Ordination Gifts for a Newly Ordained Pastor
The right ordination gift for a newly ordained pastor carries the verse that was read over him at the service and goes in his pocket the next morning. The Leatherius 1 Timothy 6:12 men's wallet – full-grain leather stamped "Fight The Good Fight" with 1 TIM. 6:12 beneath, $54.50 – is the piece a congregation should buy, with the Joshua 1:8 journal at $51 as the study-desk alternative. Paul's charge to Timothy is the text most ordination sermons work from, and it sits in the scripture men's wallet range on two separate wallets.
The two charge verses, and which is which
They are easy to confuse and they mean opposite things at opposite ends of a ministry.
1 Timothy 6:12 is the charge at the start: "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses." That last clause is literally what an ordination service is, which is why this is the verse for a first installation.
2 Timothy 4:7 is the same image looking backwards: "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:". Give the 2 Timothy 4:7 wallet in Caramel at $54.50 for a twenty-fifth anniversary in ministry, a retirement or a farewell when a pastor leaves one church for another. Giving it at an ordination reads as though you expect him to be done.
What to give, by occasion
| Occasion | Piece | Verse stamped | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ordination or installation | 1 Timothy 6:12 wallet | Fight The Good Fight | $54.50 |
| Seminary entry or graduation | Joshua 1:8 journal | Meditate Therein Day & Night | $51.00 |
| Long service or retirement | 2 Timothy 4:7 wallet | Fought A Good Fight | $54.50 |
| Deacon or elder ordination | Micah 6:8 wallet | Walk Humbly | $54.50 |
| Character charge for a young man | 1 Timothy 6:11 wallet | O Man Of God | $54.50 |
| Church planter or chaplain | Hebrews 12:1 wallet | Run With Patience | $54.50 |
| Missionary commissioning | Psalm 25:5 dopp kit | Lead Me In Thy Truth | $54.50 |
| Worship pastor or youth pastor | Colossians 3:23 journal | Do It Heartily | $51.00 |
The journal, for a man about to spend his life reading
Joshua 1:8 is the study verse: "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success." The $51 journal stamps "Meditate Therein Day & Night" over JOSHUA 1:8 and comes in a medium or small size, with lined pages and a bookmark.
A seminary student gets more use out of this than out of another study bible, since he already owns four. Our prayer journal guide for men covers how the two sizes differ in practice.
What a congregation usually gives, and what it should give
The default is a study bible, a plaque or a gift card. All three are safe and none of them get carried. A wallet at $54.50 is inside the range a small church can approve without a committee, and it is the single object a pastor handles most days that nobody else picks the design of.
Where a home church wants the gift to come from everyone, buy one wallet and have the elders sign a card rather than splitting into several small items. Where a whole ministry team is being thanked at once, the per-head arithmetic in our bulk christian gifts for church volunteer appreciation guide applies instead.
What to engrave on an ordination gift
Every piece takes a monogram alongside the verse, and the personalization options are shown on each product page. The convention that causes least regret is initials plus the ordination year. Avoid a church name, because he may serve three congregations before he is fifty. Avoid a title, because "Rev." on leather ages awkwardly if he later moves into chaplaincy or teaching.
Deacons, elders and hospital chaplains
Micah 6:8 is the verse for an office that is meant to be exercised quietly: "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" The Black wallet at $54.50 stamps "Walk Humbly". For a hospital chaplain starting a post, the Psalm 25:5 dopp kit at $54.50 in Blueberry is the piece that travels with the night shift. For a gift that stays under $60 in every case, the whole Christian gifts for men collection holds to that ceiling apart from the tote bags.
FAQ
What does a congregation usually give at an ordination?
Historically a study bible or a framed certificate. A leather wallet or journal in the $51 to $54.50 range costs about the same and gets used daily, which is why it holds up better as a keepsake.
Which verse goes on an ordination gift?
1 Timothy 6:12 for a man being ordained, because it names the profession made before many witnesses. Save 2 Timothy 4:7 for a retirement or a long-service milestone.
Is there an ordination gift under $60?
Yes. The men's wallets are $54.50 and the leather journals are $51, so both sit under the threshold before personalization.
What should be engraved on it?
Initials and the year of ordination. Leave off the church name and the title, since both are likely to change over a working life.
