Appreciate Your Pastor!
by Jimmy Kinnaird
I was a pastor for 21 years, but I never had to go through a pandemic and lead a church. The pandemic has been hard on most of us, no matter what you do or what kind of leader you are. This pandemic, along with the already overwhelming responsibility of pastoring a church, can be too much for anyone to bear. That is why it is so important that your pastoral staff know that you appreciate them. They need you to know that you have their prayers, and that you have their backs.
Believe it or not, many pastors have thought about leaving vocational ministry. The issues related to the coronavirus have intensified this. I interact regularly with pastors, and they tell me what’s on their hearts. Many have said that if they could find a job that would support their families, they’d leave. I could list many reasons for this including a decrease in attendance, finances and member conflicts to disagreements on how re-opening or not was handled. But what is needed is a way you can show love and give a much-needed shot in the arm to a local pastor: do something to thank them. In other words, appreciate them.
An act of gratitude goes a long way, especially for the minister's wife and family. My wife remembers these things more than me. In thinking about it, she wrote the following:
In the late ‘80s, my husband served as the pastor of a church plant in a suburb of New Orleans. Money was tight for us and the church. Someone took the initiative and organized families to bring us a meal for seven consecutive nights. As a church-planting couple, I worked full-time while my husband completed seminary classes and while we were raising babies and balancing the household together. Those meals were a huge blessing to our family.
Over the years, my husband has been blessed in many ways. One favorite is a personal note with a word of appreciation citing a specific time he ministered to them or a sermon that God used to speak directly to them. He’s enjoyed a basket or bag with a few things he mentioned in sermons that he enjoys like Dr. Pepper and Reese’s or humorous gifts. One year, a family gave him a book of pastoral cartoons with cash inserted in the pages.
The gestures meant so much to both of us. If you did such a thing, it could be a turning point for your minister. As you can see, it doesn’t take much money, if any, just some organization. Don’t assume others will take care of it. Jump in and lead the way!
My wife, Karen, reminds me that doing things for the minister’s family is important as well. Including the kids makes the whole family feel loved. Karen has made a list of 22 ideas useful for Minister Appreciation Month. Get the free download e-book here. It is not so much what you do, but that you do something. October is a great month to love on our staff.
Author Bio
Jimmy has served as pastor of three churches over the past 21 years, the North American Mission Board and the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma for 14 years; having just left the convention for the second time. Jimmy is married to Karen, who serves as the Spiritual Formation Coordinator at CRBC. They have three adult children, two grandsons and a granddaughter.
Jimmy is a certified leadership coach, an accredited enneagram practitioner and a church health consultant. He is also owner of Aligned Life Coaching, Training and Consulting.
www.alignmylife.org