Pastor Appreciation Month couldn’t come at a better time than now …

There’s a story about a pastor who never prepared during the week, so on Sunday morning he would sit on the platform while the congregation sang and desperately prayed, “Lord, give me your message, Lord give me your message!” One Sunday, while desperately praying for God’s message, he heard the Lord say, “Ralph, here’s my message: You’re lazy!”

I’ve actually known a few pastors like Ralph, but very few. Having spent more than 30 years in ministry, I’ve known a lot of pastors, and most of them are incredibly hard-working, self-sacrificing servants of God. For all that they do for us, and the kingdom of God, October is designated as Pastor Appreciation Month. And in 2020, this month for showing appreciation couldn’t have come at a better time.

That’s because our already hard-working pastors are feeling the full of brunt of serving and leading during a global pandemic. Demands on their time have multiplied, the burdens they carry have become heavier, and many are honestly feeling overwhelmed. So much so, one reputable source in church leadership reports pastors are so overwhelmed that as many as 50 percent of them are considering quitting vocational ministry altogether once we make it through the pandemic.

Another source reports a majority of pastors say their top concern right now is a marked disunity they are experiencing in their congregation over various issues, with how they are handling leading the church through a pandemic being key among them.

As part of Pastor Appreciation Month, this is an opportunity for everyone in each congregation to go beyond what we do each year this month to express some kind of appreciation for their pastor; this is an opportunity to come alongside your pastor and demonstrate love, care, and real support for them by helping shoulder their heavier-than-usual burdens and in unity move forward as the family of God. I encourage you to do two things as part of Pastor Appreciation Month: 1) Go out of your way to express to your pastor your personal and genuine appreciation for them, and if you are able, include a gift, being as generous as possible, and 2) Make yourself available to help them with practical service however you can during this difficult time.

To my fellow pastors, thank you for all you do for the cause of Christ!

Scotty