It’s Wednesday night and we have just finished a great night of ministry with our students.  You stand in the gym talking with the last remaining students as they wait for their ride to go home.  Time has passed quickly and it is already 9:30 and all of your leaders have left the building.  You realize that you did not even get the chance to say goodbye to them or even really thank them for there help this evening.  But it was a good night.  I will catch them next week, is the thought that runs through your head.  Next week comes and we do the same thing again without ever noticing it.

Many time this is the way ministry happens with our volunteer base.  The big loss is that you are not getting the chance to communicate with your team of volunteers that you really appreciate them giving up their time and pouring into the lives of your students.  If we don’t communicate with them we are loosing some great opportunities to really pour into the lives of our leaders.  Here is a simple idea that has huge returns.

As soon as you are done with a mnistry event take the time to sit down and write a quick email to your leaders and include the following items.

1.  Say, “Thank You!” – just telling them helps them to feel valued and wanted.

2.  Be excited about what is happening in your ministry area and their role in it

3.  Share a success story – this is best when you take the time to notice a leader doing what you have trained them to do.  It gives you the chance to share what you are looking for from them on a weekly basis in a positive way.

4.  Take note of the things that did not go well.

5.  Briefly communicate anything that is coming up soon.

It may sound really simple.  However, your leaders will feel more connected to what is happening and will gain a solid understanding of what you are looking for.  The other up side is that you will be sharing the success stories of ministry, which is why they are there in the first place.