Celebration

I’m assuming that all of us have, at one time or another, used a revolving door somewhere. You know, then, the purpose of revolving doors: One moment you’ve entered, the very next moment you’ve exited. This idea works wonderfully in airports and hotels, but when it comes to bringing volunteers into ministry, the revolving door theory is not the goal! 

It goes without saying that showing gratitude and appreciation for those who are serving within your church is absolutely vital if you want to see your volunteers enter the door to ministry and not take the emergency exit route due to feeling unappreciated or undervalued. A great way to demonstrate your love and deep appreciation for your volunteers is to celebrate them! Throw an affirmation party, of sorts! People have a natural need to know that they have made a difference and a lasting impact with their lives and their service. 

Below are a few examples of lessons in appreciation:

If you let volunteers know the impact they are making, they will want to make an even greater impact. 

Give both private and public affirmation. 

Challenge your staff to come up with creative ways to say “thank you” to their volunteers. 

If you use their time wisely, they will want to give you more of it. 

On the ministry team, we have come up with three ways in which to celebrate our volunteers. We celebrate them personally, publicly, and prayerfully. Sending cards, e-mails and gifts, making phone calls, and taking individuals to lunch are great ways to show personal appreciation. Weekend messages, highlighting an individual’s service, and having church-wide appreciation events are just three examples of how to publicly celebrate your volunteers. In fact, at Saddleback we put on an annual event to honor our volunteers – we call it The WOW Awards. The entire evening is meant for volunteers to be recognized, so we give out beautiful awards, we have an emceed show with live music, we provide dessert, and what is probably the most fun part for the volunteers involves Pastor Rick publicly expressing his thanks and love for those who serve. 

And finally, in order to prayerfully celebrate and appreciate your members who are serving, thank God in your prayers for your volunteers by name, pray for your volunteers by name, and make sure you actually know their names! In fact, take a moment right now to think of at least two volunteers who you can pray for and praise God for. 

Giving your volunteers reason to stay far away from the ministry exit door requires your constant love for and devotion to them, and they in turn will remain devoted to serving your church body.