Appreciate those pastors.....

Just a friendly reminder that October is Ministry Appreciation Month. This year, for the first time in ten years, I am on the "other side" of this month, and I wanted to make sure that all of our pastors/ministry directors knew that they were loved and appreciated. I must admit, it was nice to be doing the "appreciating" this year.

I know there are several different sides to the Ministry Appreciation Month argument. One is that churches, in general, do a terrible job appreciating their leadership and so a specific time set aside for it each year is necessary for people to get up off their rear ends and do something appreciative for these people who often (usually!) work in thankless jobs with little love and encouragement.

The other side is that churches who are doing it "right" (i.e. showing regular appreciation) don't need to set aside a month and, in fact, designating a specific month makes those pastors who are serving in thankless, unappreciative ministries feel even more "unthanked" and unloved when the month goes by with no recognition. I understand both sides. Heck, I've lived both sides--we had years where we felt immeasurably blessed and loved. We also had (more) years where we felt very "unthanked" and unloved.

The moral to the story: love and appreciate your pastors/church leadership ALL year long. But, if you feel led, use the month of October to focus on them and thank them in a tangible way for the many sacrifices they make on behalf of the church. Hey, we all celebrate Christmas on December 25, but Christ's birth is something that should never be far from our minds. Know what I mean??

These are pics of the gifts I gave to our seven pastors/ministry directors. It wasn't anything fancy (fall-themed plates filled with homemade pumpkin spice cookies and fall Hershey kisses and tied with a pretty bow) but I know from experience that this is for sure one instance where "It's the thought that counts." If finances prevent you from giving gifts or gift cards, drop them a short note or send an e-mail and let them know how much you care. I promise you it will mean a lot! (www.crosswalk.com has some beautiful ministry appreciation e-cards)

Off my soapbox now...... Go appreciate your pastor today!