Perhaps you’ve stumbled across this post.  Perhaps your pastor or a regular preacher in your church has “accidentally” linked to it (if so, forgive them, they must have linked here unawares!)

What can you give a pastor, minister, elder, preacher?  I want to make one suggestion with various options built-in.  You can give them time.

1. Freedom from guilt as they guard their day-off and time with their family. If they aren’t available, pray that God will bless that time, but don’t make them feel bad about taking it.  If you can’t schedule a meeting with them at a time you requested and then discover their “appointment” was actually with their children, don’t complain, they are setting an example in God-pleasing priorities!

2. Provide for a retreat or training course. The church will reap the benefits of this, but still it will be a blessing to the person enabled and encouraged to attend.  For someone who preaches every Sunday it would be a real blessing to be encouraged to go away for a few days (even if it is over a weekend!)  Sometimes a cabin to be alone, other times a conference with other preachers, perhaps even a family holiday long enough to decompress and enjoy being together!

3. Why not push the boat out and start discussing a sabbatical. It might take a couple of years to prepare for a sabbatical, but it would be worth it.  If the person has served faithfully for several years, why not start discussions about the possibility of a sabbatical?  Perhaps they could travel for a few months and experience a ministry or missions setting that is on their heart?  Perhaps they could be freed up for a while in order to write that book they’re itching to write?  Perhaps they would like to take five months to participate in a study program like Cor Deo –click here. Again, the church will benefit massively from this apparent sacrifice, on numerous levels, but it will take significant planning to enable the person to feel free to genuinely be away from everything for this time of renewal and refreshment.