With Clergy Appreciation Month coming in October, you may want to encourage members of your church to shop for gifts to express their appreciation for your church leaders.

A survey by LifeWay Research found 67% of pastors admitting that it was easy to get discouraged in their ministry, and 70% acknowledging that their leadership role left them feeling lonely.

Pastors in small churches and those under the age of 50 were more likely to feel lonely at times, according to the poll of 800 pastors.

"Discouragement and loneliness are common among pastors today," said Ed Stetzer, director of LifeWay Research. But this is not a new phenomenon, he noted. "The apostle Paul's letters to pastors and church planters in the New Testament are filled with encouragement and exhortation to stand firm and endure."

Responding to the survey findings, LifeWay has partnered with NEXT Networks to launch a coaching network system for pastors, bringing together a dozen church leaders once a month for six months.

Meanwhile, Clergy Appreciation Month, established by Focus on the Family, encourages congregations to "honor their pastors and pastoral families for the hard work, sacrificial dedication and multiple blessings provided by these special people."

Sponsors of the event have created a planning guide to help churches coordinate their involvement.

Source: LifeWay Research

Read more at http://www.lifeway.com/lwc/article_main_page/0%2C1703%2CA%25253D169508%252526M%25253D200906%2C00.html.

For more information on Clergy Appreciation Month, go to http://www.parsonage.org.