Pastor Appreciation
by Lenn Zeller, Volunteer Director of Conference Care
Some years ago, when I was a young pastor, I was serving a congregation that was involved in some significant inner turmoil. There was a serious battle going on to determine the direction and mission of the church. Would we remain a traditional, mainline, marginally Christian church or become an evangelical fellowship committed to Christ and His Gospel? My immediate predecessors had begun a solid Gospel-oriented focus, which I was seeking to build upon. But it was far from settled at that point if such a major change in vision and theology was to be accepted by the congregation. I was being attacked from both sides — from the traditionalists who were upset with the changes that were being made (albeit it slowly and carefully, so I thought) to move us along the path to evangelical ministry and from the evangelicals who were impatient with the progress and wanted to move things along more quickly. It was a difficult time, and there were many days when I wondered if this was going to work. I was seriously questioning my call, not only to that congregation but to ministry in general. The temptation to just walk away was great.
And then something happened. A couple in the church invited Janeen and me to dinner. It was a kind gesture of friendship in tumultuous times, we thought, and we gladly accepted. When we walked into a back room of the restaurant, it was filled with the smiling faces of a large crowd of our church members. It took a moment to sink in that this was a Pastor Appreciation dinner, meant to express the love and support of a large contingent of the congregation. We were overwhelmed by the timing and by their kindness. They couldn’t have imagined what a blessing and encouragement that was to us at that particular time. Or could they? In any event, their kindness lifted us up and kept us going, and God went on to do some amazing things in our midst in the years to come. And that began a tradition there of an annual Pastor Appreciation dinner or gift that never failed to lift our spirits and let us know that we were loved by these very special people. My current congregation has similar tradition, by the way.
All of which is to say that pastors — and their wives — need that kind of encouragement. Ministry is hard and demanding, even in the best of times. This is a word to all the congregations of our Conference. October has become known as Pastor Appreciation month in the American church. It’s a perfect time to let your pastor know that she/he is loved, appreciated and honored by the congregation. Think about a dinner, a special gift of something you know they need or will enjoy, or maybe a getaway at a nearby resort. Don’t assume that they know they are appreciated; rather, let them know in some tangible way.
