Why celebrate the pastor’s anniversary?
When a church installs a pastor to oversee the congregation, there is usually an installation service. This is an official service that includes the congregation and higher ranking officials to perform the service. The anniversary date for this service is generally one year from or close to this date. To begin with, this article will explain why we are celebrating the Pastor’s Anniversary.
When a Pastor is installed in a church, he/she is taking an oath to care for or oversee the church congregation as a unit. This responsibility, in my opinion, is one of the greatest responsibilities that man can accept. He/She is accepting the responsibility of nurturing a person’s spiritual man. As the spiritual man grows through the teaching of the pastor, the natural man will blossom with knowledge and understanding. This process is like a birthday in that every year you get older, wiser and understand more about life.
The spiritual side of celebrating a Pastor’s Anniversary should not be seen as a time to give the pastor some money and gifts. But rather a time where the congregation as a whole celebrates what God has given them, in the form of a pastor. Every member of the church should have the honor of knowing that they are being taught divine principles that will ultimately improve life. As your spirit man grows, so does the natural man and for that reason it is a time to celebrate. Celebrate with your pastor the growth experience as he or she is the servant who nurtures your soul. Every year take pride in knowing that you have become wiser, smarter and that your decision making is better in general.
The natural side of celebrating a Pastor’s Anniversary will include physical gifts, money, and praise that honors where it should be honored. Every year when we celebrate a birthday, most of us receive a gift or a card from someone, with something small. You celebrate in the natural of getting older a year, a wise year. The pastor’s anniversary has the same principle behind it but a much greater meaning up front. There is a spiritual aspect to celebrating our pastors in the natural. We celebrate spiritually during the anniversary of the pastor. And we all know that there is a greater blessing in giving than in receiving. I personally believe that there is a greater blessing for those who bless the chosen vessels of God.
The pastor’s anniversary should be celebrated with divine principles, not with material things. We, as Christians, must allow God to get the glory of everything we do. We should celebrate them knowing that we are truly the true beneficiaries of the whole thing. God chose them to take care of us and protect us from all danger, naturally and spiritually. God gave them the power and the anointing to come against anything that might hinder our walk with Him (Our Creator).
If your church or ministry has planned this event for formality, I suggest you take advantage of the greater spiritual significance. Too often we as Christians miss the big picture because we are preoccupied with the natural elements. We dilute our blessings by putting a number or tradition on them. I encourage you to honor your pastor from his heart, not from his wallet. Pray and seek God on how to be a blessing to your pastor because there may be other needs besides money and gifts.
