10 Ways Pastors Can Encourage Their Leaders

Today’s post was written by a pastor for a pastor.

1. Let your leaders know that you pray for them. You can mention this from the pulpit, “We need to remember to pray for our Awana leaders.” But you also need to tell them individually. Even if you pastor a large church, you can occasionally mention Awana leaders from the pulpit and in your prayers.

2. Write a note (or send an email) of encouragement. Even if you have 100 leaders, two or three cards/emails a week can be completed. If possible, mention something specific, “I heard you had the privilege of leading a boy to Christ last week. I thank the Lord for your ministry and I’ll be praying for Sammy.” A note/email doesn’t take that long to write, but the words will have long-lasting meaning to the leader.

3. Drop in (or at least walk in) club. We all know that working with kids has great rewards, but any children’s or youth worker also faces difficulties. A simple word of encouragement can recharge a leader. (As pastors, we know how an encouraging word can revitalize our own ministry.) Every few weeks, wander through the building during Awana, stick your head in the various classrooms and say “hi.”

4. Share dinner. Invite the directors and their families to dinner. Show them that you care about and appreciate what they’re doing in club and encourage them to keep on doing it.

5, Be a listening ear. Churches (and Awana clubs) are made up of people. A dozen people have a dozen different opinions on how something should be done. Other times, a leader is hurt because another leader or parent said something uncalled for. A pastor needs to be willing to work as a mediator (if necessary) or maybe simply to pray with the hurt person. Always, we must remind our leadership of the main goal – to reach children and youth with the gospel and to disciple them in their spiritual growth.

6. Encourage excellence. We can also encourage leaders to be accountable to doing club in an “excellent manner.” That means upholding proper standards and following both church and club guidelines. That means making sure a child protection policy is in place and followed. If you’re pastor of a mega-church, you probably aren’t specifically in charge of making sure Awana is run well – but you can still encourage excellence to your staff.

7. Communicate the vision. Communicate the dream – the vision – in manageable pieces that can be accomplished. Make sure you are setting realistic goals in front of your leadership team. If you’re pastor of a smaller church, that might mean directly communicating with the leaders. In a large church, you might be communicating with the staff – but an occasional “pep” talk to everyone is still in order.

Pray together for wisdom in setting Christ-centered goals and objectives. Then watch the leadership team become excited about the vision and adopt it as their own. This is a challenge well worth the effort. I’m sure you’ve heard the joke about how to eat an elephant – one bite at a time. What is your vision for your church this year? What is your vision for your Awana program this year? One step at a time.

8. Encourage leaders to grow spiritually. We can do this by periodically planning classes on teaching and leadership. Or we can have a class that teaches leaders how to answer common questions that children and youth ask about the Bible. Encourage your leaders to do the parent handbooks – available for the Sparks and T&T books.

9. Set an example. Make sure you set the example by always welcoming new clubbers with equal excitement. Whether it’s a scruffy little kid from down the block or the mayor’s daughter, let all of your visitors know that Awana is a place where they can feel cared for and safe. Your friendliness and kindness will not only be a testimony in itself, but will encourage your leaders by example. (A tangible example is going along with your leaders to an Awana Ministry Conference this fall. You count for two people! You’ll get to meet other pastors. Some conferences even have a pastor’s round table where you can talk about your Awana program and learn from what other churches are doing.)

10. Learn the language. You need to know what you’re talking about. Learn about Awana. Do you know what a section is? (Why not stop in club some night and be a listener?) Do you know what the game square is? Do you know that kids can earn college scholarships? Oh, and do you know it’s Awana NOT Awanas? Do you know it’s Awana and not AWANA?

You, as pastor, can be a big encouragement to your Awana leaders.