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October is Pastor Appreciation Month, a time to celebrate and honor the pastors and ministry leaders who have dedicated their lives to serving the Church. And that’s hard work! And they keep showing up to serve their congregation and community! 

Pastor Appreciation Month is the perfect time for your church to acknowledge the hard work, dedication and spiritual leadership of your pastors.

So here are a few creative Pastor Appreciation Month ideas that you might use at your church to honor your pastors in meaningful ways:

1. Personalized Thank You Videos

One of the most heartfelt gestures you can do is create a video of congregation members sharing what they appreciate most about their pastor. This can be as simple as walking through the lobby with your camera set to record on a Sunday morning before/after church services. Just walk up to people and ask them what they love about your pastor or something they want to thank their pastor for.

Compile these short video clips and share it on a Sunday morning during services and post it on social media for others to share and comment on. (Make sure you tag your pastors!)

2. Handwritten Notes from the Congregation

Never underestimate the power of a personal, handwritten note. Set up a table in your lobby with notecards and pens. Encourage members to write brief notes expressing gratitude for their pastor’s leadership and care.

You can also gather these notes into a scrapbook for the pastor to keep. (Bonus: Have someone taking photos/video of people coming to the table writing their notes and even take close-up shots of the notes and post on social media too!)

3. Pastor Appreciation Social Media Campaign

During the month of October, have a series of posts scheduled throughout the month that highlight your church leadership. It can be old photos/videos of your pastors, quotes from staff and congregation members, etc.

Add a call-to-action in the post content that encourages congregation members to comment on the post and share their appreciation as well. 

4. Gifts of Encouragement

Consider giving your pastor a personalized gift—pay for their favorite meal or gift them their favorite candy, have a journal engraved or gift them a day of rest at a local retreat place. Make sure the gift aligns with what your pastor enjoys or finds refreshing.

5. Surprise Office Decorations

At Fishhook, we love surprising our team with something special at their desks to celebrate a special occasion with a bit of buffoonery. Whether it’s streamers, balloons or a giant “Thank You” banner, decorating their workspace will give them a fun reminder of how much they are loved and appreciated.

6. Pray for Your Pastor Publicly

Encourage church members to regularly lift up their pastor in prayer throughout October. Provide them with a prayer prompt each week to pray over their pastor.

You could also create a special prayer moment in services during the month when congregation members pray specifically for the pastors in your church.

7. Family Appreciation

Don’t forget that pastoral ministry often requires a lot from the entire family. Take time to acknowledge and thank your pastor’s spouse and children for their commitment to ministry, too.

A family dinner, a bouquet of flowers or a small token of appreciation can go a long way in showing gratitude.

Pastor Appreciation Isn’t Just for October

We hope these ideas will help you honor your pastor this October, but it’s also important to remember showing appreciation doesn’t have to be limited to October. Small gestures of appreciation throughout the year can encourage your pastor’s leadership all year long. 

How will you honor your pastor this month and throughout the year? We’d love to hear from you!