Gift #5 – The Gift of Helping
This final blog on gifts for the pastor is for those who want to give something that some might consider more ‘substantial’.
As was previously stated, Pastors are on call 24/7 and often, particularly in smaller churches, pastors are not paid enough, if they are paid at all. I know many of my fellow pastors who have to work a second job and sometimes that job is their sole source of income. This creates and considerable burden for those pastors as after working a 40+ hour/week job, they still have to put in 40+ hours/week preparing messages and doing the other duties of a pastor. My family has been blessed in this area. We are by no means wealthy, at least not financially, but our church does pay us enough to live on and we appreciate that. However, if I may be so bold, I would like to speak for those other pastors who have greater financial needs than I. Here are some gift ideas.
1. Pay the pastor his due. First and foremost, if the church has the funds, pay the pastor what you can. Some people seem to have the attitude “Lord, if you’ll keep him humble, we’ll keep him poor.” What a sad indication of the state of their spirits. Pastors aren’t looking to get rich, they simply want to be able to feed, clothe and shelter their families. If the church fails to pay the pastor a reasonable salary when they are able to do so, they are in violation of God’s Word. 1 Timothy 5:17-18 says, “Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially they who labor in the word and doctrine. For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The laborer is worthy of his reward.” This clearly indicates that the pastor should be adequately compensated for his labors.
It serves no one to have a pastor whose family is hungry and destitute or to have a pastor who is so exhausted from laboring to support his family that he cannot do the labor necessary to support and grow the members of the church into greater spiritual maturity. If the church can’t commit to support him, take periodic love offerings for him. While these may not allow him to support his family without another job, it will help ease the burden and provide some encouragement for him as he will be able to see that the church does see and appreciate the work he is doing. It isn’t about the money but money is a factor.
2. Help the pastor with projects around the house. Whether the pastor lives in a parsonage or he has his own home, there are always things that need to be fixed. It is entirely possible that the pastor doesn’t have the expertise in plumbing, electrical, flooring, etc. to fix the things that are falling into disrepair around the house. If these things need to be fixed, and they do, the pastor is left with 2 options, somehow find the money he needs to hire someone or try to do it himself when he has no time and/or no expertise in this area. If he has no time, they only way he can do it is through sleep deprivation which is unhealthy.
If he has no expertise in the area he risks making the problem worse or having the project which needs an immediate fix take weeks or even months to fix. Either way, the stress he will feel will work against his effectiveness as a pastor and not only does he lose, but the church loses as well.
3. Buy him a book, software, CD or DVD that will enhance his ministry. Let me clarify this. I don’t mean that you should buy him a book with the thought of “This will straighten him out.” What I mean is find out what books, CDs, DVDs and software he has been wanting but unable to get and get it for him. This shouldn’t be too difficult as you can discover this through a casual conversation or ask his family.
4. Buy him a gift card to one of his favorite restaurants. Pastors and their wives enjoy eating out just like most other people. Sometimes it is not economically feasible and so a gift card is a good way to go. Why not just give cash? Because the cash will be used to pay other bills (and there are always other bills) and he as well as his wife need some alone time with each other and the opportunity to decompress in a fun way.
5. Send him to a conference, convention or retreat. Every year I go to Pigeon Forge, TN in March to attend the ReFRESH in the Smokes Conference put on by Sherwood Baptist Church. While this conference may not be everyone’s cup of tea, I thoroughly enjoy it and though it is called a conference it has the feel of a retreat. There are about 7 hours of worship and preaching each day for 3 days but the afternoons are free and I find myself being challenged, refreshed, strengthened and encouraged. Like I said, it may not by your pastor’s cup of tea, but there are many good conferences, conventions and retreats that are available and even affordable. My encouragement to you is to find one that is suitable for your pastor and pick up the cost of it for him and let the church help with it.
There are many other things I could go into when it comes to giving gifts to the pastor than what is contained in these blogs, but it is my hope and desire that this will help inspire you to care for your pastor in a way that is meaningful to him whether the idea is here or something that you came up with yourself.
Merry Christmas and God bless you!
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