Ever wonder why Pastor Appreciation month falls in October? That is a really good question, and I would love to discover your answer! In the meantime, I would like to pose a simple, early reminder to start preparing for intentionally communicating with our pastors about how much we appreciate them. Rather than waiting until mid-October and then scrambling to figure out how to say thank you to our pastors, let’s take a proactive approach.

1. Tell your pastor how they have encouraged life change. Pastors invest deeply in sermon preparation, teaching, visits, correspondence, prayer and more—but they often have no idea of how much impact that investment is having. October is a great time to let your pastor know what has changed in your life over the past year thanks to the pastor joining God in His transformational work. Maybe you can even share about how you are discipling someone thanks to how your pastor has been discipling you.
2. Thank your pastor. You know what your pastor and their family appreciate. Be creative in coming up with ways to say thank you as individuals and as a church. Think about how your pastor soaks in encouraging words and gifts, and communicate in those ways.
3. Think Inside the Box. We do not necessarily need to reinvent the wheel. There are plenty of opportunities to glean ideas about how to bless our pastors. One place to start is a click on 50 Ways to Bless Your Pastor. This link provides ideas that might be just the right fit with your pastor. John Pethtel, SDB Director of Church Development and Pastoral Services, is also a great resource of ideas surrounding how to bless pastors in October and throughout the year.

We appreciate our pastors and their families all through the year. Blessings as we prepare to intentionally communicate that appreciation in tangible ways in the month ahead.

Grace and peace,

Carl Greene, Executive Director, SDB General Conference of USA and Canada