4 Free Gifts You Can Give Your Pastor

Christmas is the season of giving gifts, and though it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35), receiving is pretty good too!  As a pastor, I can tell you (regardless of what we might say), that we like receiving gifts just as much as you do.

Most pastors won’t give you their wish, but I’m not like most pastors!  I want you to be fully informed in all areas of importance, and I believe that gift-giving is serious business.  I also know that you’re probably broke…so…here is my list of 4 gifts you can give to your pastor that will cost you nothing.  That’s right!  Give him what he really wants and do it on a budget!

So, here we go…

#1 Give your pastor the gift of Compassion for the Lost.  Total monetary cost – $0

Your pastor loves nothing more than to hear about all the people you shared the gospel with this last week.  I know you think he wants to hear about your gout or your boss at work, but he gets way more excited to hear about all the ways you spread the gospel while you were on your lunch break.

Think about what the believers in the early church did when persecution arose in Acts chapter 8.  They just kept witnessing and preaching the Gospel everywhere they went.

Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word. —Acts 8:4

So go tell folks about Christ or bring them with you to church, and then let your pastor know how it went.

#2 Give your pastor the gift of Fanaticism for your Church.  Total monetary cost – $0

Your pastor gets excited about sports and television too, but what he’s most passionate about is your church.  He loves that you tailgate for hours in the stadium parking lot before the big game, and he hopes you enjoy those seats on the 50-yard line, but he might pass out completely if you ever got to church 5 minutes early.

If you want to make your pastor speechless for the first time in forever, just give him the gift of fanaticism for your church!  He doesn’t need you to host tailgate parties before Sunday church services (though that would be pretty great!), he just needs you to get as into church as you do the other activities you’re a part of.

The early church did this!  Everywhere they went they seemed to cause a stir.

And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. And there was great joy in that city.  —Acts 8:6-8

Give your pastor the gift of outstanding fanaticism for the church.  Show up early and stay late because it’s the best thing you get to do every Sunday!

#3 Give your pastor the gift of an Appetite for Preaching.  Total monetary cost – $0

The average pastor spends 10-15 hours of preparation per sermon preached.  Read this if you don’t believe me.  He’s poured a lot into that 45-minute sermon that you had a hard time keeping your eyes open for.  We like to think that our culture can’t sit through anything longer than a 6-minute YouTube video, but I know you can binge-watch that new show on Netflix all night long and still go to work the next day.

You see, it’s all about hunger.  You feast on what you are hungry for—on what your appetite has been worked up for.  Have you ever seen a commercial for a cheeseburger and immediately felt your tummy rumble?  That’s your appetite.

What we need is a hunger or an appetite for preaching.  The kind of anticipation that has us sitting on the edge of our seats in church, where we catch every word, take notes, mark our Bible, and feast on the Word of God like it might be the last meal we ever eat.

Notice how new believers the preaching of the Gospel and responded to it.

But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. —Acts 8:12

Go to church this Sunday and devour the sermon.  It’s a gift your pastor will never forget!

#4 Give your pastor the gift of being Perceptive of the Needs of Others. Total monetary cost – $0

Your pastor is one guy.  He can’t always see all the church all the time.  He wishes he could, but he can’t.  He needs help.  What your pastor wants is for you to have your head on a swivel and look for opportunities to serve others in the church. 

We all like the pithy statement, “If you see the need, take the lead”, but the real problem isn’t always a lack of leadership but a lack of seeing.  Do you intentionally look for ways that you can help others in need?  The early church did…

And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia,…Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. And Philip ran thither to him…  —Acts 8:26-30

Give your pastor the gift of looking out for the needs of others in your church and your community.  It costs you nothing to pay attention.

There they are.  4 free gifts you can give your pastor this Christmas.  It is indeed more blessed to give…