I was on a recent Southwest Airlines flight from California to Nashville when the flight attendant called our attention to a group of soldiers who were on the flight.  The attendant became emotional as she thanked the soldiers for their service and sacrifice so that she could be free.  The entire plane erupted in applause and cheers for the small group of servicemen and women.  It was a great moment!  Everyone likes to be told thank-you.

Praise is Like Oxygen to a Worker’s Soul

I love that thought and the word picture it gives me.  But I wonder how many of our teachers/leaders are living in an oxygen deprived environment?  If you’re a pastor or staff leader, are you saying thank-you often enough?  If not, maybe your teachers are hoping you’ll turn on the flow of praise and bring new life to their souls!

But what if you’re reading this blog post and you are a group leader? Don’t forget to pass praise on to your group members! We all need to be praised from time to time. You’ve got regular attenders and members of your group’s leadership team that need to be praised for good work, regular attendance, and more.

Here are 4 simple ways to say thanks. How many other ways can you think of to say thanks to someone?

1.  Thank-you cards.  Make a commitment to send out two or three a week…catch people doing good things and thank them for it.

2.  Public praise.  Call attention to a volunteer’s good work in a public way…at a leader training event, from the pulpit, or in front of the people they teach/lead.

3.  Gifts.  Books, pens, a coffee mug, an iTunes gift card, tickets to an event, or something else that brings added value to the volunteer…the sky is the limit…just use your imagination.

4.  Breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  You’ve got to eat anyway, right?  Why not take a volunteer out to eat and spend time with them?

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