Pastor Appreciation Letter to Congregation

Church congregations usually have tremendous admiration and respect for their pastors and are typically very helpful and supportive. There are many situations in which writing a pastor appreciation letter to the congregation might be A good idea. Many members of a church congregation spend countless hours volunteering for anything from teaching Bible classes to cutting the grass, and it is important for pastors to make sure their congregations know that their efforts are appreciated.

Format and Content

There is no set pastor appreciation letter to the congregation format that is generally required or accepted. It all depends on the unique circumstances at each church and each congregation’s relationship to their pastor. An appreciation letter can be mailed to the entire congregation, put on the church website, placed in the church program during services, read out loud by the pastor during a service or any combination of these options.

Sample

This church celebrated their pastor’s tenth anniversarywith a surprise party one Sunday night. The following Sunday, this pastor appreciation letter sample was read to the congregation by the pastor before the service started. A copy was also placed in each church program as well as on the church website.

Dear Beloved Congregation,

It is with humble gratitude that I thank you for the wonderful surprise party last week celebrating my tenth year as your pastor. It has been my joy and honor to serve you this last decade, and even more than that, it has been a blessing to be served by all of you. As a congregation and as individuals you have brought a multitude of blessings to my family and I. You mean more to us than I can ever express. I am exceedingly thankful to God for placing us here at ABC Christian Fellowship.

As a brand new pastor fresh out of seminary and newly married, I was tremendously blessed by the patience and guidance offered to my wife, Sherry, and I by such a loving and supportive congregation. I believe I have learned more from all of you these last 10 years than I have taught you. I can never repay you all for the kindness and support during the birth of each of our 4 children. Having 4 children in 10 years is a blessing, but also very physically, mentally and emotionally taxing. We have benefitted tremendously from the advice and assistance of all of the experienced parents in the congregation.

Just 2 years into my time as your pastor we faced one of the biggest challenges a community and congregation can face, and I was astounded by the outpouring of love and support that each of you showed to the victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the years that followed. There is no way that ABC Christian Fellowship could have established the shelter that we did for the Katrina victims were it not for your countless hours of volunteering. For those who cooked, cleaned, made all manner of donations and offered emotional support to the victims, please know that you made a permanent and positive impact on the lives of many people, and that is what being followers of Jesus Christ is all about.

It has been my great privilege to serve as your pastor these past 10 years and I look forward to many more years with you, God willing. Please accept my sincere thanks for the wonderful surprise party and especially for a decade of blessings.

With Sincere Gratitude,

Mike

Pastor Mike