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Paul Batura: It’s Clergy Appreciation Day — here’s why it’s important
By Paul Batura
Published October 11, 2020
It’s Clergy Appreciation Month and Sunday is Clergy Appreciation Day — something most people have never heard of. But it’s important, honoring the approximately 430,000 ministers, priests, rabbis, imams and clergy members with other titles who minister to our spiritual needs across the U.S.
Depending upon your age and religious background, mention the term “clergy” and a picture inevitably comes to mind. It could be of a Roman Catholic priest in flowing vestments, a rabbi in a yarmulke and prayer shawl, a hip 30-something in skinny jeans on the dimly lit stage of a Midwestern mega-church, or something else. America is a land of religious diversity.
A relatively few clergy members are well-known, appearing before large audiences on TV, radio and podcasts; writing books, op-eds, magazine articles and blogs; and ministering to huge congregations.
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But average clergy members don’t have a national platform. And because of the coronavirus pandemic, many of their houses of worship remain closed. Religious services are being conducted over the Internet, in outdoor spaces, or sometimes not at all.
The average clergy member has to hold down another job to pay the bills, shepherds a congregation of fewer than 100 people, and is overworked and underpaid. But these men and women love what they’re doing, because what they’re doing is the most important thing they’ve ever done.
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Generally, clergy members rarely make headlines — unless they cheat on a spouse, are accused of abuse, steal money from their congregations, or are involved in another crime or scandal. Proportionally, those things rarely happen — but you might not know that if you’re not a person of faith.
Sadly, it’s the noise that makes the news. Scandals are far more scintillating than sobriety and good deeds — especially when wrongdoing involves a person “of the cloth.”
But clergy members are heroes. They not only stabilize today’s world — they inspire, educate, guide and point people in this world to the wonders and beauty of the world yet to come.
My own pastor is Dr. Tim McConnell, a quiet, mild-mannered guy who leads First Presbyterian Church in Colorado Springs. He’s an Army veteran, a happily married father of four, and someone who deftly but resolutely helps us navigate a rapidly evolving culture.
Tim’s not flashy — but he’s faithful to God’s Word. He oversees a thriving downtown congregation that continues to minister to individuals in the midst of the pandemic.
My father-in-law, the Rev. Jennings Hamilton, is a retired pastor. But at 75, he’s currently serving as an interim associate pastor for a small, fledgling Baptist congregation a few miles from our house.
Jennings resisted the “call” to the ministry for years, toiling away at a sales job in Louisiana. He finally resigned and went to seminary. His first church summarily fired him. Thankfully, he went on to enjoy decades of fruitful pastoring.
Ministry can be both messy and rewarding.
Clergy members have to be great multitaskers. Contrary to popular belief, they don’t work one day per week, but usually seven.
Along with managing their own families, they have to somehow squeeze sermon prep in between staff meetings in the morning, lunches with community leaders, visiting youth in the afternoon, potlucks with congregants, and meetings and emergency hospital calls at night. Not to mention the second jobs most of them hold. And of course, they devote time to prayer.
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Don’t forget about the budget. Houses of worship, like people, often run out of money before they run out of month.
It’s easy to take our clergy members for granted — but it’s a mistake. If you have a one, I’d like to urge you to encourage him or her. It’s not an easy role, especially during the pandemic.
Remember that clergy members aren’t invincible. Your struggles are their struggles, sometimes magnified, because they often don’t have anyone ministering to them.
I worked for many years with the Rev. H.B. London, the pastor who actually launched Clergy Appreciation Month. He taught me many things, but especially about the “ministry of presence” — the importance of a brief phone call, email or card.
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“Never underestimate the power of an encouraging word to your pastor,” he told me. “A simple comment from you may take only a minute or two to deliver — but it might fill my tank for hours or even days.”
So, go ahead and make that call or write that note to the person who tends to your spiritual needs — your outreach might just inspire him or her to keep reaching out with a hopeful, helping hand to those most in need.
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