In the United States, many evangelical/Pentecostal denominations use the month of October to emphasize “Pastor Appreciation” from a local church to the shepherd(s) of that local church. The IPHC promotes that same emphasis, and there is a special focus this year from IPHC Men’s Ministries and IPHC Clergy Development.
Here are some suggestions for local church lay leaders as you consider honoring your pastor(s) this year and in the coming years.
First, notice that I added an “s” to shepherd and pastor in the previous paragraphs. If your local church has several staff pastors, be sure to include them in whatever you do.
Second, make sure you include your pastoral families in whatever you do. Pastors’ spouses and children, especially children still at home, are often forgotten.
Third, be as generous as possible in words, deeds, and prayers for your pastoral families.
This brings me to something very serious that every IPHC minister needs to do: prepare for the day when they retire. Many younger ministers either feel they do not have the financial resources to do that, or they naively think that day will never come. Either perspective is shortsighted.
IPHC Clergy Development, with the help of Lilly Endowment, has a way local churches can significantly help their pastors. Lay leaders, go to https://phpastor.org/pci/ to learn more about what I am asking you to do.
First, if your pastor(s) has a debt that needs to be addressed, IPHC can grant up to $2000 towards that debt. The grant must be matched by a local church, conference, other organization, etc. That would mean up to $4000 to help with any debt that qualifies (see the webpage for more information).
Second, and to me, this is even more important than the first opportunity, you can encourage your pastors to become part of the IPHC retirement program. Go to https://iphc.org/gso/403bplan/ for information. Besides preparing for long-term retirement, this program also provides significant tax benefits for your pastors. Through the Lilly Endowment, iflocal churches commit to contributing $100 a month for 36 months to the pastor’s IPHC retirement plan, the IPHC will match those contributions with $100 per month. At the end of 36 months, your pastor will have $7200 in this qualified IPHC retirement plan. For any pastor, this is a great way to wisely invest and provide financial security for his/her family in the future.
Many of you lay leaders have retirement programs through your employment. Encourage your pastors to take steps to prepare for their own immediate and long-term goals through IPHC Clergy Development.
