Jason Hatley here – Pastor of Worship Arts at The Journey and founder of WorshipLeaderInsights.com – with some holiday thoughts for you today.

Thanksgiving has come and gone (except for the leftover turkey of course), but “giving thanks” is always in season. Especially when it comes to thanking your worship arts team members.

I don’t have to tell you how valuable the members or your team are to your mission as a church. In fact, I’ve always said, “As goes your worship team, so go your worship services.”

And it’s true . . . imagine what services would be like one Sunday if all the members of your team decided to take a day off. It’s a recurring nightmare for me 🙂

The members of our worship arts teams give above and beyond all year long. By the time a member of your team practices, attends rehearsal, and serves on Sunday they could be giving 20+ hours a week to our churches. Incredible when you think about it!

This Christmas, you and I have a unique opportunity to tell the members of our team “Thank you for a great year of service to our church!”

So in the spirit of the season, here are 3 things that we do at The Journey to thank our volunteers this time of year . . . that you can do as well.

1 – SEND PERSONAL CHRISTMAS CARDS
It’s simple, but very sentimental. Nothing beats a personally signed Christmas Card this time of year. Write a brief personal note in each and it will be a “thank you” your team members display all season long.

2 – THROW A CHRISTMAS PARTY
One of my favorite ways to thank our Worship Arts Team is through an end-of-year Christmas Party. I use the party to recap some of the great things God did in our church and our team that year, to show some fun videos of worship elements our team performed, to invest in them personally and spiritually at Christmas, and to say “Thank you!” for serving.

And don’t forget – this party isn’t just to remember and say thanks, but also to cast vision for the New Year.

3 – PREPARE A SMALL GIFT FOR YOUR LEADERS
Finally, you can prepare a small gift for the leaders on your team. More than anyone else, your leaders have served at the highest level this year. Gifts don’t have to be expensive, just meaningful. One year I gave our team leaders a Christmas ornament from a local AIDS relief charity that our team had been supporting that year. By purchasing the ornaments I had made a donation to the charity in their names, and had shown them a small (but personal) sign of my thanks for them and their leadership on our team.

Don’t miss the opportunity to share a well-deserved “thank you” with your team this year. It’s a great way to acknowledge their service and inspire them to continue to serve in the New Year.

Your partner in ministry,

PS – Have you heard about my NEW Worship Leader Tele-coaching Network? The Super Early Bird deadline is coming up quick (December 31st).

Right now you can receive the Super Early Bird rate and additional bonus resources ($772.00 value) that you receive when you’re accepted.

Go to www.worshipleaderinsights.com/coaching to learn more and apply today!

© Nelson Searcy. All Rights Reserved.

About Nelson Searcy

Nelson Searcy is an experienced church growth strategist, pastor, church planter and coach, consulting with churches around the world. As founder of Church Leader Insights and the Renegade Pastors Network, he has personally trained more than 3,500 church leaders in over 45 denominations through live events, seminars and monthly coaching. Nelson is also the Founding and Lead Pastor of The Journey Church, with locations across New York City and in Boca Raton, FL. Nelson and his church routinely appear on lists such as “The 50 Most Influential Churches” and “The 25 Most Innovative Leaders.” He is the author of over 100 church growth resources and 18+ books, including The Renegade Pastor: Abandoning Average in Your Life, Ministry and The Difference Maker: Using Your Everyday Life for Eternal Impact, and At the Cross with the People Who Were There. He and his wife, Kelley, have one son, Alexander.