There is no doubt that 2020 has been a year filled with so many disappointments and unforeseen events. The amount of deaths, political unrest, social injustices, and not to mention the COVID-19 pandemic truly has thrown a wrench into 2020.
With church shut downs and attendance reaching an all time low, it is not surprising that pastors and church leadership have faced immense struggles during these unprecedented times. So what can we do? October is Pastor’s Appreciation Month, so we brewed up some ideas to help you encourage your pastor. Here are 7 Ways to Encourage Your Pastor in 2020:
1. Prayer/Pray for Them
This might sound like a very obvious suggestion, however, many of us actually forget to regularly pray for our pastors. Many times when we pray, we present our own personal petitions and requests and forget to uplift our church leadership to God. We must remember to continue to pray for our pastors. They are the leaders of the church and need the utmost guidance and vision.
Here is a sample prayer that you can pray for your leadership:
“Dear Heavenly Father,
“Thank you for my pastor and all of the church leadership. I pray that you please strengthen and bless them as they serve you and your people. Help them to draw near to you and help them hear your voice! Please heal them from any sins they may be struggling with, and give them vision as they lead our church. Thank you, Lord. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen!”
2. Send Them a Care Package
Everyone loves receiving gifts! Why not create a nice care package for your pastor to enjoy? Send it to their address or drop it off at their home if you are close enough! Some ideas to include are:
- A hand written card of appreciation
- Books! What pastor doesn’t love reading. (These books for pastors are all 30% off through October 31st, 2020.)
- Snacks (if they like tea you can mail them some tea bags!)
- Facemasks/hand sanitizer
- Coffee Mug
- Photo of your church family
- Journal
3. Mail Them a Thank You Card
You can also simply mail them your letter of appreciation. Whether you want to do it on some nice paper or some lined paper, you can send them a thank you card for all the work they do at the church. You can even write down your prayers and send it to further encourage their ministry!
4. Give Them a Personalized Bible
Did you know you can personalize Bibles? That’s right, you can include your pastor’s name or initials on their very own Bible! Here’s an example:
The Complete Jewish Study Bible pairs the newly updated text of the best-selling Complete Jewish Bible with detailed notes and comprehensive study material to help both Jewish and Christian readers understand and connect with the essence of their faith—God’s redemptive plan for his people. Readers will be enriched through this Jewish reading of Scripture and the revelation of the long-awaited Messiah, Yeshua, throughout both the Tanakh (Old Testament) and the B’rit Hadashah (New Testament). Surprise your pastor with this all-time favorite!
5. Make Them an Appreciation Slideshow
You don’t have to encourage your pastor all by yourself! Include the congregation for Pastor Appreciation Month! Even if it is just your small group or fellowship group, there is strength in numbers. Create a Google Document and share it to all/select members of your congregation. Have them write encouraging notes to your pastor and then put it together in a slide show to present during the next online church service.
6. Equip Them with Resources that Build Up Their Spiritual Life
Every pastor can benefit from gaining more knowledge. Show your appreciation for them through sending them helpful resources that will build up their spiritual life! Examples include:
Intentional Preaching, written by Meirwyn Walters, is the handy guide that every preacher needs. In preparing and delivering their sermons, preachers make dozens of decisions, some intentionally, many perhaps less so. From first words to hand gestures, choosing a text, masterful use of exegesis, captivating illustrations, titles, approaches to reading Scripture, use of voice, PowerPoint, applications that stick, and scores of other aspects of sermon preparation and delivery, this book explores the panoply of elements in good preaching.
Many of the sayings in the biblical book of Proverbs are difficult to read in Hebrew, even for those who know this language well. Help your pastor meditate and understand the concise and sometimes enigmatic sayings found in the book of Proverbs.
No matter how long they have been in ministry, we all can learn something new! A Mentor’s Wisdom and the lessons it contains testify to the enduring influence of a pastor and teacher dedicated to training up the church to build the kingdom of God.
The Complete Hebrew-Greek Bible combines under one cover the complete text of the Hebrew Bible and the Greek New Testament. It features the full text of Dotan’s Biblia Hebraica Leningradensia and Westcott and Hort’s Greek New Testament. It also allows for the text itself to be highlighted while also providing a straightforward, unobtrusive apparatus at the bottom of the page for the Greek New Testament. Perfect to really wow your pastor!
- A Book-by-Book Guide to New Testament Greek Vocabulary
A Book-by-Book Guide to New Testament Greek Vocabulary is intended to help students, pastors, and professors who wish to read a particular book of the Bible in its original language to master the vocabulary that occurs most frequently in the book in question. Help your pastor learn become more spiritually equipped by learning the Bible’s original languages!
(Get these books and MORE for 30% OFF! Only for the month of October.)
7. Reach Out
Lastly, one of the most simple of them all, you can simply send an email/social media message to catch up with them and see how they are doing. Be willing to listen and bear their burdens. They might be your pastor, but they still are human. We all need to be encouraged sometimes, so don’t hesitate to pray and check up on your pastors.
All in all, we should continue to honor and encourage those God has placed in our church leadership. We pray that you this blog helped you and remember, we are to always show our appreciation to our pastors, no matter the month!
For more resources and book gifts for your pastor, visit hendricksonrose.com. We’re having a sale on books for pastors: 30% OFF through October 31st, 2020. Happy Pastor Appreciation Month!
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