Recognition

Here is a simple suggestion that could be used by any church. Each week in the program, list a group of people who have served the church that month in some area. For example:

• Week one: all of the people who have been part of the worship band
• Week two: all of the people who have served in the children’s ministry area
• Week three: all of the people in the set-up, sound, media and hospitality
• Week four: all the leaders of home groups

The idea is to recognize all volunteers. In a large church, you might want to subdivide these over several months, so that the lists are not too long. But the idea is to list each person’s name who volunteers periodically. Don’t forget people who volunteer in the office: bulletin folders, people who make copies, people who help with the offerings and accounting, etc.

This would accomplish a number of things:

• Recognize those who serve
• Highlight to those who do not serve the opportunities for service
• Help the congregation get to know people who are serving and build community
• Help the congregation know how many people it takes to provide the church’s ministries
• Recognize people publically who are not usually seen by the general congregation

There is an old saying, “You get what you recognize”. When we express appreciation, we demonstrate that we believe those who volunteer are important to the ministry.

Mel