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This post is for you if you are looking for ways to involve your children’s and youth ministries in pastor appreciation celebrations. Choose from 6 easy ideas to help your students build a foundation for appreciating those that serve the church.
As October rolls around, the multi-colored leaves fall to the ground, and pumpkin spice lattes are all around, don’t forget the second Sunday of every October is set aside for National Clergy Day. October is Pastor Appreciation Month. Our small church ministry leaders may not expect a thank you or a compliment, but scripture does remind us of the value and importance of their unique role.
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? How can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
Romans 10:14-15
Here at Small Church Ministry, we recognize many small church ministry leaders’ unique positions. Instead of having a different minister leading each unique ministry in the church, the small church pastor often leads them all. If your church has an assistant pastor, a youth pastor, or a worship pastor, be sure to include them in this celebration.
Research Shows Pastors Quit Because Of Stress
2022 research by the Barna Institute shows that 56% of pastors who had considered leaving ministry indicated the immense stress of the job was the number one factor for considering leaving. 34% of pastors who had not considered leaving ministry also specified the immense stress of the job was a challenge. Of those pastors who did not consider leaving the ministry, 59% said their community supports them well. And 83% believe in the value of the ministry.
Show your small church pastor your support and appreciation by including children and teens in the celebration. We realize some small churches celebrate Pastor Appreciation Month creatively every year, and others are just considering how to show their appreciation. So whether you are an old hand at this or a newbie, try one of these ideas in your youth group or children’s ministry.
Children’s Ministry-Friendly Ideas To Celebrate Pastor Appreciation
- Record video messages from the children.
- Give handwritten notes from the students to the pastor.
- Involve kids in the worship service on Pastor Appreciation Sunday.
- Use different shoes for an object lesson.
- Collect children’s & teenagers’ signatures on a picture frame.
- Create a pastor appreciation bulletin board with pictures.
Record Video Messages From Children
A few weeks ahead, and with permission of the parents/guardians, record short video messages from individual children, each Sunday school class, and youth group. (Find a teenager who is great at technology to help with recording.) On Pastor Appreciation Sunday, show short clips throughout the service. Download the video file to a flash drive or upload it to the cloud so the pastor can enjoy the words of appreciation all year.
Give Handwritten Notes From The Students To The Pastor
Purchase blank cards and construction paper for your Sunday school students and youth group. Ask the youth in your church to write a thank you note for the pastor. Some children will enjoy adding drawings and artwork. Place these in a basket to give to the minister of Pastor Appreciation Sunday, or consider mailing one card at a time throughout the year to your pastor instead. You can find another card idea in this post: 11 Great Ideas For Pastor Appreciation: Perfect For Small Churches.
Involve Kids In The Worship Service
Ask children and teens to serve alongside the adults on Pastor Appreciation Sunday. Nothing provides hope like children helping lead in the service. Have children and teens read scripture, greet people, help with handing out the bulletin, or say a prayer.
Use Different Shoes For An Object Lesson
Use the theme of “beautiful feet” as a part of your small church ministry celebration, and ask each child to bring a different type of shoe. Have a few extras on hand for variety: a cowboy boot, work boot, tennis shoe, or flip-flop. Use these shoes as an object lesson during the church service. Ask some of your children to hold up a shoe and say, “If God can use someone like (insert name of a New Testament Bible character, missionary, or present-day Christian) to spread the good news of Jesus, He can use me. Thank you for sharing the good news of Jesus!”
Collect Children’s & Teenager’s Signatures On A Picture Frame
Purchase or DIY a frame like this signature picture frame. Ask the children and teenagers at the church to sign their names on the space around the picture area. If there is space, church congregants may also sign the frame. Insert a photo of the minister or the minister and his family. Present this to the pastor during the service.
Create A Pastor Appreciation Bulletin Board With Pictures
Continuing the theme of “beautiful feet,” create a bulletin board with colorful footprint cutouts. Include the scripture, Romans 10:14-15. Place pictures of the minister serving in various ministry scenarios on the footprints.
Hebrews 13:7 says it best, “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.”
We would love to know how you celebrate Pastor Appreciation Month. Share your ideas in the comments below.
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Thank you for this article! I love the idea of having the children write heartfelt notes to the husband of our pastor. Saving it for next year! This year, our congregation is holding a Q&A with our pastors. Each week, a different pastor is highlighted and answers a few questions from our church family. Since we have our children in a separate service at the same time, we thought it would be fun if we asked them questions for them to answer about our pastors. I created a booklet and, at the end, included photos of the children and a blessing from our ministry. It was a fun way to show our love and appreciation with our kids 🙂
Awesome!