Were I to list for you all of the kindnesses shown to my family because of the leadership role God placed my father in within the church, you would not have time to read them all! (Again, I pause to praise the Lord and express gratitude for the kindness and sensitivity to God’s leading shown to us by the people in our church families.) Taken from real-life examples of gifts of gratitude my family received, below are ten simple ways—anything from free to quite expensive!—that you can use to demonstrate appreciation for those God has placed in the role of pastor or spiritual leader in your life. (These are listed in no order of importance—other than the first one, which is indeed the most important gift of all. Additionally, I will use the term pastor, but if you have multiple pastors, by all means, demonstrate appreciation to each of them.)

1. Pray for your pastor and pray for your pastor’s family. Pray for spiritual protection (the evil ick—my term for the devil—loves to upset and distract those in vocational Christian work), for wisdom, for love, and for spiritual, emotional, and physical strength.

2. Invite your pastor and/or his family to join you/and or your family for a fun activity (such as a free sporting event at the local high school where your son or daughter plays on the team, bowling, a picnic, a day at the lake, etc.). Trust me, pastors and their families love to interact with those in their church, and they love to have fun!

3. Give your pastor a financial gift to help with expenses, to provide a “little extra” for something fun your pastor might not otherwise be able to do with his family, or to cover the cost of a conference he is saving for to attend.

4. Give your pastor a gift, along with a note of thanks for his ministry in your life. This can be anything from a book you know he would enjoy to a gift card for a restaurant he mentioned in one of his recent sermons to the gift of a new car. Yes, I said, a new car!

While we were living in northern Indiana in the late 1960s, a member of our church family anonymously arranged through the local Chevrolet dealership for my father to come and pick out a new car. The picture (from left to right) is of the car dealer, my eight-year-old self, and my dad on the day we went and picked up our brand new 1970 (this was taken in the fall of 1969) Chevrolet Malibu! We thought it was so awesome to have a two-door car in “metallic gold!” That car proved to be an answer to prayer, an unexpected provision for a great need, and an incredible example of generosity that came from someone who apparently had the wherewithal to provide such a gift. (And you thought that scene in Facing the Giants would never really happen!) 

5. Send your pastor’s wife a bouquet of flowers with a note of gratitude for her ministry in your life.

6. With the approval of their parents, give your pastor’s kids a gift card to a department store or prepay for a local event they plan to attend. (Getting to buy “brand new” things is sometimes a rare treat for children of those in vocational ministries that cannot or do not offer “salaries with wiggle room!”)

7. Find out your pastor’s favorite food, favorite collectible item, or favorite author whose books he collects and occasionally surprise him with one of these items and a note stating your appreciation for his ongoing ministry in your life and, where applicable, in the life of your family.

My father mentioned many, many years ago in a sermon that he likes angel food cake. Through the years, a few of the families from that church have seen to it that my dad gets an angel food at various times throughout the year. In fact, when I was visiting their home last month, a daughter of one of those families dropped by one evening just for a quick visit. She and her husband brought with them an angel food cake—just like her parents used to bring to our home many years ago!

8. Send your pastor and/or his family a card, e-mail, or even just a little note as you pass them in the hall at church, telling them that you are praying for them and appreciate them.

9. During an especially busy time (missionary conference, youth emphasis week, or other annual events hosted by your church), call ahead and let your pastor’s wife know that you would like to provide a simple meal for the family. This can be as easy as having a pizza delivered to their home or making something simple in the crock pot and delivering it at a predetermined time so it’s hot when they’re available to sit down to dinner.

10. Though it’s a very generic way to end this list, I would encourage you to demonstrate your appreciation by applying the principles and teachings that your pastor provides through his careful and deliberate study of God’s Word.

You can—and should—demonstrate appreciation for your pastor and spiritual leaders throughout the year. But during this month set aside to be intentional about your gratitude, take a moment to say thanks to your pastor and his family in whatever way you can and by whatever means you think God would have you to do so!