Thank You, Ministry Leaders

Thank You

October brings with it Clergy Appreciation Month—a moment set aside to recognize those who serve Christ’s Church in all its forms: Pastors, Worship Leaders, Associate Pastors, Student Ministers, and Children’s Ministers.

Let me start with this: thank you.

Thank you for doing the hard, holy work that few understand and fewer see. Thank you for showing up when showing up is the hardest part. Thank you for giving yourself to the people of God—often with little applause, less recognition, and plenty of opinions swirling around your every decision.

You Serve for God’s Glory, Not Man’s Approval

In a culture obsessed with metrics, likes, and platforms, you’ve chosen a different road. You’re not serving for approval ratings or online applause. You’re serving for God’s glory—not for recognition.

Ministry isn’t about impressing—it’s about faithfulness. And every quiet act of obedience, every sermon preached in love, every prayer whispered in exhaustion, every late-night hospital visit—those things matter eternally, even when they don’t trend locally.

You Serve Because You’re Called

You didn’t stumble into this work. God called you. He placed His hand on your life and invited you into His mission—to shepherd His people, to teach His Word, and to model His heart.

There’s no contract more binding than a calling. When the fruit seems slow, when criticism comes quick, when the work feels heavy—remember: you are not hired help. You are a called servant of the Living God.

You Serve in Quiet and Humble Ways

Much of what you do never gets posted, printed, or praised—and that’s exactly how Jesus served. The Son of God washed feet, walked toward the hurting, and wept over the stubborn. His ministry wasn’t a highlight reel; it was a life of humility and sacrifice.

You’ve followed His example. You’ve given more than people know, prayed more than people realize, and stayed longer than others might have.

Your Reward Is Eternal

You won’t always see the results now. The applause may not come. The affirmation may feel faint. But your reward isn’t in this life—it’s in the next. God sees. He keeps score. He will one day say what every faithful servant longs to hear: “Well done.”

So, this month, as we pause to say thanks, hear this clearly: You are seen. You are valued. You are loved.

We thank you for your prayers, your sacrifices, your steadfastness. We thank you for staying the course when everyone has an opinion about how you should do your job—critiquing freely, thanking rarely.

God knows. He sees. And I pray you feel His affirmation more deeply than anything else this month.

Keep going, friend. Your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

-Bob