Five ways to encourage your church leaders this Pastor/Clergy Appreciation Month

There is something pretty revealing about the people we instinctively thank and encourage. We thank the person who hands us our coffee, the person who serves us at the till, the person who drives us home. And rightly so! But perhaps our gratitude and encouragement should also extend to those who spend their lives caring for our souls.

October is Pastor/Clergy Appreciation Month – a month set aside to help us remember to encourage our church leaders in their life and service. Whatever you think of the label of an “Appreciation Month”, we think this idea has never been more relevant.

Ministry life can be challenging. People are quicker than ever to criticise and divide. The culture is volatile to faith. And yet, amongst it all, our church leaders are turning up and seeking to faithfully love and lead church congregations around the country.

So, this Pastor/Clergy Appreciation Month, why not take the opportunity to encourage the leaders of your church? Here are five ways you could do that.

1. With your words

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue”

Prov. 18:21

In a world of criticism and dissent, our words can have the power to build others up instead of beating them down.

Why not use your words this month to build up and encourage your church leader/s?

Consider writing them a card, expressing what you appreciate about them and their ministry.

I’d encourage you to be specific:

• What is one thing they have said or done that has had a positive impact on your spiritual life in the last 12 months?

• What is a gift or characteristic in them you are particularly thankful for?

• What do you particularly appreciate about the way they care for your church?

Not many cards exist specifically for this function, so we went ahead and made some you can use, featuring verses we feel are particularly pertinent for church leaders. Every sale of these cards also supports the work Living Leadership do in supporting church leaders. You can buy a set here.

But, of course, any card will do. It is your words and sentiments, not the card they are written on, that will most matter to your leaders.

And our words of encouragement don't have to stop with a card. Did their sermon help you? Has something they’ve changed or introduced made a difference? Can you see the fruit of their faithfulness in the lives of those around you?

Tell them, don’t just assume they know the impact they are having.

2. With your prayers

One of my favourite things I have been blessed to do in the last five years is lead an annual prayer meeting entirely devoted to praying for the leaders of my church.

I message all the leaders (in my church, that’s elders and deacons) in advance and ask them for three to five prayer points. Crucially, I am quite a stickler that they are not prayers for their ministry areas but for them as people and as leaders: prayers for their spiritual well-being, their marriages and families (where applicable), their leadership, and whatever is going on in their lives.

We then pray around tables for each of the leaders, specifically, using their prayer points and a list of other suggestions for those who didn’t send any or many. You can download my suggestion list here.

It is one of my favourite things because I see how it matters to the leaders of my church. But I also love it because I think it helps us all remember that above all, these leaders are sons and daughters of our heavenly father, just like us. They have complex lives and needs, just like us. They need prayer, just like us.

I have even had the opportunity to lead a time of prayer for our leaders as part of our Sunday service, with the whole congregation.

It can be hard and awkward for many leaders to arrange something like this themselves (would that we had Paul’s confidence to say “pray for me” a little more often). But, I am yet to hear of a leader saying no when someone asks them if they can pray for them.

When I decided I wanted to do this, I did something that was not very usual for me: I just reached out to an elder and asked him how I could do this, rather than if I could do it. I think that took some awkwardness out of it.

Could you be someone who takes that initiative to do this in your church?

Even if you don’t pray with others, you can of course pray for them yourself. Feel free to use the download above to frame your prayers, or check out The Good Book Company’s 5 Things to Pray for your Church, which has a chapter on praying for your church leaders.

3. With a gift

Hopefully I don’t need to tell you how to be generous!

But a gift doesn’t need to be expensive or elaborate to be meaningful; in fact the best ones often aren’t. It could be something simple: chocolate, a book you love, a bunch of flowers, a piece of art (we have some available here), or a coffee or meal voucher.

But perhaps the most thoughtful gifts are the ones that convey to the leader that they are known.

Did they talk about a restaurant they know in a sermon or in conversation? Are they in a busy season and a meal out with their spouse might be a blessing to them (you may also consider an offer to babysit if appropriate)? Maybe they love a coffeeshop near church for which you can get them a voucher?

You could also get together with others and give something collectively. Our friends over at Grace Publications offer yearly subscriptions called “Pastor Appreciation Packs” that bless church leaders throughout the year for £120. You can find out more about those here.

The point isn’t the value of the gift, though, just to show your leader that they are seen, known and appreciated.

4. With your time and hospitality

Ministry can be a lonely job.

Though surrounded by people, sadly, in some congregations, people with leadership roles in the church can be held at arm’s length. The mystique of being the “leader” can lead people to be far too intimidated by their role to remember that these are brothers and sisters in Christ, who should experience being known and loved by others in the church.

Perhaps you could encourage your church leader this month by simply making space and time to be with them.

Take them for coffee. Have them around for dinner. Invite them for a walk. Ask them how they are doing and talk about their life, resisting the temptation for the conversation to be entirely about church.

Leaders have needs too.

Is there a way you could serve them and their needs right now?

Sometimes the most loving thing you can say to anyone, let alone a church leader, is not “how can I help?” but:

“I’ve noticed this needs doing”

“I was wondering if you would like someone to help with this specific thing”

“Can I take care of that for you?”

Questions like that turn a vague offer of help for a tired and overwhelmed person into something easy to say yes or no to.

5. With your honour and trust

How do you talk about your church leaders when they aren’t in the room?

It can be so easy for us to fall into patterns of critiquing the church and its leaders with one another: finding ourselves in conversations where we are expounding their perceived foibles and failures.

Paul certainly had something to say about grumbling. In Philippians 2, he urges the church to “do everything without grumbling or arguing”.

If Paul wrote to your church, would he call out the same?

Of course, that doesn’t mean we should blindly and unquestioningly follow our leaders; discernment is necessary. Scripture warns us about false teachers and people who abuse their power and position, and there are times when concerns should be raised and leaders held accountable.

But, I believe the vast majority of churches are being led by men and women who are trying their best to lead their congregations and ministries well. They not setting out to harm or hurt people. They are often weighing up more information than we are party to. They are competent for the job at hand even if that means their decisions are not always the ones we would have made.

Could we be those people in the congregation who believe the best of our leaders?

Could we be the people who, when conversations become full of negativity, seek to honour our leaders by providing a level-headed and grace-filled perspective?

And where we do have significant concerns about a decision or direction, could we honour our leaders by talking to them just as much as (if not more than) we talk about them?

Can we honour them as servants of Christ?

Encourage your leaders

Our church leaders don't need to be put on pedestals. They need to be prayed for, known, loved, encouraged and sometimes simply given a cup of coffee and the chance to talk about something other than church.

So this Pastor/Clergy Appreciation Month, why not choose one of these five ways to encourage a leader in your church?

Write the card

Pray the prayer.

Give the gift.

Make the time.

And speak about them—and to them—with honour and grace.

You might never know quite how much it means.