This Pastor Appreciation Month, Give the Gift of Being a Good Employer

For most of us, Pastor Appreciation Month (October) is about as carefully observed as National Jelly Bean Day (April 22) and National Houseplant Appreciation Day (January 10). But every so often, as the leaves begin to change, a thoughtful member of a church will write their pastor an encouraging note or drop off some Jelly Beans. Though the pastors I know don’t expect anything special in October, they still appreciate these tokens of gratitude, especially during the busy ministry month of October. 

If you’re wondering how you might express appreciation for your pastor this month, Thrive suggests you consider (along with a tasteful bag of Jelly Beans) offering your pastors the gift of a good employer. 

Jelly Beans, houseplants, and gift cards are nice, but so are adequate health benefits, family leave policies, and clear job descriptions. 

Though we’re not always comfortable thinking this way, the church, specifically the council, is the pastor’s employer. Is the pastor called? Certainly. Isn’t the church like a family? Without a doubt. But the pastor is also an employee and, as an employee, ought to be treated with appropriate dignity and respect. It’s the council’s job to ensure the church is a good employer. 

To help churches evaluate how they’re doing as employers, Thrive created Employment Essentials, a series of six simple checklists which help church employers make sure they’re considering all the essential aspects of things like hiring, supervising, and supporting church employees. 

This October, show your pastor some love by taking a look at the Sustaining Essentials checklist. This checklist might prompt you to consider offering a personal spiritual retreat day to your pastor’s calendar every month. Or maybe it will prompt you to consider talking to the pastor about their benefits and compensation package. Or maybe it will help you ask whether their written position description actually matches what they do each week. 

So, after dropping off a plate of homemade chicken and waffles (October 20), consider how your church might bless your pastor by also strengthening the essentials of employment.