October Is Pastor Appreciation Month!
Chances are, your student ministry will be thinking about things to do for you as their Youth Pastor. You should also use this opportunity to show your Senior Pastor how much your teenagers love and appreciate him. No matter your budget (or…let’s be honest…how much time you’ve given yourself to plan), you can do something to help your pastor feel the love! Here are a few ideas to get you started:
1. Host a Youth Ministry Work Day
Has your pastor been hinting about some things he’d really like to be done around the church? Painting? Planting some flowers? Now is the perfect time to help him make those things a reality. Take a day (or even a few days) with your student ministry to get some things done around the church that would really make your pastor happy. It doesn’t take much, if everyone chips in, but it will really make your pastor feel cared about.
2. Send Them Away
Nothing says, “We love you” quite like “Get out of here!” Plan a getaway for your pastor and his wife or even their entire family. Take care of all the travel arrangements and make it as effortless as possible. An opportunity to get out of town and away from day-to-day ministry tasks can really do wonders for a pastor. Just in case you’re wondering, no, you cannot go too…
3. Sermon Highlights
A lot of Senior Pastors often wonder if the Student Ministry gets anything out of their sermons on Sunday mornings. Are the messages over their heads? Are they getting bored? Squash this! Have your students write down a piece of your pastor’s message and how it impacted them. The heart of a pastor is to change lives, even if it’s just one. Letter after letter about how their message changed the heart of a student will be a ministry game-changer.
Remember not to focus all of your Pastor Appreciation efforts on the month of October. Be intentional about encouraging your pastor and making him feel appreciated all year long. You will reap what you sew!