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Appreciation & Recognition
Posted by Roger Ferrell in Uncategorized
This past Sunday at our church was Pastor Appreciation Sunday. Our men’s small group asked me a month ago if they could have the sermon portion of the service for this day to honor “our pastors.” I really did not want to say yes, but they never ask for anything. And now they were asking to have a few minutes to say thank you to me and our other pastors.
I said yes.
But I was anxious about it for two weeks. It did not help that they asked the congregation in the worship service if they would not mind taping a message on video for us or speaking their gratitude live during the service.
But you know what? It was great. They gave us cards and notes, spoke eloquently on the scriptural mandates for leaders, bought my wife roses, and served us all a great lunch. It was a marvelous day and we all lingered to talk after the picnic was long-since over.
I am normally not a big fan of recognition. I would rather be anonymous.
But that was a great day. And the cards are still comng…
So thanks, Woodland Creek!
What about you? Is your church celebrating Pastor Appreciation Month? How do you recognize your pastor? How about recognizing other workers?
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Pastor appreciation month has varied each year. Some years there has been nothing. Last year was my ninth year in ministry here. They made a big deal about it. This year was my 10th. No one noticed. However, our cell group is cooking dinner for us each day next week for pastor appreciation.
I am nearing the six-year mark at Crossroads (Feb 1). One of our charter members, a precious saint named Mary Hodge, always made sure that the church did some little something for a “Pastor Appreciation Day” in October. A couple of times they did a little song or video in worship and took up a small love offering. It was usually a couple hundred bucks to send with us on our fall break vacation … always a blessing.
In 2005 she led the church do do something very special on Pastor Appreciation Day. I knew something was going on, but I was not sure what it was. But at the end of the worship that Sunday the doors burst open and one of our cell group leaders rode into our worship room on a huge Cub Cadet lawn tractor. The church gave me this incredible piece of equipment to help maintain my “country estate.”
(Actually, my old lawn mower had just “given up the ghost.” I was in borrow mode, trying to figure out what I was going to do the following Spring.) It was an incredible, unbelievable, humbling blessing … and it very much fit the character of our church and community … meeting a practical need.
But our precious Mary went home to be with the Lord the following spring, and no one seems to remember Pastor Appreciation Month/Day. Oh well, every day is Pastor Appreciation Day at Crossroads!
Cyle,
Let me wish you a happy 10th anniversary! Do you all recognize other leaders on a regular basis? I know some churches give awards or appreciation banquets for teachers or leaders. We don’t do any of that here and I am curious what others do.
Geoff,
Glad you are enjoying your tractor! I promise on February 1st, I will be celebrating with friends, a cake, and even streamers. Okay, so that is my birthday, but I am glad for you for six years of great ministry in a great church!
How about it, do you guys recognize leaders or do any public or private appreciation for folks?
Not much discussion. Methinks there must be lots of us “unrecognized” pastors out there.
Geoff,
I’m okay with that. Getting recognized is not why I do what I do, and I am not comfortable with the congregation thanking me for doing what I get paid to do, when they serve for free.
So perhaps we should have “servants appreciation month” or even better, just be gracious and say thanks often to those who serve faithfully in our churches.
OK I’ll chip in.
A couple of years ago, we had a minister who had been here for 7 years, and I wanted to do something special for him, so I got the Personnel Ctee & church to give him $700 as a gift to mark it — obviously $100 per year.
The Personnel Committee decided that we should establish a consistent policy, so here is what we came up with:
– each year on the staff member’s anniversary, the PC will give them a small token gift: $75 gift card to the restaurant of their choice. We make a presentation during the announcement time of Sun am services.
– on 5 year increments, we will give a cash gift of $100 x the anniversary: ie, $500 for 5 year, $1000 for 10 year, etc.
This has been working well for several years now.
As for “Pastor Appreciation Month” there seems to be no “organized effort” from church, though a few people have given cards and gift cards here and there, probably in response to something they have read somewhere.
I personally don’t like “official” days like that — or “Boss’ Day”, or “Secretaries Day”, etc. It makes it a formality and takes the joy out of it for me.
I can truly say, like Geoff, that “every day is pastor appreciation day” at our church. They are constantly encouraging me, supportive of whatever I do. The Personnel Committee gives us a cost of living increase each year, commensurate to the inflation rate, and then merit increases on top of that. And they cover health insurance increases, and are increasing what they put into retirement. They check average salaries, and make sure that ministers they really want to keep are paid ABOVE it, so they are not tempted to go anywhere else just for money.
Folks, THAT is the kind of “pastor appreciation” I want, and I appreciate it greatly. I am grateful to God for our church.
Shawn, my brother, THAT is real “Pastor Appreciation!”
Shawn, If that were me I would be sure that the Lord had planned on me staying in that church till I die. What a testimony!
Our church here does multiple things for all our ministers. Parties on anniversaries, sabbatical (1 month) for our pastor when he celebrated 25 years with us. Very generous salary packages, and love offerings whenever a need occurs. Great church I fellowship with.
My husband has often received similar celebrations at three of the four churches he served. Today, the last church we pastored sends us offerings on a regular basis to help offset the financial burdens we’re under due to my husband’s health problems. they, along with the church we now attend, have been God’s provision for us in our time of need. To me, that is the greatest blessing a pastor could enjoy–to know that after 4 years of not being their pastor, they still care enough for what he did while he was their pastor that they generously give to support him. God is so very good. selahV
Roger,
No, our church is hit or miss all the way around. We have been good in seasons and bad in seasons. We’ve never been able to pull off a successful teacher’s appreciation banquet. Usually someone gets an idea and does it. I would like to have some good ideas, too. I feel like we should do more.