Articles for tag: Volunteer Appreciation

Celebrate Your Volunteers This Season

By Michael C. Mack This is a great time of year to say thank-you and let your volunteers know how much you appreciate them for their service. Here are five simple but significant giving ideas: 1. Be sure your gift communicates that you care about and appreciate each person as an individual. 2. If you have a large number of volunteers, it may be cost prohibitive to send each one an extravagant gift, but you can send a high-quality Christmas card””not the $3 boxed set of 100 cards!””with a personal note in each one, thanking them for their ministry, letting

Volunteers: They”re Vital!

By Mark A. Taylor Not long after I left ministry in the local church to come to the nine-to-five office environment at Standard Publishing, I had an epiphany. I had taken for granted the volunteers who had helped me at the church. When I needed them to come to a meeting, they came. When I asked them to teach a class, they taught. When I recruited them to give up time to keep my latest notion from failing, they were there. Meanwhile, I counted everything I did for the church as part of the job they were paying me for.

25 Ways to Show Volunteers They Matter

Tips, tactics, and testimonies by church leaders who know the value of a volunteer. Compiled by Jennifer Johnson ________ 1. Last fall, I wrote a note to each Bible study leader mentioning specific strengths I see in her. Then I read the notes aloud in our start-up leader meeting. The fun thing was they weren”t expecting this type of affirmation at the beginning of the year. “”Nancy Karpenske, women and spiritual transformation pastor, LifeBridge Christian Church, Longmont, Colorado 2. A couple of times a year we hold major serving events in our community. In our weekend services after each of these events,

Beyond Words

By Susan Lawrence 5 Gifts for Volunteers 1. Storybooks. Collect stories and memories from people involved in the ministry””those who have led, served alongside, and been served by volunteers. Bind together the stories, or place them in a photo album or scrapbook. Seeing and reading others” perspective will encourage and inspire your volunteers. 2. Coupons. Nearly everyone is busy, but when ministry is added into the schedule, other things get put on the back burner. Think of individual needs, and create a customized coupon for each person. Items to consider include pet care, babysitting, delivering a prepared meal, or a

Parenting Predictable, Not Perfect

By Mark A. Taylor Which of these videos reminds you of an awkward moment at your house? Did you ever lose a hamster? Did you ever make yourself sick making your kids happy? Did parenting ever take you out of your comfort zone? Well, take heart. “You don”t have to be perfect to be a perfect parent.” It”s a message as encouraging for biological parents as it is for those who would adopt. And it”s exactly what Jack Holland told us in our August 20 episode of Beyond the Standard. In fact, he says professional literature on successful families uses

Advice for Rookie Pastors

By Josh Tandy You don”t have to be 22 and just walking away from the welcome potluck to read this article. Here”s how I define Rookie Pastor: someone who is brand new to ministry, or someone who just took on a new role, or one of those veterans who refuses to stop growing, learning, and adapting. As I wrote my e-book 30 in 30: How to Start or Restart Well*, I realized I did some of my 30 pointers in my first 30 days, and some I have yet to do. My goal is to help the recent graduate who

Revitalizing Your Children”s Ministry

By Karen Wingate “Growing, dynamic churches are rooted in a powerful philosophy that recognizes kids matter to God,” says Rick Chromey, author of Energizing Children”s Ministry in the Smaller Church. Those are discouraging words to a church that sees the population of its children”s department slipping into oblivion. Struggling churches know that without the next generation, their congregation”s future is in jeopardy. Is it possible to revitalize a dying children”s ministry? “Yes,” says Teri Lewis, director of the Son Harbor children”s ministry program at Plymouth Avenue Christian Church, a congregation of 250 in Deland, Florida. In 2003, a “good” Sunday

The ‘Easy’ Button

By Arron Chambers If I had an “easy” button, I would have pressed it and . . . “¢ Assembled my son”s bike on Christmas morning in just seconds””instead of spending all day on it in an episode that almost ended my marriage. “¢ I wouldn”t have dated that girl, because she would have worn a label that read, “Warning: High Maintenance!” “¢ My teeth would be straight. “¢ My wife would not have endured long months of pregnancy; instead, our four kids would have been delivered to the front door about an hour after breakfast on a Saturday morning.

Help Keep Christian Standard Free & Accessible with a Tax Deductible Donation

We can do more together!

Every gift makes a difference!

No, thank you.
100% secure transactions - receipts provided.
Does Your Church Want to Support Christian Standard?

Would your church consider including support for Christian Standard in its annual missions budget? Your support would help us not only continue the 160-year legacy of this unifying ministry, but also expand the free resources, cooperative opportunities, and practical guidance we provide to strengthen churches in the U.S. and around the world.

We can do more together!

Every gift makes a difference!

No, thank you.
100% secure transactions - receipts provided.
Secret Link