5 Ways to Bless Your Church Staff During the Holidays

Most everyone knows the anticipation Clark Griswold felt waiting for his Christmas bonus in the movie Christmas Vacation. He had grand plans for the money…a pool for his family. We also know the disappointment Clark felt when his bonus ended up being a one-year membership to the “jelly of the month club.” As Cousin Eddie proclaimed, it was the gift “that keeps on giving.” What we desire for holiday gifts and what we actually get is usually not one in the same (“Wow, thanks, tube socks”). It’s doubtful a member of your church staff has put a down payment on a pool hoping for a Christmas bonus to cover the cost. It’s also doubtful a church staff member would turn down a cash bonus, or even a gift card. But I wanted to provide you some other ways to think about providing bonuses, or blessing, to your staff. If you lead a staff, or are in a place that could provide these to the staff of your church, here are some suggested ideas somewhere between the jelly of the month club and a pool:

Five ways to bless your staff during the holidays:

1. Close the church office the week between Christmas and New Year’s (and don’t count it as their vacation time). Use a receptionist and a minister on call to coordinate ministry that week.
2. Have a staff party and include spouses if possible.
3. Utilize a retired minister for hospital visiting and other pastoral care needs over the key days of Thanksgiving and Christmas.
4. Send a hand-written note of gratefulness.
5. Take a key staff member and their spouse out for a nice dinner.

Every idea would require some work and tweaks based on your church’s situation, but you get the idea. Keep the jelly membership for yourself, and bless staff in whatever other ways you can. This article originally appeared here.