Every fall the Pastoral Ministries Division at Focus on the Family promotes the significance of Clergy Appreciation Month — the special time of year when congregations honor you and your family for your hard work, sacrificial dedication and the multiple blessings you provide.

We are aware of your challenges in ministry. Those of us who serve in the Pastoral Ministries Division have been where you are, and we carry scars from our experiences. Yet, as the apostle James encourages, we consider it pure joy (James 1:2). Why? James continues in verse three: "Because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." Our wish is that you will find fulfillment in your calling. For you, fulfillment may be defined as progress in your ministry. That is where perseverance comes in. "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up" (Galatians 6:9).

During this time, you may need encouragement. We all need someone to say, "We believe in you," "Thank you," and "We are praying for you." Here is what we pray for you:

1. The demands of your time will not threaten your intimacy with God.
2. You will give adequate attention to your spouse and family as you seek to guide those within your congregation.
3. You will find a colleague to join you in mutual prayer for one another and the community of believers you serve.
4. Your preaching will not be tepid, but courageous and purposeful.
5. The "sheep of your pasture" will respond to your leadership with great enthusiasm.
6. Those around you will become even more aware that God's call on your life and the message He has given you cannot be ignored.

And I pray that when it is time for you to finish your race as Paul did (2 Timothy 4:7), your journey will find completion through a life lived in righteousness.

You, my colleague, are a hero to me. During this Clergy Appreciation Month, the Pastoral Ministries Division of Focus on the Family salutes and thanks you for your unselfish dedication to the One who has called you.

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Taken from Focus on the Family magazine, Fall, 2009.
Article copyright © 2009, Focus on the Family.
All rights reserved. International copyright secured.
Used by permission

Dr. H.B. London is the vice president of Pastoral Ministries for Focus on the Family and the author of numerous books on and for pastors. He served as a Nazarene pastor for over 30 years in several churches in Oregon and California. He and his wife, Beverley, live primarily in Colorado Springs, Colo., and have two sons and four grandchildren.