God by unity of purpose and spirit. Church conflicts don’t honor God. Individual disobedience in our Christian lives dishonors God. When we do not treat the ministers God has given the church with honor, how can we say we honor God?

The giving of honor is practiced in the context of relationships. It is demonstrated through submission and obedience to those who are called to places of authority and responsibility. Honor for God is the basis of all honor. Obedience to God is coupled to the honor we give to God.

When God asks the church, “Where is My honor?” – what is your answer? The church must return to God with a renewed commitment to honor Him in all our relationships. We must return to God, reverently honor Him as Lord, and glorify His name. When the church honors God in these ways, He will be glorified among the nations.