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A Twelve Month Plan To Energize Your Pastor & Church Staff

In a couple weeks I am leading a “Breakout Session” in a conference for key leaders in churches  from across the Baptist General Association of Virginia.  The breakout session is titled:  “How To Energize Your Pastor and Staff.”

I prepared a full session, with a slide show, video, bells & whistles – you know what I mean.  The aim of the session is to equip some lay-leaders to go back to their congregations and engage in some intentional acts aimed at encouraging pastor and staff.

Below you will find a rough outline of what I have titled: “A Twelve Month Plan To Energize Your Staff.”

What do you think? 

January   Send Your Staff Away (For A Day) – Pastors and staff need time away to pray and plan.  Provide for them with time and resources for a planning retreat. 
February   Dinner & A Movie Pool resources to get gift cards for staff to enjoy a “night out” with their spouse. Get church teenagers to provide free child-care for the night!
March  Pray WITH Your StaffOrganize a prayer team to meet with each staff member to hear their personal burdens and then pray for them.  
April  De-Stress MonthLent, Holy Week and Easter can be stressful.  Send your staff to the spa for a massage; or get them tickets to a sporting event; or provide them something they enjoy in order to de-stress.
May  Spouse Appreciation Month Staff spouses sacrifice much to support their husband/wife.  Show your appreciation with a special gift and recognition.
June  Summer Reading ListEncourage each adult Sunday School Class to purchase a gift card at any bookstore to purchase summer reading materials.
July  Take A Staff Member To Lunch – Arrange for a few folks to individually take a staff member out to lunch with no agenda except to be present as a friend.
August   Send Your Staff To The VBMB Minister’s Family RetreatHeld the first full week of the month on the campus of Oak Hill Academy, this retreat allows pastors, staff, and their families a full week of rest and relaxation. 
September  Back To School Staff kids are like all other kids.  They hate going back to school.  Arrange for as many adults as possible to send staff children a card wishing them well in the new school year.
October  Pastor Appreciation MonthOverwhelm your pastor with daily acts of kindness and love for the entire month.  Lots of small things add up quickly.
November  Buy Your Staff A TurkeyGive staff a gift card at a local grocery store so they can purchase their thanksgiving dinner.  Include a person note of gratitude.   
December  Christmas Bonus checks from the church budget are taxable income.  Encourage members to also personally send each staff a gift card or monetary gift.

5 Responses to “A Twelve Month Plan To Energize Your Pastor & Church Staff”

  1. Doug Duty says:

    Bill – dead on… only thing I would add would be that they insist that every 6 or 7 years the pastor take a sabbatical.
    You nailed it. Lets hope those who sit in on your breakout session “get it”

    Thanks…

    • billnieporte says:

      Yeah – I will hit the sabbatical thing earlier on

      Have a publication from from of our denominational people who hits on that

      This is just something to give them to get folks thinking about loving
      their staff as a habit of love

      Hope I can figure out how to post the conference online (the slide show)
      after I have presented it life

    • billnieporte says:

      Oh, and thanks a bunch, too. 😀

  2. Natalie says:

    THIS IS AWESOME!!! Can you send this to every personnel committee and deacon ministry team in the BGAV?!?! I would be a HAPPY PASTOR and have a HAPPY FAMILY if we were loved and appreciated in these small tangible ways!

    • billnieporte says:

      These were a collection from several of the Facebook posts from questions asked over the last month or so.

      That and many in my church actually do some of these things – which explains why I am pretty happy most of the time.

      I have friends. My church loves my family. They are kind and generous. They don’t have it mapped out, mind you, like the “plan” describes it. Which makes it so much better. They just love us.

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