October is Pastor Appreciation Month. Across our convention, churches will provide gift cards, handwritten notes, meals and encouraging words for the men who faithfully shepherd God’s people.
Those expressions of gratitude matter. Pastors need encouragement. Ministry is often lonely work. The phone call often comes in the middle of the night. The burden of preaching never goes away. Every Sunday brings another opportunity to proclaim God’s Word, and every week presents new situations requiring wisdom, compassion and leadership.
Churches should absolutely take time to say thank you. But perhaps the most meaningful form of pastor appreciation is not found in a card or a gift basket. It is found in the way a church shows that they value their pastor and his family throughout the entire year.
Healthy churches and healthy pastors go hand in hand
When a congregation thoughtfully invests in the compensation and well-being of its pastor, it is investing in the long-term effectiveness of its ministry. Fair compensation helps reduce unnecessary financial stress, strengthens a pastor family’s resilience and provides greater freedom to focus on the ministry to which God has called them.
I experienced this personally.
As a young pastor serving a small country church, my wife Julie and I were expecting our second child. We had a wonderful congregation and a strong sense of God’s calling, but we had a problem: We had no health insurance. After gathering information and meeting with the church leaders, I discussed our family’s needs and the church’s resources. Those deacon leaders excused me from the room while they deliberated. Following prayerful consideration, those leaders called me back into the room to announce the news: The church would provide both health insurance and life insurance and even began contributing toward my retirement account as well.
I can still remember how that felt. It wasn’t merely about benefits. It was about knowing my church valued the calling God had placed on my life. Their support gave us confidence, stability and peace of mind during an important season of ministry.
Many churches assume compensation is simply a budget matter. Scripture suggests it is also a heart matter. Caring for those who faithfully lead and serve the church well is an act of stewardship and an expression of honor.
Paul addresses this with Timothy like this:
“The elders who are good leaders are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says: Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain, and, ‘The worker is worthy of his wages,’” (1 Timothy 5:17–18 CSB).
Not every congregation has the same financial capacity. Smaller churches should not feel discouraged by what they cannot do. But every church can evaluate whether they are doing all that they can reasonably do. Every church can ask whether its pastor’s compensation, insurance protection, retirement preparation and overall well-being reflect the value of the work he has been called to perform.
This Pastor Appreciation Month, write the note. Give the gift card. Host the luncheon.
But also take a fresh look at the compensation of your pastor and his family.
The encouragement offered in October may last for a day.
The security and support provided through thoughtful and generous compensation and benefits can strengthen a pastor’s ministry for years to come.
Republished with gracious permission from the Biblical Recorder. Top photo by Mikhail Nilov/Pexels.
