October was clergy appreciation month. November includes Thanksgiving. Next Sunday a new church year begins. During this time of year, I encourage you to consider how you can support your pastor.
Emily Heath, pastor of West Dover Congregational Church (West Dover, VT), recently blogged about the topic. Her post features 10 practical tips, including:
- make sure your pastor has sabbath time,
- remember that you called your pastor, not their whole family, and
- pray for them.
She also mentions wisdom that will apply only in select situations, such as “if your parish has a history of pastors leaving under less-than-ideal circumstances, think about the parish’s part in that.”
So What?
While I have never been a big fan of clergy appreciation month, I do think pastoral appreciation is helpful and healthy.
- How do you personally support your pastor(s)?
- Overall, how good of a job do you think your church leadership does in creating and communicating realistic expectations for the pastors serving your congregation?