Someone once said, “Praise is like oxygen to a worker’s soul.” That’s a great mental image of the importance of encouragement to a person – especially someone like a volunteer group leader. If you are in charge of leading the men and women who teach group members the Bible, consider several ways you can encourage them as they serve the Lord:

1. Write a hand-written note of thanks. How old-fashioned, but nice. A hand-written note communicates the value of a person receiving it because the author took the time to pen his or her thoughts, address the envelope, and mail it. They weren’t able to copy and paste verbiage from an email sent to other group leaders – the hand-written note would be an original, based upon the leader’s appreciation and knowledge of the teacher’s work as a group leader.
2. Visit the Bible study group. As you make the rounds on a Sunday morning (assuming that’s when your groups meet!), drop by every class over time – maybe 2 to 3 a week – and express your thanks to the group’s leader and to the group’s members for their faithfulness, taking good care of guests, and for serving in other areas of the church. Talk about encouraging! If the pastor does this, the value of the drop-in visit goes up even more.
3. Provide a small thank-you gift. It’s not unusual to find a church providing group leaders with a copy of a best-selling book by a Christian author, or a small gift card to a local coffee shop. You don’t have to break the bank, and you don’t have to be elaborate. A tangible expression of thanks always goes a long way in the heart and mind of group leaders.