Sample Letter for Lay Leaders
Dear Lay Leaders,
October is Pastor Appreciation month and we want to support you as you honor and affirm your pastor! Some of the latest research indicates that the "downstream" symptoms of ministry stress and challenges are significantly impacting pastors and their families. Some of these symptoms include:
•50% of pastor's marriages end in divorce
•18,000 ministers leave the ministry each year due to burnout, termination, and moral/marital issues
•80% of minister's spouses wish their partner would choose another profession
But upstream from such symptoms we find hope, as pastors and other ministers experience renewal in their spiritual lives, in their marriages, homes and families. The Lift Pastor Appreciation strategy is an initiative designed to see God prompt the church to become the pastor's greatest source of support as they:
•Love the Lord and their spouse
•Love their children
•Love the church
•Lovingly witness
As an expression of affirmation to all of your ministers and their families we recommend the following:
5 SIMPLE STEPS TO LIFT UP GOD'S SERVANTS IN YOUR CHURCH:
1. Download the Pastor Appreciation flyer, poster, bulletin insert and certificate for a planning meeting with your deacons, elders, or lay leaders. Click here these resources.Make plans to affirm each of your ministers and families.
2. Schedule the appreciation event, service, or reception and promote them using the resources above. Make sure to edit the poster and certificate to include ministers' and family names, plus date of appreciation event.
3. (Optional) Purchase a VISA gift card at any local retail store. This gift card is for your pastor to use for their own get-away retreat at any of the 700 bed and breakfast inns that are part of the Christian Hospitality Network. Click here ( to find a CHN location
•Pastor discounts range from 25-50% off. Sun-Thursday nights are most available, and a $300-500 gift card would
typically cover a multi-night stay. This process will give your ministry couple the privilege of selecting the bed and
breakfast locationthat blesses them most.
4. Download the Reboot Spiritual Life and Date Night Experience App to familiarize yourself and then assist your ministers in doing the same; these apps are perfect resources for your pastor's self-guided Reboot Retreat. These Reboot apps and ministry discounts are a part of the Preach 2 Engage Pastors Appreciation initiative.
5. At your appreciation event, present the Appreciation Certificate (after editing names), then print and distribute the bulletin insert entitled, "50 Ways to Bless your Pastor" for your entire congregation.
Blessings,
David Ferguson
Great Commandment Network