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3 Ways to Thank Your Volunteers This Christmas

40 Days of Love

God's Power to Change Your Life

The Purpose Driven Life Book

I’m sure you’ll be saying “Merry Christmas” often in the next few weeks, but there are two other words that may be even more important: Thank you. Pastor, you’re likely in the midst of one of the most volunteer-intensive months of the year. You have countless projects, events, and activities to prepare for this season. Plus, you have one of your largest services of the year coming up in three weeks. It’s a busy time for you and your volunteers—so please remember to thank them. It’s not just courtesy; it’s a critical part of ministry in the holiday season. Paul describes what should be a regular practice in the church in 1 Thessalonians 5:11: “Encourage each other and give each other strength, just as you are doing now” (NCV). Your appreciation of others boosts their value. You give people strength when you thank them. William James once wrote, “The deepest principle of human nature is the craving to be appreciated.” Paul gives us a great example of how to express gratitude to church members in his New Testament letters. He clearly understood the importance of expressing gratitude to the people who supported his ministry. For example, he specifically thanked people for:

Their faithfulness (Philippians 1:3-5). The volunteers in your congregation have many different things they could be doing with their time during the holiday season. They don’t have to be serving at your church. When they do serve, let them know you see their faithfulness to God and to your church.
Their uniqueness (Colossians 3:15). Your volunteers serve in a myriad of different ways at your church. Each of your volunteers brings a unique SHAPE to their ministry. Thank them for their uniqueness. Let them know that your ministry during the holiday season happens because they’re living out the fresh and original way God designed them. When Paul wrote to the church of Colossae in chapter 3, he noted the church’s diversity wasn’t a weakness that should divide it but a strength that should unite it. The diversity of the gifts serving your church this Christmas season demonstrates this supernatural strength.
Their effort (1 Thessalonians 1:2-3). Never get caught up just appreciating results. Show people you’re grateful for the effort they demonstrated, even if the execution wasn’t perfect. If you only show appreciation for results, you’ll eventually lose volunteers.

How to Say Thank You

It’s not just what you say; it’s also how you say it that matters when you’re expressing appreciation for your volunteers this Christmas. Keep these three principles in mind as you say thanks.

Be real. Your gratitude needs to be sincere and heartfelt. Don’t do it for any ulterior motive, and don’t use it as an excuse to get them to volunteer again. Be genuinely grateful for your volunteers’ sacrifice. They will detect any extra reason you might have for saying thanks—and they may be less likely to give their time again.
Be specific. Don’t beat around the bush. Verbalize exactly what you appreciate about the person’s service. This means making your appreciation personal whenever possible. You may have too many volunteers to personally thank each one, but make your gratitude as personal as possible. One of the best ways to do this is to catch people in their acts of service. When you see someone serving, don’t just walk past them. Tell them how much you appreciate what they’re doing, and tell them exactly what you appreciate them for.
Be consistent. Most of your volunteers aren’t just serving during Christmas. Make your gratitude a habit. Let the Christmas season be a time when you make a new commitment to consistently show how much you appreciate your volunteers. Paul writes, “We ought always to give thanks to God for you” (2 Thessalonians 2:13 ESV). Continual appreciation for your volunteers will change the atmosphere in your church.

Let’s be honest—you never know how many opportunities you’ll have to say thanks. It’s a sobering truth for your personal life, as you ponder all of the people in your life who may never get the chance to hear you say, “Thank you.” But it’s also true of your ministry. You never know what could happen to the volunteers who are serving with you this Christmas. Don’t take them for granted. Some of the most important people in your church will never hear their name mentioned in a worship service. Often, their service will never make it into a book or even their obituary someday. Pastor, for many of them, none of that matters either. They’d simply love to hear their pastor say, “Thank you.” Embrace the attitude of gratitude this holiday season and beyond.

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Four Marks of Holiness From Psalm 24

Pastor, God is looking for holy leaders.Hebrews 12:14 says, “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” (NIV) Holiness won’t happen on autopilot. You have to fight for it in your schedule, your thoughts, your habits, and your words.Why should you pursue holiness? God says, “Be holy because I am holy” (Leviticus 11:45 GW).That’s the heart of it, pastor. When the Spirit is filling your life, you don’t just feel comforted; you feel called. You want to look like Jesus.So what does it mean to be holy?Psalm 24:3-4 says, “Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god” (NIV).In other words, these are the characteristics of the person who gets blessed by God. If you want the blessing of the Lord, Psalm 24 gives four simple marks of holiness.1. Clean handsClean hands mean a clear conscience.Think about the tabernacle in the Old Testament. When you walked into the court, the first thing you would do is wash at the brass washbasin. It’s a picture of cleansing. The starting point for a holy life is a cleansed life.Does that mean you will be perfect? No, because no one is perfect. It means you keep short accounts with God; you don’t let sin sit.Scripture says, “If we confess our sins to God, he can always be trusted to forgive us and take our sins away” (1 John 1:9 CEV). When you sin, you need to agree with God about it; you need to confess it.You won’t have much spiritual strength with a guilty conscience. A clean engine produces more power, and the same is true in your life.2. A pure heartPsalm 24 also says a holy person has a pure heart. This is about your motives. A pure heart reflects pure motives.Jeremiah 48:10 says, “A curse on anyone who is lax in doing the LORD’s work!” (NIV). When you’re “lax in doing the LORD’s work,” that means you’re doing it with mixed motives.God can do a lot through the pastor with pure motives, who doesn’t care who gets the credit. So in private, talk to the Lord: “God, examine my heart. Clear out the junk. Make my motives pure before you.”3. HumilityPsalm 24:4 says a holy person is someone “who does not trust in an idol” (NIV). This speaks to humility.Pride goes before destruction. God doesn’t take pride lightly. Pride kicked Satan out of heaven. Pride caused Pharaoh to lose his nation. Pride led to Herod being stricken and dying on the spot.So be aware of pride’s power in your life. Proverbs 18:12 says, “Pride leads to destruction” (CEV).4. HonestyPsalm 24:4 goes on to say that a holy person doesn’t “swear by a false god” (NIV). That’s about being honest, having the right words, and using holy language. In other words, you need to watch what you say.Psalm 39:1 says, “I’ll be careful not to sin by what I say” (CEV). One of the easiest ways we sin is by talking too much. When you talk too much, you lose spiritual weight. It is like a steam engine. If it is always letting off steam through the whistle, it builds up no power. But if it stores up the steam, then when it releases it, it can move an engine.Are you quick with angry words? Sarcastic words? Put-down words? Pray and ask God, “Where do I need to watch my words?” When you boil it all down, to be holy is to keep a clear conscience, purify your motives, walk in humility, and speak honestly with guarded words.That is what it means to be holy. And God uses holy people.

Who Is Watching Out for You?

“A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.” Ecclesiastes 4:12 (NLT)Pastor, you probably know what it’s like to watch over others while quietly feeling unseen yourself. You help people stay steady in temptation, grief, conflict, and doubt. You pray for them, counsel them, and carry burdens you cannot always share.So here is a Monday-morning question worth asking: Who is watching out for you?When you go on vacation, you ask someone to keep an eye on the house. That is wisdom. But in ministry, it is easy to let the “watching out” stop with everyone else. And when a pastor becomes isolated, discouragement can deepen, temptations get louder, and blind spots grow.Scripture gives a better way: “Look out for one another's interests, not just for your own” (Philippians 2:4 GNT). God intends for the family of God to be a protective gift, not just a place we serve.Ecclesiastes calls it a braided cord. Strength comes from connection. Not performative connection. Not “I have plenty of people around me.” Real, honest, mutual care.Pastor, you were not meant to stand alone.Here’s a simple encouragement for this week: Choose one trusted person and invite a real check-in. Not a ministry update. A soul check. The Lord often protects pastors through faithful friends who lovingly “look out” when you cannot see what is happening in your own blind spots.You are better together.

Lead with Your Ears First

“Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” James 1:19 (NIV)Pastor, have you noticed how hard it is to be heard these days?Conversations move fast. Opinions move faster. Everyone has something to say—and most people are ready to say it before anyone else finishes.And if we’re not careful, that hurried pace can slip into our leadership.After a long Sunday, you may walk into Monday already carrying frustration. A critical comment. A tense hallway exchange. A leadership disagreement that didn’t resolve. When you’re tired, it doesn’t take much to spark irritation.That’s why James’s words are so timely for church leaders: “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” (James 1:19 NIV).Notice the order:Quick to listenSlow to speakSlow to become angryIn ministry, listening is more than a communication skill. It’s a pastoral discipline. When you truly listen to a staff member, a volunteer, or a hurting church member, you’re modeling the patience of Christ. You’re saying, “You matter enough for me to slow down.”Anger in leadership doesn’t always look explosive. Some pastors are what you might call “skunks.” When they’re upset, everyone knows it. The room fills with tension. Words come quickly and sharply.Others are “turtles.” They retreat into their shells. The frustration simmers quietly. Nothing is said—but nothing is resolved either.Both styles can wound a church. Both need the same remedy: Slow down and listen first.Listening forces humility. It creates space for understanding. It lowers the temperature in the room. And often, it reveals that what first felt like defiance was really confusion, fear, or hurt.Pastor, your people don’t need a reaction. They need a shepherd.So before you respond to that email. Before you correct that staff member. Before you step into that difficult conversation—pause.Ask one more question. Pray one short prayer.Take one slow breath. Be quick to listen. Be slow to speak. And you may find your anger softening into wisdom.That kind of leadership reflects the heart of Christ. And your church will feel the difference.

Before You Lead, Be Still

“Jesus often slipped away to be alone so he could pray.” Luke 5:15–16 (NCV)Pastor, after a full Sunday of preaching, praying, counseling, and carrying the needs of others, Monday can feel strangely quiet.And strangely heavy.In a world of constant pressure and ministry demands, prayer is more than a discipline; it’s your lifeline.Jesus understood that. The Gospels show him repeatedly stepping away from the noise and expectations to be alone with the Father. “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35 NIV). And Luke tells us this wasn’t occasional—it was his rhythm. Crowds grew. Needs multiplied. But “Jesus often slipped away to be alone so he could pray” (Luke 5:15–16 NCV).If the Son of God needed unhurried time with the Father, how much more do you?You may think, I don’t have time. The meetings are waiting. The emails are stacking up. Next Sunday is already coming.But you have nothing lasting to give your church if you’re running on empty.God doesn’t just call you to shepherd others. He calls you to let him shepherd you.“Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10 NCV). Stillness isn’t weakness. It’s trust. It’s the quiet confession that God is God—and you are not.So carve out a small space today. Not to prepare a message. Not to plan a strategy. Just to listen.Sit before God and ask, “Father, what do you want to say to me?”You may sense a gentle nudge. A Scripture coming to mind. A quiet correction. Or simply a deep breath of peace that reminds you you’re not carrying this ministry alone.And if worry crowds your thoughts—about your family, church attendance, leadership conflicts, finances—let God redirect your attention to his Word. Anchor your mind there instead of spiraling through scenarios.Pastor, God wants to speak to you. Not just through you. He isn’t waiting for you to perform. He’s inviting you to be present. Step away for a moment. Let him refill what Sunday poured out.Then return to your calling, not depleted, but renewed.

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