October is “Minister Appreciation Month” and over the next few weeks I would like to share a few posts with you regarding minister and encouraging your minister. Many times, it is difficult to understand ministry because of the aspects of ministry which are cannot be shared and without walking in a ministers shoes. Let us all, ministers included, seek to encourage the ministers we know.
Appreciation is a powerful word when it comes to certain professions. Appreciation brings a boost of self-esteem and also the ability for someone else to admire the work you do. When it comes to preaching, many ministers avoid the describing the ins and outs of their career choice because they do not want to boast about their lifestyle. While many professions come with an 8 to 5 workday, the ministry is a continuous, 24/7 effort. The phone rings at 3:00 pm just like it might ring at 3:00 am. There are some who think the ministry only occurs on Sunday and possibly a Wednesday night, but they are sadly mistaken. Preaching is a daunting task not fit for everyone, not encouraged for everyone and not everyone will make it through.
Below are a few ways you can encourage and show your minister you truly appreciate his work.
34 Ways to Encourage Your Minister
Pray for him every day!
Give him a gift card to his favorite restaurant.
Send him an anonymous card letting him know what you appreciate about him and do not sign it.
Babysit or offer to pay for a babysitter so he and his wife and have a free night.
Donate to a mission effort in his name.
Send his family a basket of flowers.
Get him a magazine subscription for his favorite magazine.
Go visiting with him.
Donate to his retirement fund.
Give his children “happy meal money.”
Mow his grass.
Give him tickets to a sporting event or a concert.
Give his family a weekend trip out of the city.
Buy him a suit.
Take he and his family out to dinner
Donate to his children’s college fund.
Landscape his yard.
Do not wait until he is offered another position to give him a raise.
Stay awake during his lesson.
Buy him lunch and have it sent to his office.
Get a book he enjoys reading and mail it to his house anonymously.
Provide an end of the year bonus.
Give him a sabbatical. (Sabbatical – a specified amount of time off to refresh and relax.)
Buy him a car (Yes, I know a congregation who bought the minister a car. The last time I was talking to him, he was still driving it with well over 100,000 miles.)
Let his wife know what a good man he is.
Make the minister and his family a homemade gift and present it to them.
Be patient as he grows.
Never call his children “Preacher’s Kids.”
Take him fishing/hunting. (If you take him hunting, be sure to bring him back.)
Buy him a set of gift cards to his favorite coffee shop.
Call him just to say you appreciate his efforts.
Stop complaining about the length his lessons and tell him how much you learned.
Do not wait until he is gone to appreciate him.
Send him to lectureships and let him “get fed” instead of him doing all the “feeding.”
Just some thoughts,
Recognized this post? This article is a previous post on the Preacher’s Pen and has been brought back, revised and reposted on the new website format. It is my hope and prayer, these posts are bringing you some thoughts to motivate and inspire you to greater service.
I know, it is only September, but very soon Vacation Bible School will be upon a majority of churches. I publish this article every year and it yields tremendous results because everyone has a connection to Vacation Bible School (VBS) and everyone wants VBS to be a successful part of the congregation. From my experience, VBS does not start a the month before; to have a successful VBS the planning starts at least six months from the VBS date.
This is a post based on the planning and some of the logistics behind Vacation Bible School; this is not a doctrinal post. The ideas expressed in this article are mine and gained through my personal experience.
Take a moment and read the thoughts below. I would like to hear your feedback.
Several years ago, a close friend of mine and I were talking about the process of getting ready for VBS and I thought I might give some hints to get VBS done better each year. Remember, I am no VBS guru, but I have learned some vital necessities of getting VBS done well and it has nothing to do with me, but the people involved make it happen.
It used to be the preacher was the one “volunteered” to handle VBS, but the trend is changing and people are now more involved. So if this does not apply to you, pass this list along to someone else.
Here are Gallagher’s Rules for VBS:
Start early – Don’t wait until two weeks before VBS to begin handing out the material and drafting teachers! This is possibly the second worst mistake you can make with VBS.
Here is the timeline I used for VBS:
Six Months from VBS Start Date – First meeting to gather teachers, helpers, maintenance crew, snack people, and any other area needed.
Five Months from VBS Start Date – Begin gathering material or ideas for material if your plan to create your own.
Four Months from VBS Start Date – Begin sending postcards to family, friends, visitors, and even the congregation to remind them of the VBS date. Publicize the VBS date on the Internet.
Three Months from VBS Start Date – Gather your decorating crew together and brainstorm for materials and ideas for decorations.
Two Months (8 weeks) from VBS Start Date – Pass out material to the teachers and ask if they need anything and be sure to get it. Advertise VBS again in the community paper, direct mail, word of mouth, postcards, whatever it takes to get the word out. Be sure a sign is placed on the church property noting that VBS is coming.
Six Weeks from VBS Start Date – Begin door-knocking opportunities and create posters to be passed out to the community bulletin boards in grocery stores, etc. Arrange for transportation of kids whose parents cannot bring them; begin now to get volunteers.
Four Weeks from VBS Start Date – Gather every VBS member together and as if there is anything needed. Whatever is needed, get someone other than yourself to be responsible for getting it and delivering it.
Three Weeks from VBS Start Date – The decorating team should be placing the final touches on the decorations and material. Also, more flyers need passed out and sent to each contact.
Two Weeks from VBS Start Date – The teachers need to be asked if there is anything they need. Constant encouragement is needed because of their powerful role.
One Week from VBS Start Date – Pray! The final touches need placed on VBS and the congregation needs to be regularly encouraged to be there.
The Day of VBS – Drink Coffee, Jolt Cola, Mountain Dew and eat lots of Twinkies – you will need it!
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Gallagher’s Notable VBSÂ Techniques:
Always encourage your VBS staff – Write them notes weekly, email them, call them and be there for them. Make sure they are taken care of, because they will take care of the children during the week.
NEVER MICRO-MANAGE! – Now stand up and say it with me, “I WILL NOT MICRO-MANAGE VBS!”Â
Involve Everyone – Make sure everyone in your congregation is involved in some way. Get those who like to talk on the phone to make phone calls inviting people, get the computer savvy to develop a web page for VBS, leave no one out. Get a new Christian to be an assistant and watch them grow.
No Skimping on Snacks – Homemade snacks are always the best.
Reward the reward–able – Make sure you reward the children for a job well done. Give Bibles to those who brought others, give good gifts to those who work hard.
Acknowledge your staff each day – At each gathering thank, show appreciation and acknowledge the great qualities of your staff. Provide your staff with rewards as well.
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Gallagher’s After VBS Techniques
Food! – After VBS is over, have a meal for everyone who took part in VBS and thank them for all the work they have done.
Review VBS! – Soon after VBS, but separate from the Appreciation Meal, have a VBS review. Be open and honest, let people voice opinions and discuss situations that could be improved and situations that are great. Bring the good and the improvable to the forefront of the discussions.
The techniques listed above is a brief look at the way VBS worked for me. As I said previously, this post is based on my experience, successes and failures with VBS planning. Much of this timeline and techniques were developed over several years of working with a great staff. I took these techniques and tweaked them over the years and saw a great increase in attendance and performance, but most of all the gospel being spread each year.
Got a few minutes? If so, take this quick quiz to see if your marriage might be in trouble.
While the age of busyness and technology is upon us, sometimes we forget to communicate in the simplest ways with your spouse. As people have come to me over the years for marriage coaching, I notice several couples who did not see the warning signs of a great marriage problem which began as a small issue. The small issues in a marriage might go unnoticed until a larger problem brings every issue to the forefront.
The list below is not a guide, but a starting point to determine the health of your marriage
(1) If you call your spouse by the wrong name – your marriage might be in trouble.
(2) If you talk to your Facebook friends more that you talk to your spouse – your marriage might be in trouble.
(3) If you send your wife a text message and you are sitting beside her on the couch – your marriage might be in trouble.
(4) If you have a date night with your spouse and you go out alone – your marriage might be in trouble.
(5) If your children mean more to you than your spouse – your marriage might be in trouble.
(6) If you put yourself before your spouse – your marriage might be in trouble.
(7) If you remember your wife’s Twitter name but cannot remember her first name – your marriage might be in trouble.
(8) If you refer to your spouse as “Ball and Chain” or “Doofus” – your marriage might be in trouble.
(9) If your husband cares more about his dog than you – your marriage might be in trouble.
(10) If your wife cares more about her dishwasher than you – your marriage might be in trouble.
(11) If the only communication you have is on the phone – your marriage might be in trouble.
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If all the above signs describe your marriage, your marriage IS in trouble.
Tomorrow is the re-launch of the newly redesigned Preacher’s Pen Newsletter!
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As the leadership speaker and guru John Maxwell says, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” While John Maxwell usually says this to a business crowd, the concept also applies to a congregation.
Consider for a moment the congregation who hires a new minister and the work, as well as the membership, takes off like a rocket. As long as the minister stays the congregation is moving ahead, but as soon as the minister leaves, the congregation heads back to much of the same situation from the previous years. Ministers can bring an influx of motivation and desire for a better work, but the leadership is the sustaining catalyst and structure of a growing congregation. The leadership is powerful in its perception and more powerful in its influence.
Below is a list of “Five Must Needs in Congregational Leadership.” These five needs are important in every congregation as Christians seek to take the gospel to the world. As others obey the gospel, they are joined with our local congregations and the leaders needs to be available to assist the membership in living the best life they can and growing every day. Without leadership, the lives of the membership might fall into a windstorm of chaos.
Here are the “Five MUST NEEDS of Congregational Leadership”
The Five Must Needs in Congregation Leadership
5 – Every Congregation Needs Knowledgeable Leaders
The leadership of any congregation not only needs to know the text of God’s word, but they need to know the members. God has provided us with the words of everlasting life and also a fellowship the world does not understand. As our fellowship grows closer, the shepherds (elders) need to know their sheep. Physical shepherds know the sheep they care for each day. They know the food they eat and the water they drink; shouldn’t spiritual shepherds (elders) know their sheep?
4 – Every Congregation Needs Leading Leaders
Congregations do not need “bill-paying” leaders who pay the bills and maintain a congregation. Church members need leaders to step up and be the shepherds (elders) and servants (deacons) they have been appointed to be. There is a powerful difference between leading a congregation and maintaining a congregation.
Sheep (church members) need to be led by their shepherds (elders). The role of a shepherd is not an easy role in the Lord’s church. It takes hard work to oversee those mature in the faith and those new in the faith. As a physical shepherd leads the sheep through the valleys and to the mountain tops, the spiritual shepherds (elders) should lead their congregation through the spiritual valleys and mountain tops.
3 – Every Congregation Needs Seeking Leaders
How many members miss on Sunday morning the elders never go visit? If a sheep was missing from the flock, the shepherds should leave the present and find the absent. (Remember the parable of the lost sheep –Luke 15.3-7) Personally, I would love to see a congregation where the elders notice people absent from the assembled worship of the church and they immediately leave and go seek those lost sheep out? If we cannot save our own flock, are we sure we will be able to save others?
2 – Every Congregation Needs Prepared Leaders
Troubles and turmoil will come to every congregation. The majority, if not all, of the problems a congregation experiences do not arise overnight. Clear signs of problems and conflicts are usually seen several weeks, months and years before the problems rear their ugly heads. Shepherds need to see these problems before they rear their head and deal with the situation before the problems get any worse.
Remember Paul’s words to the Ephesians elders? (Acts 20.18-35) Specifically verse 29 –”I know after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock…” Paul urges the elders to be prepared for the problems to come.
1 – Every Congregation Needs Loving Leaders
Without love, leading is worthless. Yes, you can lead a congregation without loving them, but the results will not be one of spiritual greatness. In fact, leading without love will not sustain a congregation seeking to serve the Lord. Paul himself says that if he had all things but did not have love, he is nothing. (1 Corinthians 13.2-3)
Loving the members enables the leaders to bring the needs of the saints higher and serve them as Christ served others. A loving leadership will love the sheep enough to save their souls!
What do you think? What qualities do you see as “MUSTS” on congregational leadership?
